So I had the great intention of refashioning these baggy Ann Taylor pants I thrifted for $4 into skinny trousers. Seems easy, right? Step 1 was having the pants, and all I had to do was:
Step 2: Put them on inside out.
Step 3: Pinching the pant leg on the inside and out and marking how far you want to take them in.
Step 4: Pull fabric tight to keep from bunching and pin in place.
Step 5: Stitch along the pants (starting with the inseam first, beginning at the crotch and going down) where they are marked.
Step 6: Cut off excess fabric and press seams open.
Step 7: Have a new pair of skinny trousers.
Right?
Well, wrong in my case.
So let me begin by telling you how, ironically, Ellen and I had been talking earlier this week about how we fancy ourselves very open and vulnerable people, but how in reality we are very closed off and afraid of failure/disappointing others/what other people think, etc. I then realized how that has carried over into this blog, because I don’t want anyone reading to know that I am worried about what they think, and I want to give the impression that I always know what I’m doing and I’m awesome at everything I try to do the first time I do it. Reading that typed I realize how ridiculous and unattainable that is. Right?
So I’m just going to be very real and very honest. Sometimes I fail. Sometimes I fail miserably. Like with these pants. I can’t even get them over my ankles. It’s kind of comical, really! They look like I made them for a stick figure!
I grossly miscalculated and messed up what should have been a really simple project.
(If you want to know how to slim your pants, read this blog post and watch this video by the lovely Lizzie of Cotton & Curls.)
I was so bummed and was scrambling to think of what I could post this week instead, if I had time to do another project that looked perfect and I could post for all of you dear readers to enjoy. After despairing that I didn’t have any projects that I could do well in such a short time, I decided to post this one anyways.
So there you have it. Sometimes I mess up royally, and I guess this post is my way of trying to accept that I’m not perfect. By telling the world. Yikes!
Though I’m sure her confidence in me is a little bit shaken, my sister offered up a pair of her pants to me so I could try this refashion again.
Here’s hoping I do better, and if not, well, I’m not perfect, I’m definitely still learning, and that’s okay. Right?
Right.
I love your honesty and vulnerability! I’m sure the next pair will work out great
Thank you, Lori! I appreciate the support and the vote of confidence
Ash! This was a great post! I know how hard it is to admit to making a mistake, but I think it is so good that you voiced it on here…. for a couple of reasons. A) It gives people like me a sense of confidence in trying something new…even if it results in the chance to learn how NOT to do something. Because now I know that those situations happen to everyone – even the “professionals.”
B) It shows the world that you can take a mistake, laugh at it, learn from it, and try again. You know.. kind of the “fall off the bike, get right back on” mentality. 
That’s a good thing to be able to do.
LOVE YOU!
Ashley,
Thank you so much for your feedback! It is such an important lesson to learn, to try, try, try again. And yes, even I make mistakes
many more of them than I’d like to admit but I’m learning to admit them 
You can do anything you put your mind to as long as you keep on trying!
Love you!!!
ash
i love this post! in this day and age of pinterest and craft gawker, it can seem like everyone does things perfectly the first time, when that’s not the case! i’m glad you shared this— sometimes learning the wrong way is much more helpful.
on a major side note, the phrase “I can’t even get them over my ankles” reminds me of the time I went thrifting and found ‘the perfect” skinny jeans. i tried them out in the bathroom (because the dressing rooms were full) and i had to CALL MY BOYFRIEND ON THE PHONE and ask him to come in to help me take them off. like literally i was stuck– i had to lay down on the floor while he pulled them off me!! looking back it is pretty funny, but i was mortified at the moment. so yeah, i guess now that we’ve been honest we are both just a little more vulnerable
Thank you for your sweet response! It is so true that sometimes the best teacher is failure. A HUGE thank you for sharing your story! You had me laughing so hard. OH MAN. I feel like it should be a universal rule or law or something (like gravity) the tighter the skinny jean, the funnier the story. HA!
Take care!
Love YOUR blog by the way!
Ashley