The Pieces Don't Fit - Valerie Peyton Kingsbury

My daughter, Sarah, is performing in a musical theatre competition this coming weekend. In preparation for that she needed a dress like Belle in “Beauty and the Beast”. She asked me if I could make it and of course I said yes. Sounds Simple – Right? The only problem is that I really don’t so well with following patterns.

Chris would say

“That is because you really don’t like following instructions!”

However, I decided that with a project like this I had better get a pattern and use it. This is when it gets a little complicated. You see, some of the pieces didn’t look like they fit together so that took some figuring out.

An inch isn’t really an inch

Then there is the whole issue of sizing!! Apparently one inch is not really one inch in every instance. I had all the needed measurements and chose the size that was supposed to fit. My seam allowances were smaller than those recommended so, in theory, the dress should have been a little larger than needed. NOT!!!! In fact it was at least three to four sizes too small. So I bought another pattern and more material and started all over. This time I chose a size that was 4 sizes larger than I needed, made smaller seams again ( just in case) and proceeded to put it all together. And it worked! At least what is done to this point. There are still some things left to finish so it still has time to be another disaster but I think all looks well!. To top it all off, it isn’t the style of dress I had originally seen in my minds’ eye but it is good!

The Pieces Don’t Fit

I began to think about how this situation is very similar to what we find ourselves in on this adventure we call life. Sometimes we think that we have all the right equipment, the plan and process to carry it out is all in place, and we have a vision of what the end result will be. Then we find out that the pieces don’t fit like they are supposed to, or that the size is completely wrong, and we have to start all over again. Even then the pattern is not always right. But despite all of that, we re-create the vision and begin again. Along the way there are adjustments that need to be done and perhaps what finally becomes reality is not exactly what we had envisioned in the beginning but it is good!

So what have I learned?

Patterns are okay but not necessarily the perfect fit. One must always be prepared to adjust or change and in some cases be very creative! As people on a journey of faith, living in community, it is important that we have a plan and a process in place to move and grow and learn and become all that we are created to be. But we also need to be prepared to adjust or change and be creative cause sometimes an inch is not really an inch!

Blessings
Valerie