FaDSA: March project - Pintucked table runner

I'm about 99.9% sure I did this project wrong and it was not for a lack of reading the four lines of instructions, I'll tell you that. I read those fuckers to the bone.

However, I'm pretty pleased with the way this came out, even though I'll have to iron this thing for sure if I ever wash it so that those pintucks look all crisp, etc.

Perhaps my problems started at the beginning, with My Vision. See, I could not envision how the contrasting rayon thread called for in the pattern was going to make one bit of difference once this beast was sewn together since, to me, it looked like the seams got hidden when the muslin was sewn on.

I thought this strategy might reveal itself in the instructions, but there were only four lines of those, and I wasn't holding out a lot of hope.

Anyone tracking me here?

So, when I bought my linen (Note: this was my "something I've never done before" because technically I've never sewn linen OR pintucks and you can call me lame if you want but that is how it went down and there's no way in hell I'm going at this FO with a needle and embroidery thread.) I went over to the threads and picked out a contrasting rayon thread so that I could be all in line with the directions but kept trying to visualize the final product and could NOT make it make sense.

How was I ever going to see these seams?

Mysterious.

So, because I like to follow shit to the letter and all, I bought some stupid contrasting rayon thread and then I also bought some matching cotton thread because, let's face it, I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to sew it with the cotton thread and bury that rayon crap at the bottom of my sewing basket for "later" and in the event that the Mystery Rayon Thread Secret reveals itself in the four lines of instructions then I am going to bust out my rayon thread and be like, "I knew it all along."

So, no big surprise here, there was no Mystery Rayon Thread Secret awaiting me in those instructions. And I looked, too. HARD. But there wasn't much to look through, so I gave up. Call me a loser, but I think I need things spelled out a little more clearly when "Pintucked Table Runner" involves no pins of any kind and this contrasting rayon thread in the "Materials Needed" column is not obviously presented in the shiny picture in the book.

About those pins...

So, this is how I know I did it wrong. First, I used pins. A lot of them. Three per tuck, to be precise. And also, none of the seams showed in the final product, despite the one picture showing seams in the book. Confusing.

In the end, I went with the process that I thought would get me closest to a runner that looked the most like the one in the photo. Because, really, that's what I'm about: Making shit that looks like the photo. I do this when I cook. I do this when I knit. I do this when I sew. If my FO looks like the picture, then it is a job well done. If my FO looks like a pile of horse shit and I'm not, in fact, trying to sew horse shit, then I dive into a deep pit of despair and self-loathing.

Every project I do gets me *thatmuch* closer to seeking therapy I think.

Anyway, even though I'm sure I did the project wrong, I did end up with a project that looks somewhat like the picture and so I'm suitably happy. I also have a mile of linen leftover so will be making some place mats and napkins OR a skirt or a top or whatever but not another runner.

Also, I'm not sure how one effectively launders linen without ruining it, so please let a girl know, k?