"Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly." Which is a great thing they should teach kids at schools, because an imperfect assignment will pass your failing but perfect half-completed one.
In patternmaking class, our measurements were only allowed to be off by 1/32 of an inch. So if the armhole should be 8" but it measures 8 and 1/16", deduction. Inaccurate cutting? Deduction. Grainline/notches/labeling wrong? Deduction Deduction Deduction.
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Just imagine that Progressive Insurance commercial except instead of discounting money from the cost of your premium, the quirky insurance agent lady is depleting the bits of hope you have left in your took-me-twenty-hours-no-sleep-pushed-aside-other-projects-for-this-ultimate-F-grade-assignment soul. The rigid deadlines and grading standards felt unfair but I think the real purpose of all that stress was to give me a mental scar that my new middle name is now "Double Check".
What I've taken from that experience is that Patternmaking is a serious skill in constantly aiming for perfection. Either your a dedicated genius if you're good at it, or you're crazy to keep trying.
It is persistence and detail and mental stamina. If a pattern wasn't exact, neither was my cutting, my sewing, or the final fit. It's a demanding cycle. I double-check every line and seam and marking. Then I find a mistake sewing the muslin sample. Then I have to figure out what went wrong, sew a new sample check for any other errors. Then, I might have to adjust fitting again. Or change design details like the pocket placement, or the neckline curve. You're always analyzing and asking yourself, "Did I do what I intended properly?" and "Do I like it?" and finally "Was it worth it?" You know, the same things married people ask themselves. :) After all, you're married to that pattern until you think it's good and done.
