"Cheater Cheater Pants on Fire"

That's a home-schooler's playground taunt/accusation.  My younger brother said it frequently.
I have a confession to make.
I'm a cheater.
I cheat at sewing.
Only my most trusted friends are allowed to see the wrong side of any sewing project.  I will do anything possible to avoid seam ripping.  Anything.  Even cutting out the entire seam and starting fresh.  This normally works because most patterns are big on me to begin with, so I have a lot of room for this kind of fudging.
I also have a few other aces hidden in my sewing box.  For example, here is a dress I have sewn for Jane for the Fourth of July.

Adorable, huh?
Let me share some of the dirty little secrets this dress has.
None of the inside seams are finished.
The seams on one side don't line up.
I had no pattern, and therefore no instructions on how to put this dress together.  The skirt pieces were sewn to the front and back of the bodice separately and then the dress was sewn down the sides.  This was great, until the hems didn't line up.  I redid the hem, so now the stitches slope a little, but the bottom edge lines up.
I could not get the lining in the neck to lay flat.  I clipped the seams and ironed it until I was afraid of melting the fabric.  It still stood up, like a mandarin collar wannabe.
That's why there are little stars around the neckline.  I embroidered them to hold down the lining.  Sneaky, right?
I also made the neck big enough so I would not have to put in a zipper, buttons, Velcro, snaps, etc.  No closure of any kind on this dress.
Over time my sewing projects will get better, but right now my time is better spent reading a book to Jane than sweating over perfect seams on a dress she'll probably wear only once.