Hey, it’s been a while! Welcome back you who are reading my posts, I’ll catch you up to speed.
So, we had spring break, that was fun, so I’ve had two lessons with Mai. In the first lesson, I finished my first project, a little bag that can probably only carry a book or some origami paper (or maybe even a bubble tea or two… about 10 decorating ideas for the front of the bag just popped into my head). It’s far from perfect, I really need to work on making straight stitches because the stitches don’t line up and aren’t straight. (I have a joke with some friends that I’m the straightest person sexuality-wise in that group but I’m the only one who can’t make straight objects such as cuts and lines, shown in this project). I’ve been collecting scrap material from the projects and demos, so I’ll be practicing with them this weekend. Mai said I can sew decorations onto the front of the bag by hand if I want which I’ll probably do as soon as I find the right fabric pieces. In the second lesson, Mai started to teach me how to alter designs and add seam allowance to not straight lines (curves and waves to be precise) with a grid ruler. We’re making a flip bag (I think that’s what it’s called) with a design on each sign. The bag sides consist of 6 pieces each instead of 2 and the straps have double the pieces. I’ve finished about a third of the pieces since the project is proving itself to be a bit harder than expected but I’ve scheduled a chunk of my time this weekend to get it done. Next week, we’ll be assembling the pieces and starting on my 3rd project, a pleated skirt. I’m pretty excited because most of my wardrobe is pleated skirts and I’ve been complaining about how I’m a bit short on them so this is the perfect project for me to learn.
On top of my projects, Mai has been teaching me how to mend and alter clothing items. So far, I’ve sewn a gather on my sister’s dress, I’ve shorted straps on my own summer dress, and I’ve altered 1 other clothing item but what it was isn’t coming to mind. I originally thought that we may have to go over a unit of mending and altering, but some skills Mai’s been teaching me skills throughout the entire mentorship project have let me figure it out myself. And when I don’t know, they’re always willing to teach me before a lesson.
While the projects are going well, there are a few things to note. Mai works at a quicker pace than me obviously, since I’m learning new skills and trying to make as close to perfect pieces as I can. So there’s a bit of a problem with getting work done at a good pace during lessons, as sometimes Mai needs to assign me a lot to do by myself, which I don’t mind, and also work over our scheduled time which, even though we both enjoy it, is using more time than optimal. On the positive side, since Mai is also working on the same project, they’re able to show exactly how a piece is supposed to look which helps me make good pieces that lead to better outcomes. Something that could be working better is how Mai sees me work. Currently, if Mai needs to see something, I can hold it up to the camera or send a photo. But Mai is unable to see me actually working on the project. It’s not too big of a problem, but it does stop Mai from pointing out any possible errors or an easier way to do certain actions or steps.
Anyways, that’s all for this post! I’ll see you again two weeks from now which will be fun.
Signing off!
Athena
(I was going to post photos of the altered clothing, but 1’s in the wash and the other is currently being protected by the dragon called “Sister On Her Phone”)