Sometimes I write a good portion of my blog the day before. Sometimes I’m scrambling at 11pm trying to get anything posted. Most of the time, I work on it throughout the day, adding little bits as I go, using it as a guide for what I intend to accomplish.
Today I need to carefully think through the next steps so I am less likely to make a mistake. I’m about to recut the sleeves and collar, and I’m nervous. Here’s the process I’m trying to follow…
I’m going to work on the sleeves today, hopefully finishing them, though likely not attaching them.
First I sorted the remaining fabric. I have the two sections for sleeves set aside, the scraps that are going to be the sleeve extensions on the table, and the scrap that becomes the collar folded neatly on a chair.
Next I’m going to iron the sleeve extension pieces and square them up. Then the sleeve pieces will be ironed, marked and cut.
Once all four pieces are prepped, I’ll pin things together and stitch the extensions on then finish the bottom seams.
I’ll need to add sources to my documentation for doing this. I think there’s an example of extended sleeves on a men’s hitatare in the main book I’m using, the Jidai isho no nuikata.
And I think I’ve come up with a middle ground for Crowns A&S, but I’m going to run it by a Laurel or two before I commit. I’m thinking of entering just the hitoe. It’s not what I wanted to do, but it’s what I can feasibly do. I still really want to do the whole thing.
Struggling with a choice / to do the easier thing / or test my limits. Will the pressure reveal a / diamond or a missed deadline?
And I have confirmation from a Laurel in the Ministry of Arts and Sciences (and friend) that I can register the whole thing and switch to just one garment if necessary. That’s a relief. Another friend asked some very thought provoking questions to help me home in on why I want to enter A&S Champs. It comes down to me being almost desperate to share my art and believing A&S Champs is the best way to not only share my art but also get feedback on it. I want to get better, that means I need knowledgeable people to show me additional places for improvement. I actually have a little section of my documentation that talks about the lessons I’ve learned and ways to improve things for the next iteration.
The sleeve extensions are attached.
