Sometimes making a tailored garment will make you feel like you’re absolutely preparing for a marathon. Same routine every day! Hours and hours invested in building up that good solid foundation. And still, every step has to be taken with caution; How will I preform today? Are there things that will effect my efforts in a good or bad way? Will I be interrupted? Can I fully control everything around me, including me myself? No, of course I cannot – control everything around me. But at least I can give it my best try!
And then suddenly that final day arrives – the long-distance run itself! Or, the fitting of the garment in this case! You will be nervous, naturally. Will it all go as you’ve planned? Can you trust your thorough preparations to pay off in a good way?
The only thing you can do is to head straight into it and hope for the best! Work hard. And yes – usually it works like a charm! Not always as good as you wanted it to be, but hey…! You did good! And next time it will go even better! Hopefully.
So where am I going with all this? Well… to mention that tailoring is by no means a quick fix. On the contrary! It takes an enormous amount of time for even the smallest of projects to be completed. So be warned! But also understand that the emotional reward is plentiful! To make something with your own hands from start to finish gives such a tremendous joy. And the process can almost feel meditative!
So rule no. 1: Always make a good plan!
Rule no. 2: Be sure to give yourself time enough to fulfill that plan!
Rule no. 3: Enjoy the process! Allow yourself to try different things, and make sure to learn from them all.
Rule no. 4: Practice! All the time. Make sure to always have a project or two going, and, important, make sure to also compleat them. That’s the best way to learn.
Maybe I should run a marathon again? It was 10 years since last time! I mean, just to get into practice again. Let’s see… when is the next one?
– Sten Martin / DTTA