Home Ec, Tuesday, Period 1

[vdistinctive]

"Right, welcome back," Eliot said at the top of the class. He was very pleased to have discovered this morning that whatever had stolen his shirts hadn't counted jackets, so he wasn't topless in front of the students. "So you'll maybe be glad to hear that we're movin' into the modern world proper with this class today." He poked a 1950s Singer with his pen. ". . . The 20th century at the very least. Seriously, I'm surprised none of these things are powered by a manual crank."

The room was absolutely filled with sewing machines today, representing a wide variety of models from an even wider variety of eras. Some of you would be using top of the line Brother machines ala Project Runway. Some of you would be using plastic toy looking things. At least they all had electric motors, though on some of them that seemed almost like an afterthought.

"So these suckers are sewing machines. Basically the devices that made the modern textile industry possible. Once upon a time -- times some of you are actually from -- if you wanted to stitch two pieces of fabric together for any reason, you had to do it by hand. Then along came these puppies, and they cut the amount of time you had to spend on that stuff down, like, exponentially. They also kinda ushered in the era of the sweatshop, but that ain't what we're focusin' on, today. Today, you're all gonna use one of these puppies to make yourself somethin' soft and huggable."

He wasn't sure how to sell 'huggable' to the sentient space rock just yet. He'd just have to wing it when she asked.

"So looks like there are basic manuals up here for each one of these suckers, but hopefully they're all gonna work kinda the same way." Eliot tapped the '50s machine again, and started pointing out the different parts and explaning how to thread and use the machines. "Anyone new to sewin' generally, I suggest trying out making yourself a pillow. I got instructions on how to do that up here, complete with pictures for those who learn better with those. Anyone who wants more of a challenge, have a pattern for a teddy bear. In . . . Russian, German, and English. With . . . extremely minimal instruction." Hey, he did say it'd be a challenge. "Basically I'm lookin' for you to stitch fabric together and make something you can stuff full of this stuff." He pointed to a large box of fluffy fiberfill at the front of the room. "Whatever shape that takes, so long as that stuffing isn't comin' back out? We're good. So. . . . Go nuts. And, uh. If you wanna try usin' these things to make yourselves shirts first . . . yeah. Probably ain't the worst idea."

Comments

Sign in

[vdistinctive]

Stuffed full of fluff

Re: Sign in

[era_two_triangle]

Peridot

Re: Sign in

[boneyard_girl]

Ada Miller

Re: Sign in

[vrajna_kralis]

Hyacinthe

Re: Sign in

[notamascot]

Kaylin Neya

Listen to the lecture

[vdistinctive]

Attempt to adapt Eliot's tutorial to whatever moddable machine you ended up with.

At least the general western "sewing machine" paradigm had remained pretty constant in the last century. . . .

Re: Listen to the lecture

[era_two_triangle]

Were people wearing less than usual today? Peridot hardly noticed. After all, she didn't wear shirts at all, so it wasn't like she'd had any difficulty preparing for class today. She was at least vaguely interested in today's class, though. Not because of the sewing, but entirely because of the machines being used to do so. Ooo.

Re: Listen to the lecture

[boneyard_girl]

Ada...did not have a shirt. Yes, she had a half-dozen dresses she could have pulled on instead, but with the beads coming down she'd realized what was going on, and started laughing.

One of her classes had time-traveled to Carnival before break. She recognized those beads.

So in honor of the holiday she was wearing a mini-skirt and corset (which the island had decided didn't count as a shirt, apparently), and as many beads as she'd been able to catch before retreating and bringing along her umbrella to protect from the downpour of plastic.

For her part, she was going to listen to Mr. Eliot with half an ear, and go over the instructions for the teddy bear. She had some little cousins that would love a toy that hadn't been owned by a few dozen people first.

Re: Listen to the lecture

[vrajna_kralis]

Hyacinthe had no shirt. Hyacinthe needed no shirt.

Hyacinthe was, however, really excited to get into something that made sewing less a pain than doing it by hand. And he would have loved to get his hands on a hand-cranked one. That, he could bring home to Terre D'Ange!

Re: Listen to the lecture

[notamascot]

Kaylin was very unhappily wrapped in about 400 yards of sheet and blanket. And she was not letting go of anything so that none of her marks would show - though some of them on her arms or neck might be exposed once in a while - so she would not be sewing.

Make something stuffed

[vdistinctive]

Like a pillow or a teddy bear or an amorphous blob. Get into a fiberfill fight, maybe. So long as you walk out of the classroom with something sewn that's stuffed with fluff, Eliot'll call it a win.

Re: Make something stuffed

[era_two_triangle]

Peridot zeroed in on the little plastic one, mostly because it seemed, well, her size. It wasn't the most cooperative machine in the world, but she was bound and determined to make it do as she wanted.

If that meant that she was dissecting a sewing machine mid-class to see why it kept eating the thread, well, so be it.

Re: Make something stuffed

[boneyard_girl]

Ada looked at the teddy bear instructions, then at the ones for the pillow. And then decided to mash-together the parts she liked best, and came up with something easily snuggled and good for naps.

Practically won out over aesthetics in this case, especially because she might be able to crank out two or three of them by the end of class, and that was three little Millers who'd have toys they didn't have before.

Re: Make something stuffed

[vrajna_kralis]

After the lecture, Hyacinthe leaned over to ask Ada, "Why are their necklaces falling from the sky?"

Obviously he had grabbed some. They were shiny, even if they were worthless. And he was kiiiiinda a magpie about things.

Re: Make something stuffed

[boneyard_girl]

Ada grinned. "Remember those pictures I sent you?" she asked. "So, there's this big long religious-festival that's more like a party called 'Carnivale' an' I don't really know what it's for 'cept people are supposed t' indulge..."

She held up one of her own strands of beads. "These are used t' bribe pretty girls an' boys, from what I can figure."

Re: Make something stuffed

[vrajna_kralis]

"You ought to tell me more of these indulgences," Hya noted. "To better help me understand this modern time."

Hya, nobody even believed you.

"Though I don't understand the point of a bribe if 'tisn't worth much," he added, glancing down at one of the bands of shimmery purple plastic beads.

Re: Make something stuffed

[boneyard_girl]

"From what I saw, people indulged in food, drink, dancing, whatever they found pleasurable..." Ada was going to pretend to believe you, Hyacinthe, just to be nice. "An' I don't think it's supposed t' make much sense. There's lots of outrageous costumes with colors an' feathers an' sequins... I think it's just supposed t' be all in good fun."

Re: Make something stuffed

[vrajna_kralis]

"So, 'tis a holiday near an dear to your heart, eh rinkeni?" Hyacinthe teased. "Sequins and colors? Sounds like you. Though I've not seen you in feathers much."

He gave her a long look. "You'd wear them well, I think."

RE: Re: Make something stuffed

[boneyard_girl]

"I'd look right silly," she laughed, shaking her head. "I love heights, but I ain't a bird."

As much as she wished she was, sometimes.

Re: Make something stuffed

[vrajna_kralis]

"Well, I'm hardly a meadow but that doesn't stop me from being bedecked by flowers," Hyacinthe teased. "Besides, feathers can be...fun."

RE: Re: Make something stuffed

[boneyard_girl]

"Not somethin' I've had th' pleasure t' experience," she confessed. "Are you offering t' enlighten me?"

Re: Make something stuffed

[vrajna_kralis]

"Seems only fair to assist you in learning something as you've done for me," Hyacinthe agreed. Because he was absolutely motivated by fairness in this situation, absolutely. "'Twould be a shame to leave you in ignorance longer than need be."

Re: Make something stuffed

[boneyard_girl]

Ada impulsively leaned in to brush a kiss over his cheek. "I do like learnin' new things from you," she said affectionately. //C'est mon héros.//

Her words were still heavily accented with her drawl, but mostly-recognizable. Hopefully. Hell, she was just hoping she'd picked the right words or verbs or whatever.

Re: Make something stuffed

[vrajna_kralis]

From the delighted smile on Hya's face, she'd done an excellent job. He wasn't even going to tease her about her accent!

"Et vous êtes un délice constant," he told her, eyes warm and smile heart-breakingly fond.

Re: Make something stuffed

[boneyard_girl]

He was always needing to use English for everyone. While Ada preferred learning Tsingano... there weren't lessons or movies on YouTube she could use to practice.

"I even know some of those words, too!" she said cheerfully, starting to tick them off on her fingers. "I am a -- something -- constantly. Yes?"

Re: Make something stuffed

[vrajna_kralis]

Truth! But then, he wasn't sure he'd be able to control his reaction if Ada came up and just started speaking Tsingani at him.

"A constant delight," he translated. "Though I'll note how close it sounds to delicious, as well."

RE: Re: Make something stuffed

[boneyard_girl]

His reaction would probably be something they'd both enjoy. Just... not in the middle of class.

"Both good ways t' describe you, too," she laughed. "Dé...délice? Is that right?"

Re: Make something stuffed

[vrajna_kralis]

Definitely not in the middle of class. But some time...

Oh yes, sometime.

"Délice," he said, correcting the accent slightly. Ada's adorable twang played hell on the sound of vowels. "Tu es un délice."

Going for the familiar, eh? Cheeky.

Re: Make something stuffed

[boneyard_girl]

"Délice," she repeated softly to herself a few times, doing her best to mimic his accent. Then the change in the sentence registered, and she blinked in confusion.

"'Tu es'? 'S that different?"

Re: Make something stuffed

[vrajna_kralis]

"'Tis," he explained with a smile. "'Vous' is formal and used when you're being terribly polite and respectful. 'Tu' is informal, used when speaking to those you care for."

Which at least made slightly more sense than assigning genders to objects.

"I would use 'vous' when meeting your uncle. You'd use 'tu' when talking to him instead." Unless the circus stood on ceremony, which bwahahahano.

RE: Re: Make something stuffed

[boneyard_girl]

If she understood how cheeky using the familiar was in this case... she'd just encourage him.

"So like callin' some people mister or miss, or usin' their given name," she guessed thoughtfully. "'S easier t' remember than stuff having genders."

Wasn't like a book could tell you what it was!

Re: Make something stuffed

[vrajna_kralis]

"Precisely," Hyacinthe agreed, fingers idly tracing over beads. "And 'tis weirder that things don't in English."

In this, Hyacinthe was most assuredly incorrect.

Re: Make something stuffed

[boneyard_girl]

Ada leaned in to catch his beads with her fingers. If her fingers slid over his chest first... oops. She'd clearly misjudged the distance.

"They're beads, Hya," she said with amusement, twisting part of a necklace around her fingers. "They ain't boys or girls or anything else, they just are."

Re: Make something stuffed

[vrajna_kralis]

"La perle," he told her appreciating the warmth of her nearness. "Obviously female. The pearl I'm thinking of is most assuredly feminine. Named for Naamah herself."

Ada knew the one, oh yes.

Re: Make something stuffed

[boneyard_girl]

Oh yes, Ada knew the one, and she turned slightly pink because dammit, Hya, it's the middle of class. "Leave it t' some D'Angeline t' see something round an' shiny an' decide that means it's a girl," she snickered. "I might need help rememberin' what's a la an what's a.... le? 'S that the other one?"

Heh. Lay.

Re: Make something stuffed

[vrajna_kralis]

What? No one else in the room knew what he was talking about! So it was perfectly fine, no?

"La is feminine," Hyacinthe said, beaming at her blush. It was hardly his fault she was adorable. "Le is masculine." He pronounced it closer to 'luh.' "Les--" and that one was closer to 'lay' "--is for plurals of any gender. And you remember what you do before vowels, right?"

Of which 'h' was one. Because of reasons. Shut your face, we're French D'Angelline reasons.

Re: Make something stuffed

[boneyard_girl]

"No, b'cause I was watchin' movies t' try an' learn more an' they ain't so good at explaining th' grammar bits," she laughed. "I gotta watch th' same sections over an over while I try t' figure it out 'cause everyone talks too fast!"

Re: Make something stuffed

[vrajna_kralis]

"It's the l with an apostrophe," Hya said, completely unable to wipe the proud and happy smile off of his face. She was learning his language. "So it becomes part of the next word. L'orange. L'accent. L'hopital."

Re: Make something stuffed

[boneyard_girl]

Well, she was trying to learn. How much she'd remember on any given day depended on the weather and her condition.

Ada looked him in the eyes. "I ain't sure if'n I can get my tongue around your l," she said with a straight face. "I might need more practice."

Re: Make something stuffed

[vrajna_kralis]

"I'm afraid I must agree," Hyacinthe said gravely. "Fortunately, as your friend and native D'Angelline, I'm willing to offer assistance with wrapping your tongue around whatever you need."

He was such a giver that way.

"I teach by example more oft than not, so I'll be happy to demonstrate the techniques first and then see how you do."

Re: Make something stuffed

[boneyard_girl]

"I happen t' have th' rest of th' day at my disposal," she pointed out. "If'n you don't got no plans, I mean..."

Re: Make something stuffed

[vrajna_kralis]

"I find myself at loose ends as well," Hyacinthe mused. "In which case t'would be my pleasure to tutor you further in tongues."

Talk to Eliot

[vdistinctive]

He was poking around in the guts of that '50s Singer with a screwdriver and a bottle of machine oil.

[vdistinctive]

I own all the sewing machines pictured in this post. I am very sorry to any character who ends up trying to use the little plastic one.

Also, I totally used a teddy bear pattern from that same company once to make my best friend a misandry bear for her birthday. Only it didn't come with English and German. I AM A MASTER OF ALL SEWING I SURVEY (and yet am still too intimidated to try making clothing. . . .)