vdistinctive: (Default)
vdistinctive ([personal profile] vdistinctive) wrote in [community profile] fandomhigh2017-02-28 12:41 am
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Home Ec, Tuesday, Period 1

"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."
era_two_triangle: (Hmm)

Re: Make something stuffed

[personal profile] era_two_triangle 2017-02-28 11:39 am (UTC)(link)
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.