Friday, October 9, 2015

Learning Blog 2: Getting more and more excited :)

This week has been fun.  I went through my mom's material scraps and found the types and colors of fabric that I love to wear!  She also showed me the pre-cut-and-ready-to-sew fabric for TWO baby blankets!!!  Both share an adorable baby bear pattern, but one has a light blue backing and the other a light pink.  They share the one-piece "tied" style that mimics the baby blanket I loved to shreds.  This changed my plans in a good way.  Instead of making a piece baby blanket, I'm going to stuff and tie both the blankets, and begin making a big jean pieced blanket.  Mom also gave me a mini Noah's Arc sewing kit, with the ship and animals already cut out, just needing to be sewn and stuffed.  I've excited-I feel like the children's blankets set and the baby blankets will be easily accomplished this semester, and I'll even be able to start on the jean blanket.  

Along with these projects, this week I used my seam ripper to take apart a skirt I never use to repurpose the material for a new skirt.  I'm excited to be learning the names of different widgets.  One of the most helpful moments I had was just spending time in the sewing isle of the craft store looking at the names of the packaged materials.  I was able to sew the new plastic versions of antique tools in one of my sewing books (such as a pattern tracer).  And I was grateful I could get advice from one of the sales associates.  I found a "self healing" mat and rolling cutter, which she told me would help make cutting all the jean squares much faster than fabric scissors.  I was happy that my husband also affirmed that when he got home (admittedly, it took me aback that my husband knew more about that particular element of sewing than me.  I've viewed sewing as female oriented, and my husband prides himself on being a very manly man.  At least he proved he has paid attention to all the projects done by his mom and sisters).

Along with learning about the different types of blanket patterns (tied versus pieced), I also listened to several sewing podcasts.  I'd heard about podcasts, but these are the first I've actually tried, and it was nice being able to hear a person describing the tips and tricks they've learned over the years.  In one of them, she talked about how important a good iron is, and how effective different types are.  

I loved this week's readings on motivation. One of the biggest ah-has was learning that people view themselves as having either a stable capacity for skill or learning that doesnt really change, or the progressive view as seeing themselves as able to learn incrementally more and more.  Sometimes, I understate my self-efficacy at projects when I compare myself to others who I perceive as more skilled.  I think at times I've compared myself to others in a "I cant learn more about this subject.  They are just more naturally skilled then I am" mindset.  But in reality, I have the ability to learn bit by bit, and improve, until I am skilled.  But this depends on my personal effort instead of accrediting failures to lack of skill.  I loved the mention of the Bronte siblings, who started out as lackluster authors, but who over the years with consistent practice and refinement and open critiques, became highly regarded and skillfull.  My father has pointed out that I do have a tendency for starting so many projects that I leave a lot unfinished.  And I definitely have some subjects that I do want to master and become an authority in.  This reading helped me recognize that I can become skilled, but that I must be willing to focus, exert intelligent effort, and seek constructive feedback.  I look forward to what the next few weeks, and lifetime afterwards, brings!

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