• Works in Progress

Hi there… remember me? It’s been forever since I last posted.

I have been struggling to write the last few months. I worked so long on the same project, Marie Jokerette’s dress, that after a while, I couldn’t convince myself that anyone would be interested in continuing to hear about the same project.

So even though I kept taking pictures and even started a few articles, I never finished them. I don’t know if anybody was following the project and reading the – admittedly – long, over-detailed and complicated posts I was writing. Or if anybody wants to see like 10 posts on the same project. Please tell what you think.

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In other news, I started an apprenticeship here in Germany as a women’s bespoke tailor this September. This is a unique opportunity – and something I’ve been avoiding for 6 years.

You see, here in Germany,  tailoring (and many other technical/artisan jobs) are taught in a three-year program of apprenticeship to a tailor. This is supplemented by classes in design and the technical intricacies of fabric, fibers, patternmaking, etc. Not anyone can call themselves a tailor, or costume designer, or stitcher – they need to complete the apprenticeship and pass exams to be certified.

I waffled for a long time before going for the apprenticeship because I already have training through my theatre degree and years of experience in theatre costume shops in the US.  As I saw it in my early twenties, doing a 3-year apprenticeship seemed like wasting years of my life.

However, I’ve logged years of working in service jobs since then, so now I see things differently. Spending a couple years in an apprenticeship to do what I love doesn’t seem like too long. Nevertheless, it is stressful to trade in my steady paycheck for a stipend that is a fraction of what even a minimum-wage job pays *le sigh*.

And because open apprenticeship positions are few and far between nowadays, I’ve got a two-hour commute, each direction, using public transport. So I’ve been spending 70 hours a week commuting and working, a grueling schedule, powered mostly by instant coffee, that has eaten all of my free time. There is an end in sight – I’m working towards getting a German driver’s license by the end of 2016. Then I will have only an hour commute in each direction.

But enough complaining. I’ve been in the apprenticeship for 2 months and I’m trying to learn as much as I can. And I’m finding that it has a different emphasis than my theater training. For one thing, the apprenticeship is focused on very traditional sewn details. To start with, I’ve been practicing hand-sewn buttonholes, bound buttonholes, arrowhead tacks – all new to me, since these time-consuming techniques wouldn’t even be visible to an audience when the actor was on-stage. (At an opera I worked at, our mantra was “”50 feet and an orchestra pit” whenever we got caught up in miniscule details.)

On the other hand, the tailor I’m apprenticed for is very detail-oriented. None of the pockets in this picture are up to snuff, for instance:

(Which is not a complaint. I’m here to learn. Otherwise, what would be the point?)

The apprenticeship is focused around making classic garments: blouses, skirts, blazers. I’ve made two blouses so far. My first one was striped with contrasting ruched details.

The tailor chose the fabric and the design (it’s hers to wear now), though I designed the pocket myself.

The second blouse I made was the same pattern in a bolder print. It has fewer extra embellishments, but I got to design the pocket on this one as well.

So that’s my life at the moment, at least until I get my driver’s license.  I’ve been slowly inching my way through a couple of my own projects on the side, and I’ll try to post about these sometime soon.