Am I the Only One?

If schools were run to suit my learning style every student would have the option to be in distance education, learning in the quiet of their own home from well prepared lessons and at their own pace. By my early thirties I knew that lectures, live demonstrations, and group settings are not my best way to learn something. In fact, in a typical classroom setting I find it very difficult to learn at all! I am an introvert and the stimulus of all that is going on around me is overwhelming and distracting.

I realize I am the odd duck here. It seems most people like to be shown how to do things and rarely learn from a text book. I was the kid that took the textbook home, did my homework, and went back to school the next day finally understanding what the teacher was getting on about.

When the guild announced a workshop day to learn to make a fully lined, zippered boxy bag and supplied the link to the tutorial so that interested people could bring needed supplies, you know what I did? I went ahead, jumped the gun, and made the bag at my own pace and with no distractions. 

I made my boxy bag with an exterior of handwoven fabric, the warp being a hand dyed (not by me) tencel and the weft being my own handspun wool yarn. The finished bag is not absolutely perfect, but I'm pleased with it.

I'll still show up at the workshop, but now I can relax because I've done my homework. 

Little Red Bag

Whipped up this little bag to enter in the "handwoven bag" category at the Chilliwack Exhibtion.

It's lined with quilting cotton and the same cotton is used for the section at the top, above the zipper, and also for the strap. The back has a handy pocket sewn from the same handwoven yardage and lined with cotton.

The purse I entered in the same category last year was much more elaborate, but I wanted to enter the category to help plump up the hand weaving displays even if it is only with this simple offering.