Exploring The Digital Era.

We now live in a digital world which makes life quite easy to learn, earn, make friends, and do a lot with just a snap of your finger using your gadget (laptop/smartphone).

Ever since 2020, I believe most people have seen the importance of technology as that year almost everything we did revolved around technology, attending meetings, learning, Facetime with friends, buying goods online and so on.

If I were to choose between a physical and online education, I would pick the physical class over an online class because you get to see it first hand clearly and get corrected instantly when you are not getting it right, but due to some barriers like distance, transport fare accommodation problems if the centre of learning is quite far from home and the like, online education seems more convenient nowadays than physical classes as one gets to learn anywhere from the comfort of their homes.

Most of the fashion upgrades I've made have all been online classes cause the physical classes are very expensive and good fashion schools are very far from my home, however, these same good schools offer online fashion education.

I've had to learn from YouTube as well as other online platforms just to perfect my skills but they only give half-baked knowledge because they want you to come learn more from them via their online tutorials or physical classes.

I must confess that some online tutors are so talented and patient, but it took me many bad tutors to find the good ones. I had to pay various tutors to find the right fashion tutor for me, and some I regretted paying as I didn't understand anything even though there were so many illustrations and videos, I think teaching is not for everybody haha.

The beautiful part about online education is that you have access to the ebooks, videos and illustrations used for a lifetime, unlike the physical classes where you might forget what has been taught and the hardcopy notes could get lost or spoilt.

I on the other hand, have been able to teach a lot of friends and families who are distant using the online method, I have shared my screen with them, had live video sessions, used pictures, and have had to write in the book and send them to them just to ensure they get the point.

I am excited too that most students I have taught, really learned a lot via the teaching methods I used to drive my point home.

It takes a lot of effort on the part of the teacher and the learner to stay focused via online classes as there are a lot of distractions around, calls, noise and other subtle distractions that can get in the way.

I've had encounters with students who do not even take their assignment seriously because it's an online class, they fail to submit and they take the classes for granted, but it depends on the determination of the learner to stay focused because they know why they hope to gain from it.

I have not withheld my knowledge from anyone as I try my best to always share what I know but physically and online, I have learned that knowledge is power only when it is shared, and that's why I love this needlework community so much as I have learned through the members and I know too that I have also shared what I know to others.

This reminds me that I owe @afrikablr one fashion illustration she requested from few weeks ago on how to achieve this particular sleeve I wrote here.

For the sake of this tutorial, I had to look for leftover pieces to quickly illustrate.

The sleeve is a zero flare sleeve but the texture of the fabrics I used for the blue brought out the beauty the most because it was a scuba fabric.

I folded the fabrics into two halves and then folded them again, which means I folded them into four.

As seen here and I placed the measurement of my round sleeve on it, let's say my sleeve is 12inches in circumference, I will have to divide my round sleeve by four which gives me 3inches and then I will add 0.5 inches for sewing allowance which will be pleated at the top while joining.

From the top I measured the length of the sleeve, I used 10 inches here, which is the dot I marked at the hem of my sleeve draft.

The top where you see R.S. is to show you where the top is, which is the small line at the top.

Then I went ahead to cut it out gently as seen here.

After cutting this is what we have, I was trying to open it to show you that, automatically we have cut a zero flare which will go around your round sleeve.

Then you cut exactly another one for the second sleeve, you do not need to divide it open at all, after making your dress, just attach it to the sleeve.

If after cutting it out you have this shape, you are on the right track, this is just for one sleeve please take note, so do the same for the second.

And I imagined I had joined it which was why I held it this way and you see it gives the same effect as the blue one, all you should do is use a scuba fabric to get this effect.

If you do have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask me, I am more than excited to answer them.