Patterns and Plans

I know someone is dying to know whether I've made a skirt yet this month.  I haven't finished it, but yes there is a skirt underway.  Hopefully I'll have pictures in a few days.  Luckily I don't have any Memorial Day plans so I can sew all day Monday if I need to.  I'm really getting tired of skirts.  Really.  And I gotta say it would be more fun if I had tops to match them so I could actually wear them, but I'll work on that next year.  Maybe :)

Sort of related to the skirt topic, I read a book on the non-glamorous parts of the fashion industry (like manufacturing, selling wholesale, importing, exporting, etc.) and learned some things about sewing.  First, anyone can do it.  The people working in sewing factories, even the ones that make high-end expensive clothing, are unskilled labor.  (Not unintelligent, just lacking in education or language skills.)  A sewing machine is like any other kind of power equipment.  You have to learn how it works and then it's easy.  The reason people get frustrated with learning how to sew is not because a sewing machine is difficult, it's because the patterns are difficult.  Which brings me to #2:  Home sewing patterns are pretty low-quality.  They are made to fit a person who is standing straight up, shoulder back, arms straight down, who has no intention of moving.  The directions are confusing and are in such an order that you end up having to do a lot of hand sewing to make everything look nice.  I made some changes to the skirt pattern I used last month, mostly so it looks different, I incorporated some of the things I've learned recently, and I'm kind of excited to see how this skirt will go together.  Probably not perfectly because another thing I learned is that patterns are like recipes, you shouldn't expect to love them the first time you try them but you should make them over and over, incorporating changes each time, until you get something that is perfect for you.  Yes, I'm rambling, but through this process I think I've found my dream job.  I should have been a professional pattern maker.  Turns out they are the ones who take the designer's drawings and make them into a working pattern.  They use math, problem solving, and spacial relation skills but they don't need as much artistic vision as a designer.  Oh, and they make more money.  The best thing about this job is that once you have experience you can work as a free-lancer and work from home or from your own shop as much or as little as you want.  Sounds perfect for me.  Unfortunately, I'm not going to make the life-changes needed to get that initial experience so I guess I should cross that off my career list.  But it can still be a fun hobby.

Now for a more realistic career option.  I've toyed with the idea of becoming a CPA for the past 20 years.  I've met the education requirement in Utah but not in CA so it would require more school.  Then I'd have to have a year of auditing work which doesn't sound fun at all, then I could get a job doing people's taxes, which again doesn't sound fun at all.  It's definitely time to cross that off my list as well.  But I recently found out I could be a Certified Management Accountant, which ties in very closely with what I do.  I've met the education requirement, I sort of have the work experience, and all I have to do is take a test.  Not just any test, it's kind of like the CPA exam (some people say it's harder) and it will probably take me 2 years to do all the studying I need.  I haven't made a firm decision yet because the study materials I need are about $800 so I want to be REALLY sure before I move forward.  In the meantime I'm spending some of my spare time reading an old accounting textbook to see if it really interests me or not.  I think it does.  I'm going to put off that decision until at least September after the kids are gone.

My real career goal, at least 20 years ago, was to teach at a community college.  Per hour, it pays a lot better than teaching high school and I think part-time work is easier to get.  I can teach business or accounting classes because I have an MBA, but some kind of accounting certificate would make it easier for me to get a job (thus the CMA).  Whew, I feel so much better having some kind of plan for my future!  I may not actually do it, but having options and moving towards a goal feels so much better than just sitting around wondering what to do with my life.

Sorry that was boring, but my next post should have skirt pictures so that will be a little more fun!