CHAPTER 69: CHAPTER 69: ERASE AND REDRAW

"Chichi, can I learn to make clothes with you?"

"If you want to learn, then learn."

It’s nothing big, so Yi Chichi had no reason to refuse, but she was a bit curious, "Why did you suddenly want to learn to make clothes?"

Bai Chen and the others perked up their ears.

Clearly, they were curious too.

Zhou Qiuyu smiled, "After I save enough cloth coupons, I want to make a new outfit."

She had never worn new clothes since childhood, always wearing hand-me-downs from her siblings or the neighbors’ kids.

She dreamed of owning a brand-new piece of clothing that no one had worn before.

"I want to treat myself better."

"Besides, knowing how to make clothes can save a few bucks on labor costs!"

This last point hit home for Bai Chen and the others.

Savings on labor costs was an irresistible temptation for them.

"We want to learn too."

In unison, they looked at Yi Chichi with anticipation in their eyes.

She nodded and asserted, "Learn!"

Being self-sufficient is a good thing. Whether to save money or for any other reason, it’s better than bothering her.

Of course, if they’re willing to pay her to make clothes, she would be more than happy to assist.

Thus, the lessons began.

But making clothes also requires talent, and Yi Chichi sincerely wanted to teach them. Normally, she wouldn’t bother with pattern marking, but she used chalk to mark patterns for their convenience.

She emphasized the steps of marking patterns for shirts, pants, and coats, and explained why these markings were necessary.

Confident, the marking process didn’t take much time from start to finish.

Her explanations were thorough. Whenever Bai Chen and the others had questions, she provided detailed answers.

Anyway, she taught everything she needed to. How much they could learn was up to them.

Yi Chichi did what she could; the rest was out of her hands.

Then, she moved on to the cutting process.

A group watched as she used scissors to cut the fabric into pieces, some of which looked quite strange.

Wang Nan couldn’t hold back and picked up a piece of fabric, asking, "What’s this for?"

"A sleeve!"

"??? That’s supposed to be a sleeve?"

Bai Chen and the others were baffled, crowding around to inspect the fabric closely.

But no matter how they looked at it, they couldn’t see any connection between the fabric piece and a sleeve.

"It doesn’t look like it!"

Wu Yongfei sincerely commented.

Yi Chichi hummed, "Right now, they’re just fabric pieces; it’s normal not to look like much."

The statement was spot on, so they continued to watch.

As they watched, night fell. Working at night with a flashlight or candle without electric lights wasn’t good for their eyesight.

So, they had to stop and wait until daytime to continue.

In the Northeast winter, due to the cold, nothing much could be done.

They just hunkered down for winter.

After guarding the infirmary for several days, Yi Chichi couldn’t endure the cold twice a day anymore.

So, she negotiated with the team leader, asking if she could skip the infirmary duty and be called from the Youth Corps Courtyard if anyone needed medicine.

The team leader agreed.

Thus, Yi Chichi started spending her days with Wang Nan and the others at the Youth Corps Courtyard hunkered down for winter.

As for Liu Lan and others who were learning embroidery from her, they stopped going out and stayed home practicing needlework, following the patterns Yi Chichi drew.

This time, it was colored patterns. Equipped with art supplies, Yi Chichi colored the patterns, making them vivid and lifelike. As long as Liu Lan and the others could achieve fifty percent similarity, they would be considered to have made some progress.

This filled them with confidence, declaring they would practice well.

Yi Chichi highly praised their learning attitude, then casually strolled back to the Youth Corps Courtyard.

After breakfast, a group of people routinely gathered in the warm room with the heated brick bed.

Wu Yongfei passionately crafted matchboxes, bringing back materials after delivering the last batch to continue his work.

Zhou Qiuyu followed his lead, retrieving materials to join in, while Bai Chen and the others mended clothes and pants.

Meanwhile, Yi Chichi threaded a needle and started sewing the previously cut fabric.

This process truly tested one’s patience.

While sewing, not only must the thread ends be hidden, but the stitches must be tight and firm to ensure the clothes don’t come apart.

Additionally, stitches should also be concealed.

It’s truly a case of patience yields finesse.

Initially, Bai Chen and the others, multitasking, watched with great interest.

But as they watched, they started feeling it was dull, reckoning the task wasn’t hard, akin to mending clothes, and wanted to try themselves.

As they say, action speaks louder than words, Ge Sujuan, being proactive, decided to take the initiative.

She said, "Chichi, do you think we can give it a try ourselves?"

Yi Chichi paused, raising her gaze in surprise, "You want to learn to cut and sew yourself?"

"Yes!"

"...Do you have fabric to practice with?"

Hopefully, they weren’t eyeing the fabric she had!

That wouldn’t do, as premium fabrics shouldn’t be wasted.

Besides, they weren’t hers; they belonged to Yu Ritang.

Luckily, her worries were unfounded, Ge Sujuan said, "We can piece together scraps to practice, even if they’re just miniature versions; it’s good practice."

"Even if they turn out bad, we can take them apart later for patches or shoe soles, so it’s not a waste."

Bai Chen and the others nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly.

Yi Chichi, ...their considerations were thorough; it seemed she had no reason to refuse.

"You can try."

"I’ll fetch the fabric scraps."

With a swoosh, those with scraps dashed off.

Within two minutes, they returned, holding scraps.

Yi Chichi glanced over, noting mostly they were faded and severely worn cotton fabric.

But for practice, as long as it’s fabric, other requirements weren’t high.

After checking the size, she found they were acceptable, and thus, she smiled, "Practice well, start with mini clothes."

With the scraps they brought, if cut properly, they could make doll clothes or pants, or a skirt.

Provided their pattern wasn’t off.

But at the first step of drawing patterns, they were stumped.

They drew lines with chalk that were wiggly like worms or unevenly spaced.

Indeed, if they cut the fabric based on these markings, what they sew wouldn’t be presentable.

"It doesn’t seem quite right to me."

Wang Nan, frowning, looked at his work with a distressed expression.

Bai Chen and the others exchanged glances; it seemed off, but they couldn’t pinpoint where.

So, they turned questioning gazes to Yi Chichi.

"Chichi, could you take a look?"

Yi Chichi peered over, and calmly said, "Erase and redraw; the dimensions of the front panel and sleeve are off, and the lines are crooked."

Wang Nan took the advice, decisively erasing the drawn lines to start over.

And again, he made mistakes.

Yi Chichi sighed, and began teaching him hands-on how to draw the shapes, leaving seam allowances, etc.

And then, he succeeded.

Yi Chichi nodded in satisfaction, "You can cut now."