Putting the pieces together

For the past two or three days, I have been putting the different parts of my new "Offering" together. By now I know that these things have so many parts and require so much precision that there will be problems (I used to think that it had to go perfectly together first time around. Needles to say, I was always disappointed!) There is no way around the fitting problems and realizing that lets me keep all my energy (that I would have spent moaning) to find solutions. Another thing too is that if a solution does not come right away, I don't force it. I do something else, work on another part and eventually I will have a "ha ha moment". I think learning to be patient when I work and accepting my limitations is the hardest thing to do!

So this morning, I was putting the doors in the front panels...and one door was too big. Well, it is relatively easy to trim it a little: very carefully un-glue part of it, slide a strip of an old cutting board between the fabric and the cardboard and trim slowly and carefully with an exacto knife.

(By the way, if you have an old cutting board, cut it into small pieces of different sizes and shapes. They may come in handy!)

That done, I saw that the opening for the next door was not cut right and I had some gaps. That is a lot harder to fix! But I must say, I did not freak out, just thought about it for a while and managed to remedy the problem. Pat, pat , pat on my back!

One more thing, I take lots of short breaks (check emails, eat a snack, take the dog out...). I cannot concentrate so intensely for a long uninterrupted period and I find that rather than breaking my concentration, the short breaks keep me very focused.

Why I am writing all this? Just to share my experiences in the studio and what I learnt from them. May be some of it will help you too!