Interstellar Travel: Becoming a Dress-Up Game Designer

Chapter 189

Soon, the embroidery was finished, and after sewing, a garment was completed. It was then inspected, and any loose threads or uneven areas were adjusted.

Lin Shuying: "After finishing the garment, you must carefully inspect it. Loose threads, seams, smoothness, and the pattern are all essential checks. We sew garments according to pre-cut pieces, making the pattern extremely easy to lose its shape. Especially for beginners, even if they follow the same method, the pattern just won't be right..."

Seeing that the production staff were all there, Lin Shuying patiently shared her production experience and ideas with them. Everyone listened attentively and gained a lot. They were all enthusiasts, and even if Qingfengyi didn't offer any benefits, or even if they had to pay to learn, they were willing to stay. A group of like-minded people gathered together, not for fame or fortune, but for their dreams and passions.

Everyone watched attentively and listened carefully.

After Lin Shuying finished, it was already 10 p.m. Seeing that there wasn't much else to do, she took some thread and decided to make a camellia velvet flower hair crown, while also answering questions from her employees.

"I have some time tonight, let's make a hair crown together. Feel free to ask me any questions about the craft."

This is for classes and learning, so there is no overtime pay. However, you can take the hair ornaments you make with you. If you sell them, Qingfengyi will take 60% of the price, which is equivalent to the remaining amount being overtime pay.

The apprentices were overjoyed and gathered everything Lin Shuying needed in ten minutes, then sat obediently at the workbench waiting.

Now, Qingfengyi's workspace for making hairpins, clothes, and other works is completely separate, no longer the small corner in the living room it originally occupied. The small corner has been transformed into a rest area, where everyone can sit when they're tired, or go there to work on design plans—it's quieter there. The workspace has been moved to the second floor of the villa next door. The villa, originally purchased by the owner, has been completely converted into a living area, filled entirely with bedrooms and restrooms.

The work area is divided into sections, with the hairpin making section taking up the largest portion, as there are so many materials—a full third of the second floor of the second villa. The remaining third is for clothing making, with fabrics hanging on shelves all around, some very precious fabrics stored in boxes. The fabrics themselves are all similar in material; what's valuable is the design. The fabrics have unique patterns and subtle designs, especially those designed by Lin Shuying. If there are a large number of custom orders at once, the fabric company doesn't dare deliver them directly; they have to send a special security team to deliver them. They simply can't afford to lose money—they're too expensive!

The fabric company knew the fabric was expensive, after all, it was made using ancient technology. But they never imagined it would be this expensive!

One of the pieces, a full-color peony and nine-deer patterned fabric woven with seven-colored gold and silver threads, used eight catties of gemstones, sixteen catties of gold, and sixteen catties of silver, woven using a special weaving method provided by the designer Qingfengyi. One hundred meters of fabric took three days to weave, working in three shifts over those three days.

The production cost is extremely high, reaching 200,000 interstellar coins per meter.

Because of the entirely new weaving method and special pattern design, it can only be printed piece by piece using holographic intelligent printing. After printing, the joints need to be manually separated bit by bit to ensure each thread is distinct. Printed items are very prone to sticking together, and such delicate items require a lot of manual work to sort them out. So there's a reason this fabric is expensive. It's not that Lin Shuying couldn't print it herself, but Qingfengyi simply doesn't have the energy and manpower.

Since we're not short of money, why not spend money to hire someone to do it?

There are plenty of studios in StarCraft that take on these tedious tasks; after all, those who enjoy a sumptuous feast can't go hunting themselves.

Below Lin Shuying's designs are the fabrics designed by the employees. Even the employee who has been with Qingfengyi for the shortest time has been working there for half a year and has already started designing their own pieces. So there's a lot of fabric, but the employee-designed fabrics don't sell very well. When wealthy customers order custom clothes, they prioritize Lin Shuying's designs.

Many of the patterns and designs in the Qingfengyi style cannot be embroidered by the employees themselves; their embroidery speed is extremely slow, and they can only embroider the shape of one peony per month. They can manage simple cross-stitch, embroidering one piece. Furthermore, their embroidery skills are not as good as Lin Shuying's, so they are not very good at embroidering on plain fabrics. Using the fabrics designed by Lin Shuying is very convenient, and therefore they are used up very quickly, resulting in higher earnings.

The remaining area was more miscellaneous, containing a 3D printer, various carving knives, polishing machines, and so on—all brand new custom-made Blue Star antique items by Lin Shuying. She wasn't used to the high-tech interstellar models, and many of the artworks required her to polish them bit by bit by hand.

In Lin Shuying's previous life, there were already mass-produced polishing techniques such as machine polishing, sand polishing, and water polishing. You simply put the item in water or fine sand and polish it using the principle of mutual friction. The finished products were decent, but the details weren't up to par with high-end luxury goods.

The level of precision is incomparable, and the details are not well done.

So why can't handmade artworks be mass-produced? Technological advancements and increased efficiency will only raise the price of these artworks.

Because of their unique, handcrafted nature, which cannot be conquered by technology!

Qingfengyi only occasionally uses the tools in this area for customer benefit products, so it's quite deserted and has hardly been used since we moved here. The machines are covered in water stains left by the cleaning lady, and little robots run underneath, constantly cleaning the floor.

The production of hairpins and clothing generates a lot of loose threads and lint, so the robot cannot stop cleaning as long as someone is working.

At this moment, everyone is seated in the hairpin area. The workbenches have been simply adjusted, with Lin Shuying sitting in a high position so that all employees can clearly see her movements. There is also a live camera that projects her entire operation onto the large screen in front of her.

Lin Shuying's camellia hair crown is a large hair crown. The basic framework is made with gold and silver threads, and then covered with a thin layer of basic gauze.

The gold flower base is secured to the frame, and the gemstones are then attached. Each shimmering, smooth gemstone and pearl is placed on the base, not glued, but strung together with gold wire. This method makes the jewelry easier to repair if damaged, results in more perfect details, and eliminates the cheap look of glue residue.

Of course, the sense of refinement is related to craftsmanship; skilled people can create perfect works regardless of whether they use glue or thread.

As she worked, she said, "When you first start making something, you can draw a design first. Drawing a design is a basic skill for craftsmen. Even if the design isn't very refined, as long as it's detailed enough for you to see, it's fine."

Practicing the fundamentals has always been a daily routine for Lin Shuying, requiring at least three hours for drawing, conceptualizing, and learning production techniques. Only through such dedication can she showcase her masterful skills and create the most beautiful works.

At this point, she picked up paper and pen again. "I've shown you how to draw many times before. Today I'm really keen on teaching, so I'll draw it again. I prefer to use paper and pen, but you can use your computers to draw."

The employees below did not use the optical computer; instead, they followed her and used paper and pen together.

Over this period of time, everyone has found that the experience of using pen and paper is different from that of using a computer. Drawing with a computer is indeed very convenient, but the control over the drawing is not as good as with pen and paper.

Lin Shuying first drew a rough sketch, and then began to break it down, disassembling all the elements on the hair crown into step-by-step production steps.

"The breakdown diagram is very important, as it can affect the final product and reduce time and material waste. When we want to create something, the first thing that comes to mind is the large image, which is the first finished product image. When drawing it, we break it down according to the overall picture and details, but the finished product image is two-dimensional, so we need to think about the hidden structural parts."

Lin Shuying tried to recreate the design in the holographic world, since it was easy to conceive a three-dimensional finished product there. However, after numerous experiments, including one with Liang Ranran, they discovered it wouldn't work. While Liang Ranran and the others could conceive the shape based on previously made hairpins, their internal structures were often a jumbled mess, impossible to disassemble. Such holographic design models were unusable because the internal structure was unreadable.

This experience taught her that everything requires taking it one step at a time; you can't suddenly start from the middle. A tall building rises from the ground, and a thatched hut can't be built without a foundation.

After explaining the blueprints, we continued making the hair crown. The front of the hair crown featured a deep red camellia with a yellow stamen in the center and a round and pleasing yellow tourmaline.

It is surrounded by pure white camellias, the kind of camellias used for drinking tea. In the center is a light green crystal, which makes the surrounding velvety petals appear slightly green, making it even more like a camellia.

Surrounded by pearls and gemstones, it has a spindle shape and two large pins. It can be worn by inserting it into the front bun of the hair; it's very luxurious.

On both sides are small phoenix beaks holding pearl tassels, which sway slightly when walking.

The hair ornament was finished at 1 a.m., which was too late.

Lin Shuying stretched and glanced down at everyone, who were all engrossed in their work. Some were still working on the velvet flowers, while others, whose hands weren't as fast, were stringing pearls and making frames.

An employee noticed that the boss had finished and asked somewhat dejectedly, "Boss, I keep breaking the gold wire. Can you use soldering or glue to stick it back together?"

Lin Shuying smiled and said, "You can try it and see what the difference is between the different ways you make things."

Design and craftsmanship differ from fixed skills; they require the maker to have a clear mind, sufficient imagination, and experimental ability. Only through continuous experimentation can one learn the art of change, and without understanding the art of change, it is difficult to achieve success as a craftsman.

Of course, it's not difficult to simply replicate and make a few conventional things; formulas are always the easiest to learn. However, Lin Shuying doesn't want Qingfengyi to be a lifeless studio. Instead, she hopes that everything here—the people, the things, and the future—is full of vitality, hope, joy, and the naive idealism of a fool.

Some people say that talking about ideals is foolish, but without ideals, and without so many foolish idealists, where would so many treasures and wonders appear in the world?