By Samantha Carty, Momentum
As part of our FabConnectHer partner meeting in lovely Leon, Spain, our hosts FabLabLeon hosted a workshop. The challenge was to create an e-monster, in the form of a felt character with an LED eye from the space-themed game, which tries to identify who the imposter is in the game, Among Us. As our host and FabLabLeon Manager, Nuria Robles issued us with an already prepared pack containing a template and everything we might need, I thought this would be simple, this would be child’s play.
Well, more fool me, despite the step-by-step on-screen instructions and guidance from Nuria I struggled from the start. I was surprised how my inner 8-year-old self was still scarred from trying to learn to knit as a left-hander. FabLabLeon co-worked Adrián quickly spotted my lack of dexterity with the scissors and furnished me with a different pair to suit my needs. Once the LED was explained we secured it with special tape and excitedly tested the concept displaying a rainbow of colours around the room. I was reminded of my father’s mantra, “Measure twice and cut once” after I mysteriously ran out of tape and had to ask for more to secure the inner mechanism of my monster.
Next came the sewing part, again despite the pre-cut holds on the felt, it wasn’t always obvious where to start to secure the eye and side piece effectively. After a period of intense concentration reflected by the peace and quiet in the room, slowly the e-monsters took their final form. At moments, I questioned whether I should unpick some of the less-than-perfect stitching but seeing others also stumble made me realise that done is better than perfect (life lesson right there) and so I carried on.
An hour and a half after we started and thanks to the reassuring guidance and support from Adrian and Nuria, we got to display and parade our e-monsters for a group photo. My real learning was looking at the range of feelings and emotions I experienced throughout the process. I questioned my ability and confidence. Ironically, I felt like a bit of an imposter as I thought others would be more skilled in this area. With patience and perseverance, I created something tangible that I was proud of. It was a valuable experience of experiential learning that made me think about what it would be like for FabConnectHer’s target audience of girls from eight years and up to have a similar experience and in using a FabLab to create something, learn a new concept and maybe go outside their comfort zone in a safe and supported learning environment.
