Page 92 of Darn Knit All

“Thank you for everything,” she whispered, leaning her forehead against mine. “You’ve been my rock this whole experience. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

“Places!” Celeste bellowed, glaring at us.

Reluctantly, we let each other go and turned to the stage as Celeste began the countdown.

“And three, two.” She pointed at the cameras.

Michelle stepped onto the stage followed by the three judges.

“Welcome, finalists!” she enthused. “We’re into the final round and, baby, do we have a competition for you today!”

She clapped her hands, and out of the wings stepped three models, each wearing different outfits.

“Today we’re really putting your talents to the test. Over the next twelve hours, you’ll be asked to create three different pieces. A piece will be judged every four hours. You can present them in any order, but you must present one each time or be disqualified.”

She gestured at the models. “Each round you will receive points.” She pointed at the back of the stage which lit up with a blank leaderboard. “At the end of the third round, the team with the most points wins!”

She clapped her hands together, grinning. “Are you ready for this?”

Mai shook her head in the negative.

“Great!” Michelle held up a hand. “Ready, steady, sew!”

“Alright, what’s our game plan?” I asked, turning to Mai.

She glanced at me, panicked.

“Shit, do you need?—”

She held up a hand, halting my question. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and slowly let the breath out of her lungs.

“What’s she doing?” I heard one of the crew ask.

“No idea,” another responded.

I waited, watching proudly as she conquered her fear and panic, roping in her emotions.

“Accessible fashion,” Mai said, opening her eyes. “We’re going to create pieces that will help someone.”

“Go on,” I prompted.

She reached for a drawing pad. “Magnetic closures instead of buttons. A gorgeous suit that’s prosthetic friendly. Activewear with easy-access openings and fixtures. A dress that’s sexy and comes with a gorgeous built-in leg strap for a wheelchair user.”

She began to draw, her pencil flying across the page. “Accessible by design. That’s what we’re going for. Fashion that’s gorgeous and inclusive.”

I grinned, leaning over to watch as her vision began to take shape.

“Add zippers on both sides,” I said, tapping on the pants “We want anyone who has a prosthetic to have access—and that might mean they are a double amputee.”

“Good point.” She added in a quick reference to the zippers.

Her sketches came together as we bounced ideas off each other, incorporating patterns and colors that were unique to us and the brand Mai had created.

“What do you think?” she asked, holding up the drawings for me to see.

I studied the designs carefully, considering not only their form but their intended function. The suit was sleek and modern, with clever magnetic closures in place of fiddly buttons. The activewear featured easy-access zippers, with stylish loops to support one-handed users. And the dress… she’d knocked it out of the park. Flowing and elegant, but perfectly constructed for a wheelchair user to avoid tangling in wheels—not to mention the built-in leg strap, designed for those who needed additional support to hold their legs in place, matched the bodice perfectly.

“Home fucking run,” I laughed, lifting my hand for a high five.

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