As part of their study of the Native American basket weaving, Lia's class is making wicker baskets. Lia starts with a strip of wicker that is 36 inches long. From the strip, she first cuts one piece but does not know it's length, and then she cuts a piece that is 6 1/2 inches long. The piece left is 7 3/4 inches long. What is the length of the first piece she cut from the strip?