1. Brief Overview of what you did this week, including photo documentation of process.

This week I was very productive. After finishing my third and final attempt at my darning project, it was ready to hand it. Then, I finished hemming my shorts and also handed those in. The rest of the week I began my inquiry project. I decided that I am going to make a snail stuffed animal, possibly several and make them into ornaments. I practiced some basic crochet stitches using various yarn in order to see what work best.

2 . Your biggest struggle of the week.

This week, my biggest struggle was understanding the pattern/tutorial for my stuffed snail. I tried many things, and realized after that I had messed up. Luckily with crochet I am able to simply pull the yarn and restart without worrying about waste.

3. Your biggest success of the week

My biggest success was my overall productivity of the week. I finished two projects and started another one. This makes me feel good as we go into our final week before the break.

4. Goal for next week

Since the snails are small, I hope to finish at least 1 snail before the break, and possibly work on more during my time at home.

 

1. Brief Overview of what you did this week, including photo documentation of process.

This week, I missed some classes so I had to catch up on my darning project. It took me three tries to get the footing. Since I missed the demonstration, I was lucky to have my peers around me, helping and supporting me through the project.

2 . Your biggest struggle of the week.

I was eager to begin the project, however the only sock I managed to find was a fluffy Christmas sock. As it turned out, it was much too difficult to see the knit and darn this fabric. The stretchiness of the fabric also made it difficult to keep a tight weave. Next, I used one of Mr. Rossington’s socks, but made the hole too big and it did not fit on the mushroom correctly. Finally, the third time, I was able to make a nearly perfect weave by making the hole more proportional to the mushroom.

3. Your biggest success of the week

My biggest success was nearly finishing my darning project, which I just need to end it and hand it in on Monday.

4. Goal for next week

Next week, I hope to finish my shorts so that I can start my inquiry project the next week. I wanted to complete my shorts this week, but the darning got the best of me. I hope to start my inquiry before the break.

1. Brief Overview of what you did this week, including photo documentation of process.

This week, I saw the near end of my shorts project. I attached the waistband using the same principles as the shirt collar. It took me two tries, however it ended up okay the second time. The only thing I have yet to finish is the hem on my shorts. In fact I tried to hem them, but i faced some challenges on this end.

2. Your biggest struggle of the week.

My struggle of this week was the hem of the shorts. Instead of folding the hem twice then sewing, I folded it once, sewed it, and then folded it a second time and sewed it. Unfortunately I made a mistake somewhere along the way and folded one side three times instead of just two. I wanted these shorts to be well made and presentable so I wanted to seam rip it. In the process I made some holes in the fabric. I tried to attach a piece of ribbon over the holes, but it didn’t look quite right. I decided that the only solution was to turn the shorts into booty shorts to hide the holes previously made.

3. Your biggest success of the week

My biggest success was the overall fit and make of the shorts. Apart from the “booty shorts” choice I made, the stitches and design of the shirt are something I would not be shocked to find in store. I am proud that I chose a fabric that is cute and that design resulted in a professional outcome

4. Goal for next week

My goal for next week is to finish the hem on my shorts so my two-piece set can be completed. Also, since I did not end up doing the darning project, I hope to finish it early on in the week in order to finish my shorts.

1. Brief Overview of what you did this week, including photo documentation of process.

This week, I started sewing my shorts together. At first, the video tutorial was a bit confusing, because it did not show which piece to sew the pocket onto. After messing up once, I sewed the 4 pockets to the front and backs of the shirt.

2 . Your biggest struggle of the week.

This week, it was pretty smooth sailing. If anything, I would say that following the tutorial was difficult as it moved very fast. Also, because I struggled last week with the pieces and their orientation, I had to cut a few extra pieces.

3. Your biggest success of the week

I’d say that this week I was very successful. I am proud of my pacing, and I am eager to begin my inquiry project. I sewed both pockets onto both legs. Now all I have to do is put it together next week, which might be hard. I am becoming much more confident in my abilities, which is making it easier to create work that I am proud of.

4. Goal for next week

Next week, I hope to finish my shorts so that I can start my inquiry project the next week. I believe that if I try really hard, I will be able to finish my shorts next week.

1. Brief Overview of what you did this week, including photo documentation of process.

This week, I finished my shirt by hemming the end and cutting my loose threads. Since I finished my shirt, I spent my time helping out my classmates with their collars and shirts, because it is the hardest part of the project in my opinion. Once they were on the right track, I chose my fabric for my shorts. I made sure to choose a fabric that was more suitable for the project, because the one I had used for my shirt was a bit too stretchy. Then I started to cut my fabric.

2 . Your biggest struggle of the week.

My biggest struggle was cutting my fabric. I must have read directions wrong because I did not fold the fabric so it wasn’t aligning. From there, I needed to build a puzzle in a sense, to find which pieces aligned and which pieces needed a counterpart. This took up the rest of my week.

3. Your biggest success of the week

My biggest success this week was finishing my shirt. I am very proud of my outcome and I think it turned into something that I would be happy to see a child wearing. In fact, if a couple of the proportions were a bit different, I would also enjoy wearing this shirt as a baby tee.

4. Goal for next week

My goal for next week is to begin sewing the pockets and get a good start. That way, I can be one step closer to starting my inquiry project.

1. Brief Overview of what you did this week, including photo documentation of process.

This week, I added my sleeves onto the shirt. I thought this would be hard, however it ended up being easier than the collar. After the 2 sleeves, I began on my collar. The collar took me a couple tries to complete however I managed to finish it before the week ended.

2 . Your biggest struggle of the week.

Hands down, the hardest part of my week was the shirt’s collar. It took me the lots of time to pin the collar on properly, and I needed some assistance from Mr. Rossington. Once it was properly pinned, I sewed it. However afterwards, I realized that the seams were not perfectly aligned and there was a wrinkle in the fabric that made my project look unprofessional. So I decided that it was worth my time to seam rip the collar and start again. This time, I aligned the seams and used essentially all the pins I had to ensure that it would budge or have wrinkles. The second time around, it turned out much more tidy and I felt more professional about my work.

3. Your biggest success of the week

My biggest success of the week was that I re-did my collar. In the moment, re-sewing it was the last thing I wanted to do. However, I really enjoyed how my shirt turned out because it looked more tidy. I think I will be prouder of my outcome.

4. Goal for next week.

My goal for next week is to finish my shirt, and hopefully begin my shorts.

1. Brief Overview of what you did this week, including photo documentation of process.

This week, I started my kid’s size T-shirt. It was hard choosing the fabric, because I needed to find something comfortable to wear, somewhat stretchmy y, and something appropriate for a kid. I ended up choosing a butter yellow fabric for my project. Luckily, my friends had a pattern cut out already for me, so I was able to start pinning and cutting my fabric right away. It was important to ensure that everything was lines up correctly. After cutting the body, collar, and sleeves, I sewed the body together. The final element I completed this week was the sleeve cuffs, which involved pressing, folding, and sewing.

Outside of school, I also did some sewing. I hemmed a skirt that I bought from the thrift store to fit my proportions better. I was able to take the skills I learned in the classroom, and implement them into my daily life.

 

2. Your biggest struggle of the week.

Personally, this week was fairly smooth sailing. If I had to name a struggle, I would say that it was hard to ensure that the body of my shirt (front and back) aligned correctly, as they didn’t match up perfectly in the pattern. However, after I sewed it, it looked great.

 

3. Your biggest success of the week

In my past entries, it has been a goal of mine to improve my time management and to be efficient in class. I am proud to say that this week has been my most efficient week yet. I prioritized getting as many steps as I could done, and I also tried extremely hard to make my work look neat and professional, in hopes of improving greatly from my tote bag project. Considering I sewed the entire body and sleeves of my shirt, I would say this week has been full of accomplishments.

 

4. Goal for next week.

My goal for next week is to continue on the ball that I have got rolling. Hopefully I will finish my shirt and begin to cut the pattern on the matching shorts. As I become more confident with the machine and my skills, I aim to trust my instincts more and not rely on my friends as much.

1. Brief Overview of what you did this week, including photo documentation of process.

Over the course of three weeks, I embroidered and sewed a tote bag. The reason this project took so long was because I was sick for the majority of week 4 and all of week 6. First, after choosing an appropriate and thick fabric – to hold weight – and tracing and cutting the pattern onto tracing paper, I was ready to go. Before I began sewing, I decided to embellish the material with some floral embroidery. I think the contrasting colours of the thread against the dark blue fabric really added to the overall aesthetics of the tote bag. I made a set of handles which ended up being much too short, so I cut a second pair at the correct length.

2. Your biggest struggle of the week.

Apart from simply catching up to all the work I missed while I was home sick, I would say the biggest struggle I faced was with my straps. As I mentioned, the first pair of straps I made were much too short and too thin to flip inside out using a knitting needle. I had to recut a wider and longer pair which slowed down the process. The hardest part was finding the perseverance to turn the fabric right side out, which was a big challenge. Furthermore, I was having issues with my machine which lead to many loose threads and the back of my fabric being knotted and messy. These inconsistencies were related to my bobbin.

3. Your biggest success of the week

My biggest success of the week was the embroidery. I have embroidered flowers once before, but not all different varieties like I showed in my tote bag. I am very proud of the different flowers and colours I used to embellish the design.

4. Goal for next week.

Next week, my goal is to read the instructions of the assignment before I begin any sewing. With the tote bag, I embroidered in a section that later, I would sew under. To avoid little mistakes like this, I will read the instructions beforehand, that way I know what to expect from the pattern.

 

1. Brief Overview of what you did this week, including photo documentation of process.

This week,  we worked on multiple things, such as measurements and our first real machine project, The Mini Pillow Case. I began the pillow case which was pretty straight forward. I also learned to use the seam gauge for the first time, which was quite helpful. Second, we did noted our measurements for garments and other projects in the future.

2. Your biggest struggle of the week.

This week, my biggest struggle was staying on task and being on top of my assignments. This was a busy week for my friends and I because we had to miss class for senior sail. When I got back, I prioritized finishing my pillowcase and staying on task. I made sure to manage my time, but it was a challenge to catch up.

3. Your biggest success of the week

This week, I got much more comfortable with my machine, which was actually my goal from last week. I was able to complete my project efficiently and with ease.

4. Goal for next week.

My goal for next week is to a more challenging project and create a tote bag that I will use in my day to day life. I think the tote bag will be a nice challenge for me and seems like the perfect next step in my textile journey!

23/9/2024

1. Brief Overview of what you did this week, including photo documentation of process.

This past week, we moved on from hand stitching, and transitioned into using the sewing machine. Before using the machine, we familiarize ourselves with the parts of the machine and learned how to use it. Once we were proficient and confident in our machine skills, we selected the fabric to start our Machine Stitch Examples Assignment. At the end of each stitch, we back stitched the row to lock the thread in.

2. Your biggest struggle of the week.  

This week, I overcame many hurdles with my sewing machine. With some of the more complex stitches, the thread would overlap and get stuck. Even after adjusting the bobbin and double checking all the parts of the machine (feed dogs, etc.), nothing seemed to be working. I even wondered if the texture of my fabric was contributing to the problems I was having. Eventually, I moved my project to my friend’s machine, and all of the issues magically solved. Even though the process took extra time to solve, I was still able to produce a final result I was proud of.

3. Your biggest success of the week.  

In my opinion, the most important thing I learned this week was all the parts of the machine. Last week, I was unsure on how to refill a bobbin or create a decorative stitch. Now, for my future machine projects, I will be able to utilise all the parts of the machine and take advantage of all the features it has to offer.

4. Goal for next week. 

My goal for next week is to regulate the issues I have been having with my machine this past week. Even though I spent lots of time trying to fix it, I still was not able to make it work. Next week, I hope to figure out what’s wrong to reduce the stress in future projects.