- 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.