Today we were going to start the Nest dress, and at first, we laid out the pattern, and picked out the kind of burlap fabric I was going to use (I forgot the specific name on the spot, for some reason...) I draped it, and it worked well, but then I realized that the pattern had a cowl on the dress. Not only that, but there were no sleaves, and pleats in the wrong places. We started to cut the pattern, and try to adapt it, however it was off-center, and difficult to measure. Sew Green was really busy with apprentices that day, and after a while, Autumn told me that it wasn't going to happen. She told me that if we were to do this dress, she would be pretty much doing the dress for me, and that it would take all of our time. Stunned, I tried to think of how I could occupy myself for the rest of the time I had. I at first looked at the denim skirt, and started to aimlessly rip the seams of my torn jeans, trying not to despair. After a while, I jumped up and started sorting through the fabric I had, looking for something that I could use, and be inspired from. Finally, I settled on the purple stretch-fabric, and the white jersey. The jersey was plain, but the purple fabric was not enough. I decided to make the pattern just the way it was, and then paint the dress. But first, I had tape the pattern back together...
I pinned my fabric to the patterns, and started cutting the fabric. It took a lot longer than I thought it would, and by the end of the day, I had only cut out the front and back, but I was glad to have gotten something done.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
In Class 5/31
1. Distribution
3. Write a closing entry
What worked?
What do you hope for your project?
What might you borrow?
Involving people by getting them to imagine really worked
I hope to borrow this by...
****SPOILER****
My project was inspired by nature
I can ask the audience to sketch a design which is inspired by nature
For me, I either create from transforming something from nature (Rooster dress), get inspired by nature (Owl Dress), or take from other drawings inspired by nature.
Carrie H talked about the former WISE students that she had talked to about their project, and one of them had been doing jewelery made from recycled materials. She had pictures in the background while she talked (I wanted to do the same!!! I want to have photographs of the sketches in a slideshow, and then the piece itself upfront. I want it to POP and be COLORFUL!!!)
She also had people working on creating jewelery while she was talking, which gave me the idea of having people design clothes while I talk...
Is that copying too much? I was thinking of having my sketches in the background ages ago, so...
- We need to send to our community evaluator, Ms. Lord, our Mentor, and our two classmates who are evaluating us the following:
- Role of Evaluator sheet
- Grading Rubric
- print one copy of EVERYTHING for Ms. Lord. We can put our blog on a CD with the two papers listed above, but we should print the two papers as well in that case.
3. Write a closing entry
- Bring a copy of the final entry if it is not included in the copy submitted five days before
What worked?
What do you hope for your project?
What might you borrow?
Involving people by getting them to imagine really worked
I hope to borrow this by...
****SPOILER****
My project was inspired by nature
I can ask the audience to sketch a design which is inspired by nature
For me, I either create from transforming something from nature (Rooster dress), get inspired by nature (Owl Dress), or take from other drawings inspired by nature.
Carrie H talked about the former WISE students that she had talked to about their project, and one of them had been doing jewelery made from recycled materials. She had pictures in the background while she talked (I wanted to do the same!!! I want to have photographs of the sketches in a slideshow, and then the piece itself upfront. I want it to POP and be COLORFUL!!!)
She also had people working on creating jewelery while she was talking, which gave me the idea of having people design clothes while I talk...
Is that copying too much? I was thinking of having my sketches in the background ages ago, so...
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Sample Presentation
Today I went to school again after WISE for Carrie's Sample Presentation. We were told to make notes on what we saw and how it related to our project. We were encouraged to think of the project as separate from the project process. We also made comments on what we liked, and what we didn't like. I've put my notes below:
Makes my blood boil, especially stupid war
No offense... wait, yes offense!!
The war in Israel is moronic
The separation of Pakistan was unnecessary
The war against Terror didn't work during Bush
'Cause the dummy FUNDED his enemies! (slightly too harsh? Sorry...)
Iraq got turned upside down
Thanks to inexcusable warfare.
And these are just a few examples...
Don't argue with me. You know I'm right
******* WARNING: PRESENTATION SPOILER!!!! *******
Positives
- Looked at the crowd, didn't read notes too much
- some awkward pauses, but built suspense
- talked about how she got into poetry, and got into the project
- described what exactly spoken word poetry is (pretty much a performance of poetry)
- described what poetry slams were (poetry competitions)
- not used to competition, intimidating
- used lots of emotion- I was worried at one point that you would burst into tears at times
- very few "ums"!!!
- some humor- good, made us laugh, but did not quite understand the relevancy of math games
- eventually connected her friend's love for math games with her love for poetry
- sometimes slightly too personal for comfort when talking about friend and crushes, though that did bring drama and attention
- Don't lift up your note cards!! ruins the illusion that you know it all- we can see them!
- like the variation in speed! kept us attentive
- drama
- what she took out of competition- became more confident, more daring?
- inspiration, poets she admires, names
- research comes out- cited a lot of YouTube
- but made it interesting by making it weaved in and giving us the interesting facts
- you don't have to tell us you don't have time to show us something- just don't show it
- warn me when you start your angry poems (or don't...)! caught my by surprise (which was probably the point)
- angry poem wasn't angry, but hurt. Perhaps you have more of a variety of emotions being expressed than you think. Try not to think of the whole poem as one emotion!
- learned new emotions over course of project- competition, outgoing, confidence
- ***** Made the audience participate!!!!!
- Unfortunately I did not have the courage to say what I actually wrote, which was actually pretty poetic, and instead just said that I really hated war. I wanted to share what I wrote, so I will share it here:
Makes my blood boil, especially stupid war
No offense... wait, yes offense!!
The war in Israel is moronic
The separation of Pakistan was unnecessary
The war against Terror didn't work during Bush
'Cause the dummy FUNDED his enemies! (slightly too harsh? Sorry...)
Iraq got turned upside down
Thanks to inexcusable warfare.
And these are just a few examples...
Don't argue with me. You know I'm right
- fooled around to get attention- eye contact
- pointed out someone texting!
- jaw dropped :)
******* WARNING: PRESENTATION SPOILER!!!! *******
- Can share emotions, thoughts, inspiration, insights, which I couldn't/didn't think to share in my journal
- idea: machines! I struggled with machines (and even the computer/blogger) and did not share this in my journal... oops!
Positives
- at journal entry 4/14, the tone of the journal changed, and then changed again after the poetry slam. Can hear the difference
- didn't use multimedia, just spoke, and thus enraptured the audience. Also, project vocal- it worked
- reflected on relationship with mentor
- embedded YouTube videos into blog
- contacted many people
- answered lists of questions in blog
- spent more time than needed
- paper journal worked for her
- edits in the journal
- narrative lacked emotion in comparison to the rest of the project/presentation. Perhaps intentional? Contrast?
- miss expanding on things left unfinished in the blog
- YouTube used a lot in projects, but used real people as well- perhaps use less YouTube
- balance micro and macro more
- did not express enough goals
- wanted concluding entry ****
- don't get too cocky
- pursue people who ignore you
- Must practice presentation beforehand! I hate practicing beforehand, since I feel more nervous the more I practice, and like being spontaneous when I talk in front of people. It's more like an adventure that way. However, I'm definitely going to take time to organize my work, and lay out my time to take full advantage of my thirty minutes
- Judy said you can't just paint when you feel like it. You have to force it so that you can do it whenever. Eew... I don't like forcing it :( I'll leave that to other mediums. Some days, you just can't paint, or you can't sew. The machine always gets stuck, or the tension's stuck. Sometimes it just doesn't work!
- Difficult
- 1/2 hands on, 1/2 research *** NEED to get on that RESEARCH!!!!
- push limits
- expand world
- growth
Sew Green 5/24 and 5/26
On these two days at Sew Green, I pretty much worked on my shirt. I realized that I couldn't double face the collar, and ripped those seams out, settling for a rolled hem, and then continued on to the bottom hem. Then on Thursday, I sewed on the sleaves. The sleaves took a while, since I went slow, but were not bad at all. The only problem is that they are sewn with the wrong side out (it was curling, and easier that way!)
I'm really excited to start the Nest dress. I have the zipper, the tulle, and even the pattern! Autumn is copying the pattern so that we can start immediately on Tuesday. Yay!!
By the way, in case you were wondering, I left on Thursday slightly early so that I could go to Carrie's presentation.
I'm really excited to start the Nest dress. I have the zipper, the tulle, and even the pattern! Autumn is copying the pattern so that we can start immediately on Tuesday. Yay!!
By the way, in case you were wondering, I left on Thursday slightly early so that I could go to Carrie's presentation.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
In Class 5/24
Today we shared our creative pieces, and were asked to write a letter to future WISE students on the following:
What do you know now that you didn't know in September (because of your experiences in WISE)?
Dear Future WISE Student,
When you think of entering WISE, you probably are thinking that it would be cool to learn a new trick, or to do something you've never done before. That's all good and fine, but when you think about what you're going to take from what you've learned, you probably won't be able to imagine how WISE would affect you in a deeper, less superficial way than just learning a new trade. For me, WISE opened my eyes to something much more profound. I learned that if I truly set my mind on something, I can achieve it. That was very important for me, since it gave me courage to enter my future education, which I have no experience in.
My project was to learn how to sew, design clothes, and make five full outfits. I ended up making only a few of my designs, however, I learned so much. My dad didn't even believe that it would be possible to make one dress, he later told me. At times, I doubted myself as well, but I ended up not only making a dress, learning to sew, and designing clothes, but I learned about the trade itself. I became more comfortable creating in this new medium, which, prior to WISE, I had been terrified of. Before, I hesitated at a machine, and shied away. Now I jump right on it, and I'm not afraid to try. By learning this new way of expression, I have gained confidence in my ability to learn, and that my perseverance will lead to success.
Good Luck!
Tara Lobo
Something I had forgotten to include in my letter, was that in the past I would often give up if I thought that the task was too daunting, but in this case, I had the courage and motivation to continue. It was worth it. I was also more realitic in my goals, lowering them when necessary, which perhaps helped me stay on track and not lose hope. Finally, I learned that sometimes, it's okay to let go and not be a perfectionist; no matter how badly you want every seam to be perfectly straight, it's not going to happen, so get over it!!
What do you know now that you didn't know in September (because of your experiences in WISE)?
Dear Future WISE Student,
When you think of entering WISE, you probably are thinking that it would be cool to learn a new trick, or to do something you've never done before. That's all good and fine, but when you think about what you're going to take from what you've learned, you probably won't be able to imagine how WISE would affect you in a deeper, less superficial way than just learning a new trade. For me, WISE opened my eyes to something much more profound. I learned that if I truly set my mind on something, I can achieve it. That was very important for me, since it gave me courage to enter my future education, which I have no experience in.
My project was to learn how to sew, design clothes, and make five full outfits. I ended up making only a few of my designs, however, I learned so much. My dad didn't even believe that it would be possible to make one dress, he later told me. At times, I doubted myself as well, but I ended up not only making a dress, learning to sew, and designing clothes, but I learned about the trade itself. I became more comfortable creating in this new medium, which, prior to WISE, I had been terrified of. Before, I hesitated at a machine, and shied away. Now I jump right on it, and I'm not afraid to try. By learning this new way of expression, I have gained confidence in my ability to learn, and that my perseverance will lead to success.
Good Luck!
Tara Lobo
Something I had forgotten to include in my letter, was that in the past I would often give up if I thought that the task was too daunting, but in this case, I had the courage and motivation to continue. It was worth it. I was also more realitic in my goals, lowering them when necessary, which perhaps helped me stay on track and not lose hope. Finally, I learned that sometimes, it's okay to let go and not be a perfectionist; no matter how badly you want every seam to be perfectly straight, it's not going to happen, so get over it!!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Mentor Meeting 5/19
I showed Ms. Lasher the t-shirt I was working on.
I then shared my plans for next garment- the nest dress!!!
My planned date for the presentation (the 17th of June) is all good.
I needed help with ideas on how to write the narrative and give a good presentation that did not repeat what was written in my journal.
At first, Ms. Lasher and I were really stumped. How could the journal only make up a small portion of the narrative and presentation, when the journal was recording everthing I did. But then I started thinking about interpretation. What are different ways I can interpret and present my project so that I can give it a new meaning in each medium, a paper and a presentation.
We decided that for the narrative, I would give more background and depth to my past in making me choose this project, what I learned and achieved, and how I will use this new understanding and knowledge in the future. This is the story on how WISE impacted my life, and how my journal gave me a new lense to look through.
As for my presentation, I was thinking of presenting each model, and include accessories and make-up. Ms. Lasher says that she and Ms. Affronti might be able to lend me some jewelery. Ms Lasher says she might have the prefect turquoise necklace for me to use. I also found two or three possible models, and one of them, Cassy, says that she would be willing to help me with make-up. She always has funky make-up on, and would perfect. I would then talk about my inspiration for the garment, how my inspiration transformed and changed, and background research on my sources of information, and the international cultures that I took tips from in making my garments.
Ms Lasher really gave me some great ideas, and I feel much more confident about my project now.
I then shared my plans for next garment- the nest dress!!!
My planned date for the presentation (the 17th of June) is all good.
I needed help with ideas on how to write the narrative and give a good presentation that did not repeat what was written in my journal.
At first, Ms. Lasher and I were really stumped. How could the journal only make up a small portion of the narrative and presentation, when the journal was recording everthing I did. But then I started thinking about interpretation. What are different ways I can interpret and present my project so that I can give it a new meaning in each medium, a paper and a presentation.
We decided that for the narrative, I would give more background and depth to my past in making me choose this project, what I learned and achieved, and how I will use this new understanding and knowledge in the future. This is the story on how WISE impacted my life, and how my journal gave me a new lense to look through.
As for my presentation, I was thinking of presenting each model, and include accessories and make-up. Ms. Lasher says that she and Ms. Affronti might be able to lend me some jewelery. Ms Lasher says she might have the prefect turquoise necklace for me to use. I also found two or three possible models, and one of them, Cassy, says that she would be willing to help me with make-up. She always has funky make-up on, and would perfect. I would then talk about my inspiration for the garment, how my inspiration transformed and changed, and background research on my sources of information, and the international cultures that I took tips from in making my garments.
Ms Lasher really gave me some great ideas, and I feel much more confident about my project now.
Sew Green 5/19
Gir forgot the pattern :( But she says she might be able to bring it on Monday. I should have gotten her cell so I could remind her, even though I don't have texting I could have called. I'm so glad she's letting me use her pattern. It's going to be so exciting. I should thank her somehow...
I worked on my t-shirt pretty much the whole time. I fitted the sides, which now fit very well. I then ripped a lot of seams around the neck, trying to have the collar lay flat, and each time I needed to finish them by sewing over them so they wouldn't come undone. It took a long time. Thankfully the cloth was forgiving, allowing me to rip the seams slightly easier, but the ends of the seams were difficult to take out. I then tried it out, and decided to fold he collar in half so that it's double sided, shorter, and more like a collar. Though it was a lot more difficult than I thought it would be, and I'm thinking of ripping it out. The ends of the cloth kept on curling, making it very difficult to sew, and when I ironed it, the iron was too hot, and the cloth got shiny :(
I'll fix it next time!
Oh! I forgot to add... I've become a lot more comfortable sewing now. I don't know when it happened, but I can now jump on a machine, and not feel intimidated. I think that that is the biggest step of all.
I worked on my t-shirt pretty much the whole time. I fitted the sides, which now fit very well. I then ripped a lot of seams around the neck, trying to have the collar lay flat, and each time I needed to finish them by sewing over them so they wouldn't come undone. It took a long time. Thankfully the cloth was forgiving, allowing me to rip the seams slightly easier, but the ends of the seams were difficult to take out. I then tried it out, and decided to fold he collar in half so that it's double sided, shorter, and more like a collar. Though it was a lot more difficult than I thought it would be, and I'm thinking of ripping it out. The ends of the cloth kept on curling, making it very difficult to sew, and when I ironed it, the iron was too hot, and the cloth got shiny :(
I'll fix it next time!
Oh! I forgot to add... I've become a lot more comfortable sewing now. I don't know when it happened, but I can now jump on a machine, and not feel intimidated. I think that that is the biggest step of all.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Sew Green 5/17
Normally I don't come to Sew Green on Tuesdays (though I was supposed to add Tuesdays on as I got more free in APRIL!), because I always seemed to have something going on, and believe me, I tried. But this Tuesday, I got done from my French Competition award ceremony on time, got a ride home, and drove down to Sew Green (it was rainy!).
At Sew Green, I met many other apprentices, and although the music taste was much quieter for this group of young girls, the conversation and enthusiasm was much more extreme, and there were more people than on Thursdays. Thankfully, my project wasn't occupying as much of Autumn's time as usual, since it was a pattern, and I sort of knew what I was doing.
Autumn was relieved that I hadn't cut the cloth yet, since she was worried that the head opening might not be big enough. I added more cloth when cutting, so that there was room for error. When I first folded the cloth in half, and laid out my pattern (which is only for half the shirt, by the way), I realized that I was pretty much cutting a hole in the middle of the cloth, and wasting a lot of fabric. So I folded it over twice, so that I was optimally using the fabric, and cutting out both the front and back of the shirt at the same time. I traced the pattern, and cut, and it worked like a charm. I then pinned the head opening and tried it out, and it worked just fine.
I proceeded to sew the shoulders and sides (though my machine's tension was a little messed up- the thread had come out of the bobbin tension), and then it was time to go already. I tried it on quickly, and realized that the body was WAAY to big! Well, at least it's not too small. I'll have to fix that next time...
Last thing: Autumn says that she can come to my WISE presentation. YAY!!!!! I'm excited and nervous too!
At Sew Green, I met many other apprentices, and although the music taste was much quieter for this group of young girls, the conversation and enthusiasm was much more extreme, and there were more people than on Thursdays. Thankfully, my project wasn't occupying as much of Autumn's time as usual, since it was a pattern, and I sort of knew what I was doing.
Autumn was relieved that I hadn't cut the cloth yet, since she was worried that the head opening might not be big enough. I added more cloth when cutting, so that there was room for error. When I first folded the cloth in half, and laid out my pattern (which is only for half the shirt, by the way), I realized that I was pretty much cutting a hole in the middle of the cloth, and wasting a lot of fabric. So I folded it over twice, so that I was optimally using the fabric, and cutting out both the front and back of the shirt at the same time. I traced the pattern, and cut, and it worked like a charm. I then pinned the head opening and tried it out, and it worked just fine.
I proceeded to sew the shoulders and sides (though my machine's tension was a little messed up- the thread had come out of the bobbin tension), and then it was time to go already. I tried it on quickly, and realized that the body was WAAY to big! Well, at least it's not too small. I'll have to fix that next time...
Last thing: Autumn says that she can come to my WISE presentation. YAY!!!!! I'm excited and nervous too!
In Class 5/17
In class we were fixing any schedule problems and scheduling anyone who wasn't scheduled yet.
I was able to switch review days with Jordan (yay) so that my reviews are back to back, and it ended up being good for him too!
I need to talk w/ Ms Lasher Thurs and make sure all's okay with Friday the 17th
We then talked about the upcoming presentation, and how it should not include stuff from journal. That's tough, 'cause my journal is pretty much a running commentary of what I'm doing and what I've learned. However, no one has seen my finished garments yet, and perhaps I can do more research, and present that way... Need to think about this more.
Turned in poem for creative piece
I was able to switch review days with Jordan (yay) so that my reviews are back to back, and it ended up being good for him too!
I need to talk w/ Ms Lasher Thurs and make sure all's okay with Friday the 17th
We then talked about the upcoming presentation, and how it should not include stuff from journal. That's tough, 'cause my journal is pretty much a running commentary of what I'm doing and what I've learned. However, no one has seen my finished garments yet, and perhaps I can do more research, and present that way... Need to think about this more.
Turned in poem for creative piece
Monday, May 16, 2011
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Returns
Today while running errands, I returned the horrible yucky linen, and the jacket pattern that I was never going to use, and bought a red zipper for a new dress I'm going to start instead. I saved a lot of money, and was much happier.
I then went home and fixed some of the side seams on my first dress that had gotten ripped when I had been to rough pulling the dress off. I realized that the single stitch seam is a lot less durable than the seams of those machines that cut the seam as they sew, and I have to be a lot more careful.
I then went home and fixed some of the side seams on my first dress that had gotten ripped when I had been to rough pulling the dress off. I realized that the single stitch seam is a lot less durable than the seams of those machines that cut the seam as they sew, and I have to be a lot more careful.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Library books
By the way, I borrowed library books about a week ago on sewing and fashion. I've flipped through all of them, and read some of them. I need to write up my research from them though!
Don't forget that journal entries still drafts in note form for:
Saturday Sewing
In Class
Sew Green
Don't forget that journal entries still drafts in note form for:
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Sew Green 5/12
Today in Sew Green, I came in with my purchases from my Wednesday shopping session at JoAnn's, very disappointed with what I had bought. Autumn pulled out some stretch cotton (or Jersey) that she had saved up (so I will return the linen), and so now I have white cloth for my painted dresses. We also discussed what I would like to work on now that my dress is almost finished. I'm going to be working on my chinese shirt next, which should take very little time, since we can use a basic sloper (design for a shirt), and adjust it. After that, I'm going to start working on my burlap inspired dress (see the Nest), and use the tuil that I bought for that. It turns out that Gir has the perfect pattern for that dress, and I can just use hers! It's really fantastic, because I was having difficulty finding the right pattern, and she just happened to have the perfect one. She's going to bring it in next Thursday.
I then finished off my dress by cutting off the 8.5 extra inches of cloth, shaping the bottom like I had wanted it to be (like shirt tails of a man's collard shirt), which I did by hand, since it was faster, and easier for me (it came out pretty even!), and then doing a rolled hem along the bottom. The bottom seem is not perfect, since doing a rolled hem on a sharp curve is very difficult, but you can't really tell from a distance. Once the hem was finished, the dress was SOOOO much better! You'll get to see it next Thursday!!
Afterwards, Autumn and I set off to work on the shirt. First we took the basic sloper, and traced it on this thin, brown paper. The dart that was already pre-drawn on the template was elimated by rotating the sloper, and getting rid of the gap, since the cloth was stretchy, and had no need of a dart. We then measured my own body, to adjust the width of the pattern, extended the neck for a turtle neck, and made small cap sleeves (tiny sleeves on some t-shirts that only just cover one's shoulder). The sleaves were pretty much like small semicircles, which used the same curve as the arm hole curve of the sloper (which had been made steeper since the shirt would be a t-shirt, not a sleevless shirt).
I then cut out the pattern, and took it home along with my cloth to hopefully cut it over the weekend.
I then finished off my dress by cutting off the 8.5 extra inches of cloth, shaping the bottom like I had wanted it to be (like shirt tails of a man's collard shirt), which I did by hand, since it was faster, and easier for me (it came out pretty even!), and then doing a rolled hem along the bottom. The bottom seem is not perfect, since doing a rolled hem on a sharp curve is very difficult, but you can't really tell from a distance. Once the hem was finished, the dress was SOOOO much better! You'll get to see it next Thursday!!
Afterwards, Autumn and I set off to work on the shirt. First we took the basic sloper, and traced it on this thin, brown paper. The dart that was already pre-drawn on the template was elimated by rotating the sloper, and getting rid of the gap, since the cloth was stretchy, and had no need of a dart. We then measured my own body, to adjust the width of the pattern, extended the neck for a turtle neck, and made small cap sleeves (tiny sleeves on some t-shirts that only just cover one's shoulder). The sleaves were pretty much like small semicircles, which used the same curve as the arm hole curve of the sloper (which had been made steeper since the shirt would be a t-shirt, not a sleevless shirt).
I then cut out the pattern, and took it home along with my cloth to hopefully cut it over the weekend.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Wednesday Shopping/ Mentor Meeting 5/11
Shopping at Jo-Ann's was canceled Tuesday (Ms. Lasher had an unexpected meeting)
Wednesday, Ms Lasher had staff meeting, but I enjoyed the sun reading my book in the quad while I waited.
Then set off to Jo-Ann's
On the way, I discussed how I was going to change my project a little. Instead of making just what I had designed, I wanted to make one or two simple white dresses, and paint them like crazy. I've already learned quite a bit about sewing, and although I will progress with learning about patterns and such, I want to have fun with the project as well, and I feel like this will be a good release.
At JoAnn's, I was excited at first, but enthusiasm wore off
Lots of nice cloth, but not what we needed. I was looking for simple white stretch cotton (which I now know is called jersey), but they didn't seem to have some. After searching the whole store, and not finding the right pant material, jersey, or jacket material, I decided to give up and look at patterns instead. I found two (one for a jacket, and the other for a dress), but I'm not sure whether I'm happy with them. As for cloth, I found the tuil which I needed, but spontanenously settled for four yards (way too much) of a horrible linen, which I know I'm going to have to return. I guess I'm returning to JoAnn's. I might just return everything but the tuil, since I'm so frustrated. Sew-Green is so much better shopping. There at least I usually something close to what I'm looking for. At JoAnn's it was hopeless. At least the store clerk was very nice and helpful. She even gave me a coupon for 40% off. The total still came out to be around $40 dollars though, which is almost half of my total budget. That dumb linen is DEFINATELY going back!! I'll post the receipts soon.
THANK YOU SO MUCH MS LASHER FOR COMING WITH ME!!!!!!!!!!!! You are the absolute bestest ever!
I'm sorry for using up your time! It was helpful though. I learned how people search for patterns (look at pictures in a magazine, and find the number in these huge drawers), and that perhaps JoAnn's isn't the best place unless I need things like zippers, threads, quilting material, or thin polyster material...??
Wednesday, Ms Lasher had staff meeting, but I enjoyed the sun reading my book in the quad while I waited.
Then set off to Jo-Ann's
On the way, I discussed how I was going to change my project a little. Instead of making just what I had designed, I wanted to make one or two simple white dresses, and paint them like crazy. I've already learned quite a bit about sewing, and although I will progress with learning about patterns and such, I want to have fun with the project as well, and I feel like this will be a good release.
At JoAnn's, I was excited at first, but enthusiasm wore off
Lots of nice cloth, but not what we needed. I was looking for simple white stretch cotton (which I now know is called jersey), but they didn't seem to have some. After searching the whole store, and not finding the right pant material, jersey, or jacket material, I decided to give up and look at patterns instead. I found two (one for a jacket, and the other for a dress), but I'm not sure whether I'm happy with them. As for cloth, I found the tuil which I needed, but spontanenously settled for four yards (way too much) of a horrible linen, which I know I'm going to have to return. I guess I'm returning to JoAnn's. I might just return everything but the tuil, since I'm so frustrated. Sew-Green is so much better shopping. There at least I usually something close to what I'm looking for. At JoAnn's it was hopeless. At least the store clerk was very nice and helpful. She even gave me a coupon for 40% off. The total still came out to be around $40 dollars though, which is almost half of my total budget. That dumb linen is DEFINATELY going back!! I'll post the receipts soon.
THANK YOU SO MUCH MS LASHER FOR COMING WITH ME!!!!!!!!!!!! You are the absolute bestest ever!
I'm sorry for using up your time! It was helpful though. I learned how people search for patterns (look at pictures in a magazine, and find the number in these huge drawers), and that perhaps JoAnn's isn't the best place unless I need things like zippers, threads, quilting material, or thin polyster material...??
In Class 5/10
I missed the last class because of my AP French test. I met up with Ms. Lord later, who caught me up with what I had missed. We had signed up for dates to peer edit and present. My WISE presentation is on Friday, June 17th. I am peer editing Wednesday on the 8th and 15th of June. I picked the latest possible date for my presentation because I really want the time to finish whatever clothes I will be working on, and I know that I will need the extra time to do the final touches on my dresses.
I also got a sheet outlining some requirements for my project. I have to write a 4-6 page narrative that will share what I did during my WISE project in a fun and engrossing way.
I then have to write a final bibliography which has a minimum of 10 sources (not that much at all! Especially considering how many we needed to find at the start of our project) and a minimum of two personal contacts. Easy
Along with the bibliography we need to write a two page commentary about how we handled our research, and how it relates to our project.
Finally, we need to share a draft of our narrative with our mentor and/or teacher, and five days before the presentation make copies of our materials and invite everyone to our presentation.
Another thing I learned!!!!!! The presentation does NOT have to be at the school!!!! I might want to do it at Sew-Green, though we'll see. That way I'll have mannequins and stuff.
I also got a sheet outlining some requirements for my project. I have to write a 4-6 page narrative that will share what I did during my WISE project in a fun and engrossing way.
I then have to write a final bibliography which has a minimum of 10 sources (not that much at all! Especially considering how many we needed to find at the start of our project) and a minimum of two personal contacts. Easy
Along with the bibliography we need to write a two page commentary about how we handled our research, and how it relates to our project.
Finally, we need to share a draft of our narrative with our mentor and/or teacher, and five days before the presentation make copies of our materials and invite everyone to our presentation.
Another thing I learned!!!!!! The presentation does NOT have to be at the school!!!! I might want to do it at Sew-Green, though we'll see. That way I'll have mannequins and stuff.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Jellyfish skirt
This is a REALLY rought sketch, but it's based off of some white linen and blue Indian tie-dye material. I thought it might be fun to make over the summer if I don't get time during my project, since I don't think it will be too difficult.
Saturday Sewing
I bought a pair of jeans last week, but they were way to long. Today, I decided that I would use my sewing skills to fix another hem. But before I changed the thread color for my jeans, I would finish the rest of my dress.
I needed to change the needle from last time, when I had broken the needle in frustration (I had forgotten to put the needle up as I tore the dress from the machine in my frustration. Really really really bad!)
I finished the side seams completely, all the way to the bottom. They weren't symmetrical, but by that time, I was done because the usual problems of cloth slipping, needle tripping, etc. had caused me to have to rip seams about five times.
I wound the bobbin perfectly (but with the sewing machine instructions just in case) with the new thread for my heans, and moved on to my jeans. I changed the needle to a denim needle, and tried to use the thick thread commonly used for jeans, but it quickly got jammed in the machine. Thankfully everything survived. Using the same denim needle, but with normal khaki thread. It was difficult do to the side seams, which buldged and got in the way.
I had to rip seams about three times because wasn't perfect (hem wasn't even, or just got impatient and rushed it), and even then, it was still uneven.
I then ironed it out for a flat, even hem.
At least it still had its gorgeous flare!
Maybe I'll undo the hem in the future so I can wear the jeans with heels (I think that's what they were meant for, because they are the perfect length with heels).
I needed to change the needle from last time, when I had broken the needle in frustration (I had forgotten to put the needle up as I tore the dress from the machine in my frustration. Really really really bad!)
I finished the side seams completely, all the way to the bottom. They weren't symmetrical, but by that time, I was done because the usual problems of cloth slipping, needle tripping, etc. had caused me to have to rip seams about five times.
I wound the bobbin perfectly (but with the sewing machine instructions just in case) with the new thread for my heans, and moved on to my jeans. I changed the needle to a denim needle, and tried to use the thick thread commonly used for jeans, but it quickly got jammed in the machine. Thankfully everything survived. Using the same denim needle, but with normal khaki thread. It was difficult do to the side seams, which buldged and got in the way.
I had to rip seams about three times because wasn't perfect (hem wasn't even, or just got impatient and rushed it), and even then, it was still uneven.
I then ironed it out for a flat, even hem.
At least it still had its gorgeous flare!
Maybe I'll undo the hem in the future so I can wear the jeans with heels (I think that's what they were meant for, because they are the perfect length with heels).
Friday, May 6, 2011
Desigual
My parents recently got back from Spain, and they brought back some fantastic clothes! My mom had complained about how Spanish fashion was really drab... until she came to a store called Desigual. The clothes she brought back were far from drab. They were bright and fantastical. In fact, because of the bright colors, people would spot this new, popular brand on the street when my mom wore it in Spain. Everything else was plain, but Desigual was a splash of color in the middle of beige.
At first, I had thought that Desigual was an India brand. Desi means Indian, and the colors were so bright, I couldn't believe that they were coming from Europe. However, the cuts were very European. Looking at the US website unfortunately, the clothes do not stand out as much, since we use more color than the Spanish. Still, it's a fabulous (and very expensive) brand.
At first, I had thought that Desigual was an India brand. Desi means Indian, and the colors were so bright, I couldn't believe that they were coming from Europe. However, the cuts were very European. Looking at the US website unfortunately, the clothes do not stand out as much, since we use more color than the Spanish. Still, it's a fabulous (and very expensive) brand.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Sew Green 5/5
Fuel burned out! Will finish this soon...
walked- gorgeous trees/light/flowers- inspired!
got in, showed hiddeous mess of a dress I had messed it up at home (see Side Seams from Saturday)
ripped seams- actually becoming fun! This material is easier to rip out seams than others
tried to fit The dress wasn't laying down the front symmetrically. Something was not right
laid it out, averaged numbers- still not look right Turns out the averages were completely wrong anyway (just looking at it, you could see that it didn't fit the curve of a body. Pretty much the dress had been wrapped around, and totally asymetrical.)
Asked if we can measure body instead I actually took measurements of my bust, below the bust, waist and hips, and then measured how far down from my armpit each of these sections were, and then mapped them out on the cloth. This was by far the best part, since I could see the outline of a body forming as I charted it out.
much better curve The result
took LONG time I was charting out each and every point
finally pinned together two sides I had to pin together the two side seam lines, which is a lot harder than it seems, since they are on opposite sides. So pretty much I placed my finger on one side, and tried to match it up with my index finger on the other side. It didn't work perfectly, but oh well.
arm seam not long enough I didn't sew far enough up the side to the arm
SEWED SIDE SEAMS BIG accomplishment!
arm hole not meet properly... back and the front not sewed up to the whole way, so the arm hole was connected unevenly
oh well!
finish bottom at home? bottom = bottom hem
bye bye!
okay, I'm looking at this later, and realizing that it is sort of cool. It's like poetry. I want to keep my journal entry this way, since it's raw, but has all the main points. I've added some clarifications so that people understand what's going on
walked- gorgeous trees/light/flowers- inspired!
got in, showed hiddeous mess of a dress I had messed it up at home (see Side Seams from Saturday)
ripped seams- actually becoming fun! This material is easier to rip out seams than others
tried to fit The dress wasn't laying down the front symmetrically. Something was not right
laid it out, averaged numbers- still not look right Turns out the averages were completely wrong anyway (just looking at it, you could see that it didn't fit the curve of a body. Pretty much the dress had been wrapped around, and totally asymetrical.)
Asked if we can measure body instead I actually took measurements of my bust, below the bust, waist and hips, and then measured how far down from my armpit each of these sections were, and then mapped them out on the cloth. This was by far the best part, since I could see the outline of a body forming as I charted it out.
much better curve The result
took LONG time I was charting out each and every point
finally pinned together two sides I had to pin together the two side seam lines, which is a lot harder than it seems, since they are on opposite sides. So pretty much I placed my finger on one side, and tried to match it up with my index finger on the other side. It didn't work perfectly, but oh well.
arm seam not long enough I didn't sew far enough up the side to the arm
SEWED SIDE SEAMS BIG accomplishment!
arm hole not meet properly... back and the front not sewed up to the whole way, so the arm hole was connected unevenly
oh well!
finish bottom at home? bottom = bottom hem
bye bye!
okay, I'm looking at this later, and realizing that it is sort of cool. It's like poetry. I want to keep my journal entry this way, since it's raw, but has all the main points. I've added some clarifications so that people understand what's going on
Mentor Meeting 5/5
So my mentor meeting only happened today because I was absent on Tuesday. Ms. Lasher wasn't around during 2nd period, but I was able to meet up with her after school. I showed her my design for the next thing I'm going to do (the chinese styled t-shirt, which I have STILL not posted!!), and my dress so far. Perhaps I will request that we have mentor meetings on Thursdays again, since then she will be able to see the stuff that I am taking to Sew-Green. Yes, the dress was in it's tangled messy state, but it will be fixed today!
We also set a date for the fabric shopping expedition!! It will be this upcoming Tuesday!!! Yay! Ms. Lasher and I will meet afterschool, and then go SHOPPING!!!!!!!!!!!
We also set a date for the fabric shopping expedition!! It will be this upcoming Tuesday!!! Yay! Ms. Lasher and I will meet afterschool, and then go SHOPPING!!!!!!!!!!!
In Class 5/3
May already!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry. Anyway...
I missed class on Tuesday because I caught a cold stressing over my chem/calc exam. Funny how that works, no? I seem to be getting sick an awful lot lately...
Back to the point. In class, I missed a lot of info/introductions about the following:
Sorry. Anyway...
I missed class on Tuesday because I caught a cold stressing over my chem/calc exam. Funny how that works, no? I seem to be getting sick an awful lot lately...
Back to the point. In class, I missed a lot of info/introductions about the following:
- I want to start with explaining about the citations because it's funny. For me.
- I asked one of my classmates, who said that over the weekend, due Monday morning promptly, we were supposed to hand in 10 citations that we used, with annotations. Turns out we don't have to do that (Ms. Lord clarified the misunderstanding to me later when I asked). I wonder how many people will turn this in to her :P
- Next, we had to fill out a mid marking period 4 student progress form, which IS due Monday. I already filled it out during my mentor meeting today and stuck it in Ms. Lord's mailbox.
- We DO have a ten source minimum requirement for the WHOLE project (it's so small!! I HOPE I've used way more!)
- We will get more details on project requirements soon... I think? Unless I missed this part... I need to double check
- I have to sign up for a presentation date (oops... should have done that when I saw her today!)
- My creative Assigment is due 5/17
- Ask parents to evaluate projects at the end of the year
- Google IHS WISE program calendar
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