I missed class due to the aforementioned horrible flight delay, so I checked in with Ms. Lord.
She gave me Mr. Byrne's review, which I found very accurate and fair, and even a bit overly generous in areas. However, he said that I was "self-deprecative," which sort of took me by surprise, since he was talking about my feeling guilty for always driving...? Oh well. It was nice. I got to hear someone tell me I wasn't screwing up, which was great.
I also got an article about adversity and resilience. I'm not sure if I entirely agreed with the article. It said that resilience was taught by parents who let their children figure it out, or had to go through immense hardships, which, although it is certainly true in some cases, wasn't true for me. I led an extremely sheltered childhood. My mom was often there to help me and I never had extreme hardship. Sure, I was left to do my homework on my own, but in many cases I had my parents to turn to. However, my resilience wasn't due to independence, but due to stubbornness, and persistence. I just wouldn't give up. I am a perfectionist, and always like to get the job done. One of my challenges during this project however, is to build my defenses against wasting time on minor errors, like a crooked stitch. During this project, I'm learning how NOT to be such a perfectionist, and to let go a little by saying, "it's okay if it doesn't get done," or in other words, becoming less persistent. Why? Because then I would never get anything done! I find myself set back by my perfectionism, so I need to constantly remind myself that I'm only doing this to LEARN, not create just a dress!
Also, no one reviewed my journal :(
I did a review on paper since I wasn't able to access a computer over break, so mine will be posted soon, but I wish someone from class had read mine. I guess it's difficult since mine is kept private. Maybe I should open it up, but it's so personal, I'm glad it's not public.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Mentor Meeting 4/27
I missed my Tuesday mentor meeting due to my flight being canceled. I had to travel for 36 hours straight from Europe. It was evil.
So on Wednesday, we had a very short mentor meeting. I had just been scared witless by my french teacher, who had threatened to not allow me to take my final, and Ms Lasher was very good at cheering me up and helping me calm down. I felt bad for occupying her time talking about something unrelated to WISE, but I really needed to talk to someone about it.
Thankfully she got us back on topic, by asking about the dress... It of course didn't get finished, but it's supposed to be finished during the next session, so keep your fingers crossed!
We also talked about going fabric shopping. Ms. Lasher seemed excited about it, and I asked again if she was okay with going. She said of course, and I'm so grateful that she's offering her time to come with. She said we could go after school sometime. Yay!!
Then we were done, and I walked off to my doomed French final...
So on Wednesday, we had a very short mentor meeting. I had just been scared witless by my french teacher, who had threatened to not allow me to take my final, and Ms Lasher was very good at cheering me up and helping me calm down. I felt bad for occupying her time talking about something unrelated to WISE, but I really needed to talk to someone about it.
Thankfully she got us back on topic, by asking about the dress... It of course didn't get finished, but it's supposed to be finished during the next session, so keep your fingers crossed!
We also talked about going fabric shopping. Ms. Lasher seemed excited about it, and I asked again if she was okay with going. She said of course, and I'm so grateful that she's offering her time to come with. She said we could go after school sometime. Yay!!
Then we were done, and I walked off to my doomed French final...
Friday, April 15, 2011
All Caught Up!!
Yay!!!! I'm all caught up and have posted everything. Please read them, since they are in the order of the day they happened, not the day I wrote them.
All I have left is the Partner Read and the Lists...
All I have left is the Partner Read and the Lists...
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Sew Green 4/14
All righty! I've gotten a move on!
So I started out by showing Autumn my sketches based on the cloth I had gotten last time. I had done a Chinese-style turtleneck (which will be posted soon), which I actually really like. She thought it would be really cool and really easy to make, which was a confidence booster. I have all the materials for it as well (including the buttons!), so that makes it even better! I wasn't able to design anything for the blue cloth, and was going to give up, when I remembered I had had the idea of using it for my blue jay skirt. We had a short brainstorm, and then Autumn came up with the awesome idea of using different colored blue denim pieces for the skirt. It would look fabulous! I was really excited. So Autumn has some old jean fabric in her studio, and I have brought in an old pair of jeans that will be cut for their pattern, and then also used for the skirt. Turns out my project will be pretty green after all!
We then moved on to my dress. I pinned the sides of the dress for the side seams and marked them. I also marked the pins for the draping of the cowl, and then sewed the cloth along the pins. I found out that I really like the green sewing machine. It is quiet and smooth, and runs like an angel. I think I'll try and use it from now on. I like it better than my own machine! And also, today I was able to sew perfectly straight lines!Unfortunately the two sides did not come out even. I ended up sewing the seam again instead of ripping it, since it was a pretty tight seam, and then gave up when it was still uneven. One couldn't really tell, and I'm not in a fancy design school. It probably won't even show in the end.
I then learned sewed the hem of the back of the dress. This was hard. One had to roll it over twice, and roll it while you sewed it on a very thin hem. Autumn cut little slits to make it stay rolled, but then the slits got caught when I was sewing it. We ended up taking out the whole seam (Autumn actually took out most of it, saying that she was partially responsable, and though she wasn't, she's way faster at taking out seams than I am, so I ceded responsability), cutting the extra seam allowance (there was too much), and then after she started the first part (so that it stayed down), it was a lot easier to sew, and it ended up looking really professional! We then sewed the front and back sleaves together, and I tried it on like a smock. It was so cool! Next time we are definately finishing it!
I ran into Wendy towards the end. Thankfully, she barely remembered my name. She commented on how my progress was very slow, and I said that it was still awesome that I had almost completed my first dress. She misheard it as awful, but I made it clear that that was the opposite of what I had said.
So I started out by showing Autumn my sketches based on the cloth I had gotten last time. I had done a Chinese-style turtleneck (which will be posted soon), which I actually really like. She thought it would be really cool and really easy to make, which was a confidence booster. I have all the materials for it as well (including the buttons!), so that makes it even better! I wasn't able to design anything for the blue cloth, and was going to give up, when I remembered I had had the idea of using it for my blue jay skirt. We had a short brainstorm, and then Autumn came up with the awesome idea of using different colored blue denim pieces for the skirt. It would look fabulous! I was really excited. So Autumn has some old jean fabric in her studio, and I have brought in an old pair of jeans that will be cut for their pattern, and then also used for the skirt. Turns out my project will be pretty green after all!
We then moved on to my dress. I pinned the sides of the dress for the side seams and marked them. I also marked the pins for the draping of the cowl, and then sewed the cloth along the pins. I found out that I really like the green sewing machine. It is quiet and smooth, and runs like an angel. I think I'll try and use it from now on. I like it better than my own machine! And also, today I was able to sew perfectly straight lines!Unfortunately the two sides did not come out even. I ended up sewing the seam again instead of ripping it, since it was a pretty tight seam, and then gave up when it was still uneven. One couldn't really tell, and I'm not in a fancy design school. It probably won't even show in the end.
I then learned sewed the hem of the back of the dress. This was hard. One had to roll it over twice, and roll it while you sewed it on a very thin hem. Autumn cut little slits to make it stay rolled, but then the slits got caught when I was sewing it. We ended up taking out the whole seam (Autumn actually took out most of it, saying that she was partially responsable, and though she wasn't, she's way faster at taking out seams than I am, so I ceded responsability), cutting the extra seam allowance (there was too much), and then after she started the first part (so that it stayed down), it was a lot easier to sew, and it ended up looking really professional! We then sewed the front and back sleaves together, and I tried it on like a smock. It was so cool! Next time we are definately finishing it!
I ran into Wendy towards the end. Thankfully, she barely remembered my name. She commented on how my progress was very slow, and I said that it was still awesome that I had almost completed my first dress. She misheard it as awful, but I made it clear that that was the opposite of what I had said.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Chinese Shirt Flatsketch
This is my flatsketch for my Chinese Shirt. It's not very complex, so I didn't add too much detail, since I couldn't think of anything else to add...
In Class 4/12
We were in the library today with the laptops. Unfortunately mine did not work, so I ended up in the computer lab, and I'm afraid Jordan succeeded in totally distracting me. However, since his project sounds very interesting, and I have no idea about what he's up to, I decided that I would do his journal for my Partner Read. We were assigned this today, and it is where we read another person's journal, and then evaluate it. I'm a little nervous about my own evaluation.
I also got the research from the research swap thing that we did. Chezna picked her favorite designer, Zac Posen, and talked about why she liked his work. It's really sparked my interest in finding out who he is, and what his designs are like. Unfortuantely his style isn't quite something I appreciate as much as others, however I found a really cool dress of his, and I really respect his boldness with color. I've put my favorite below, but there was another set that I really liked which had a virus or something on it, so I wasn't able to access it (and got out as fast as possible!!)
I also got the research from the research swap thing that we did. Chezna picked her favorite designer, Zac Posen, and talked about why she liked his work. It's really sparked my interest in finding out who he is, and what his designs are like. Unfortuantely his style isn't quite something I appreciate as much as others, however I found a really cool dress of his, and I really respect his boldness with color. I've put my favorite below, but there was another set that I really liked which had a virus or something on it, so I wasn't able to access it (and got out as fast as possible!!)
 |
| This is the one I like the most. I'm not quite sure about the sparkly stuff on the front (it sort of looks like a Christmas decoration) but I love the flow of the dress. http://inspireandcharm.blogspot.com/2011/02/dream-valentines-day-dresses.html |
 |
| This was a red carpet gown for Beyonce. I'm not sure if it's something I appreciate (even though my own prom dress is mermaid-style! haha!) |
Mentor Meeting 4/12
Today Ms. Lasher and I once again talked about my last Sew-Green session. I told her about the t-shirt refashioning, and then how I had chalked, cut, and pinned my dress, and was ready to sew during the next session! I once again was saying how the dress woudl be finished by the next session, but it seems as though I've been saying that a lot, and it hasn't been happening. Oh well, we'll see. It will be finished when it's ready.
I also told her about how Autumn's been really worried about my project, and how I've decided that this project is not only going to test my skills, learning ability, and time management, but my perfectionism and patience. I'm going to have to try and be less of a perfectionist, because otherwise it will drive myself and others crazy. I just need to try my best, and know that I'm a complete amature, so I shouldn't be worried about perfection, but learning the skill. Thankfully, due to Autumn's expression of concern, I was able to reassure her, and thus myself, that it actually didn't matter how far I got with my project, just as long as I learn and have fun. I've definately convinced myself that my work will NOT be perfect, but it will be a great experience, lots of fun, and still look good.
The concern of cloth was discussed once again. Since I had been able to look through the cloth bins, I was able to sketch something to go with the orange fabric. It's Chinese-inspired, and I really like it! The blue cloth is still being difficult to decide, but perhaps I can use it for a dress of some sort.
Ms Lasher was also really nice in that she said she would be okay with going with me to go cloth shopping. I thought it would be really fun to have her along, and she could give me her opinion on the cloth. The plan is to go buy cloth the week after break, though this may be difficult since my parents will be out of town.
I also told her about how Autumn's been really worried about my project, and how I've decided that this project is not only going to test my skills, learning ability, and time management, but my perfectionism and patience. I'm going to have to try and be less of a perfectionist, because otherwise it will drive myself and others crazy. I just need to try my best, and know that I'm a complete amature, so I shouldn't be worried about perfection, but learning the skill. Thankfully, due to Autumn's expression of concern, I was able to reassure her, and thus myself, that it actually didn't matter how far I got with my project, just as long as I learn and have fun. I've definately convinced myself that my work will NOT be perfect, but it will be a great experience, lots of fun, and still look good.
The concern of cloth was discussed once again. Since I had been able to look through the cloth bins, I was able to sketch something to go with the orange fabric. It's Chinese-inspired, and I really like it! The blue cloth is still being difficult to decide, but perhaps I can use it for a dress of some sort.
Ms Lasher was also really nice in that she said she would be okay with going with me to go cloth shopping. I thought it would be really fun to have her along, and she could give me her opinion on the cloth. The plan is to go buy cloth the week after break, though this may be difficult since my parents will be out of town.
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