Intermediate sewing paper

My Projects and Experience during Intermediate Sewing

Intermediate Sewing

12/09/14

1st Project, A bag for my art supplies

This project was fairly successful. The bag I sewed works well for its purpose, and doesn't look half bad. As I've used it during this semester, I have noticed a few flaws, and things I would do differently if I were to sew another one; I've found that the pocket is a bit small to be particularly versatile, though it works well for its intended purpose (holding my drawing supplies kit.) The shoulder straps should have been reinforced, and the one on the outside of my shoulder always slides off while I'm walking. Though this project (being more of a prototype than a perfectly working final piece) has its flaws, it has passed the test of this semester quite nicely.

2nd Project, A dress sewn from a pattern

I learned a ton during this project. This project was the first time I've ever sewn from a store-bought pattern. The part that intimidated me the most was cutting all of the dress pieces out; I thought that was the step I was most likely to mess up on. You can always sew something a little smaller, but you can never sew it bigger. Cutting the pieces out was also a challenge because I chose a patterned fabric; I had to cut all of the pieces out so the pattern would match up when the dress was sewn. The result of this project is a dress I enjoy wearing, and I am proud to have sewn.

3rd Project, A quilt sewn from my dyed Shibori squares

I've never sewn a full size quilt before. I realized why that was the case particularly while tying this quilt. I've sewn two small quilts previously, but the experience wasn’t the same as this one; I've never used bias tape before. I was glad to learn how to cut and sew it during this project. In retrospect, I would have more carefully measurde and cut the outside frame of yellow fabric; I came up short on all four corners, and I had to sew on extra pieces to extend the edges. I plan on entering the quilt as an art piece in Snow College's spring student show. I am very happy with how my quilt turned out, and I am glad I had this class as motivation for undertaking and completing this project.

4th Project, A skills book

With this project, I was able to put names to skills I already knew, and I learned a great many useful sewing techniques. I was intimidated by this project at first glance; twenty sewing skills examples seemed like an impossible number to me, but it’s turned out to be a fairly manageable number. This book was a good finishing sewing project just like I hoped it would be; it didn't involve an exorbitant amount of planning or materials, and all of the elements to the project came together smoothly.

Service Projects

My first service project was a child’s dress. I had a lot of trouble with this project, I had to unpick the waist several times, and I sewed the facing to the outside of the dress wrong twice. It was worth it in the end, though; I was very happy with the resulting dress. I even spent a little extra time embroidering the collar to decorate it. I felt good about sending the dress to the service center in Manti.

My second service project was a self-binding felt baby blanket. I enjoyed learning this simple and fast technique for binding, and even tried using it again on another project for sewing hours.

I'm afraid I did not manage the time on my last two projects very well, I ran late with the one, and I ended up being really busy the week I planned on finishing up the last. Overall, I am pleased with the results of all of my projects, I made four things I am confident I will use and enjoy for years to come. I was also grateful for the opportunity to learn skills while making projects for the sole purpose of sending them to the service center.

I plan on using these skills in the years to come, and I hope to continue learning the practical and beautiful art of sewing.