NORWIN SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS
NORWIN SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS
INSIDE THE CLASSROOM : FASHION STRATEGIES
Felt , thread , stitching , and sewing : throughout October and November , Fashion Strategy & Design I students utilize these tools and strategies as they design and create their very own line of novelty items . The project gives students a hands-on experience with hand-stitching and designing as they work to create a collection of three different yet cohesive items . Earlier in the year , before starting the project , Mrs . Greene taught the class the principles and elements of design such as line , color , and shape . Students were then asked to use these components in technical sketches of their design .
“ Students have designed anything from small pillows , to t-shirt designs , socks , and novelty items ,” said Greene . The technical sketches , which students were given creative freedom with , were required to be to-scale and no bigger than 6 " x 6 " and had to include three different types of hand stitches that they planned to use .
Once students had their technical designs for all three pieces of their line completed , they then had to pick out their materials : felt , thread , and buttons or lace ( if needed ). After careful instruction from Mrs . Greene , students then cut out the pieces of felt needed for their designs using different tools such as a rotary cutter which they had also learned about in the weeks prior .
For many students , this was their first time using any of these tools . The last thing that students had to learn before sewing their projects was how to do different hand stitches . Mrs . Greene taught the class how to successfully thread a needle and begin the stitches on a piece of paper . Students learned basic stitches such as the back stitch , running stitch , stem stitch , and blanket stitch .
“ I personally really liked the sewing ,” said freshman Jade Peters . “ I find it relaxing .”
Article written by : Quintin Maizer
While learning these stitches was important for students in order to complete their projects , it ’ s also an important life skill that students can use outside the classroom , too . “ Hand sewing can be used to repair and up-cycle clothing to extend the life of one ’ s wardrobe ,” said Mrs . Greene . She also added that hand sewing could be used for embroidery as well . “ This project shows the amount of time and work that goes into a design line while “ unplugging ” and being creative .”
Having learned the basic stitches , students were ready to begin sewing together their novelty line and apply all the knowledge and skills that they had learned so far this semester . Since this was many students ’ first time sewing in the class , there were certain aspects that were challenging for them .
The most challenging part was “ learning the different stitches ,” said junior Kaylee Harrity . Other students in the class who had more experience with sewing and crafts still found that they could learn something from the project .
“[ The project ] taught me valuable life skills ,” said Jade Peters , echoing Mrs . Greene ’ s earlier sentiment about applying the techniques and strategies learned in class to students ’ lives outside school .
In addition to acquiring new skills and knowledge , students also said that they enjoyed how fun the project was and how they had the freedom to choose their own design for their novelty line “[ I chose my design ] because strawberries are cute ,” said Peters . The “ cohesive factor ” of her line , as required by the project rubric , is that all three of her novelty items are strawberries . Other students in the class made lines that consisted of things like hearts , animals , pumpkins , and flowers . Students will continue to work on their novelty line throughout the rest of the semester . orwin
NORWIN SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS
NORWIN | WINTER 2024 27