Fifth Lesson: Evaluation

What are you most satisfied with?

The strap of the bag as the stitches there were quite neat. The strap also turned out much harder and sturdier than I expected. I was able to hold quite a few heavy items without giving way.

What did not work out?

I wanted side pockets for my bag however, due to time constrains, I was not able to add them in. Also, I had to change my original plan as I wanted a buckle on the flap to close my bag, but that did not work out, thus I had to use velcro instead.

What could have been done better and what possible changes could have been made?

I glued on the buttons using super glue instead of sowing them on. There were too many buttons and it would have taken way too long to sow them all on. It would have been much better to sow them on though, as the buttons would not fall off so easily. Also, the stitches could have been neater. Most of my stitches were done on the inside of the bag so no one could really see the messy stitches. However, I feel that I could have done a better job at machining the bag.

Did you meet the task requirement?

Yes, I have met the task requirement. My bag is able to hold a few containers and towels and still has space left in it. The bag is also sturdy and does not fall apart when heavy things are placed inside.

One thing you have learnt from this course?

For the sowing part, I definitely learnt a lot. I learnt how to set up a sowing machine, test if the machine works, then sow. I also learnt how to use the different functions of the sowing machine.

For the production part, I learnt that it is really important to come up with a prototype before you start making the actual bag. I realised many of my mistakes while making the prototype. I also learnt that your plans would change during the process of making the bag. I had to be flexible and not stick to my original sketch that I made.

Lesson 4: Production

We finally started making the bag!

First, I measured and cut out the pieces needed for my bag. I cut out one long strip of the black fabric measuring 105cm by 10cm for the sides and the base of my bag measuring 107cm by 12cm. I cut out 2 extra cm on each side as extra as allowance for stitches. Next, I cute out the front and bag of my bag using the white fabric. For the front, I cut out a piece of fabric measuring 42cm by 27cm. I also cut out two extra cm on each side of the front fabric of the bag to allow space for mistakes and allowance for the stitches. I then cut out the back of the bag. I cut out the back of the bag and the flap together. I cut out a piece of fabric measuring 62cm by 52cm. From there, I cut the area which was meant for the flap to make it form a curve shape. I also gave a few extra cm for allowance for the stitches. After cutting out all the pieces I need for the bag except the strap, I ironed on a backing to make the material of the bag stiffer and firmer. I then began pinning up the pieces together.


First,  I pinned on the front and back of the bag to the sides of the bag about 1cm away from the edge of the fabrics on the side of the bag that was not decorated. Then I pinned the edges of the flap inwards. After pinning on the pins, I started machining. I used white threads to match with the patterned white fabric and black threads to match the black patterned fabrics. After sowing on the sides, base, front and back of the bag, I was almost done!





I just had to sow on the straps. I decided to use black fabrics as the straps to contrast the white fabric used for the back of the bag. I cut out 2 long strip of black fabric measuring 10cm by 40cm. I then folded  both the pieces of fabric into half and used the sowing machine to sow up the edges. This resulted in two fabrics to be used as the strap measuring 5cm by 40cm each. After making the straps, I sowed on both the straps onto my bag. My bag is then finally done! 







The next part was to sow on the decorative materials. I did not plan on adding many decorative materials. However, my bag looked quite plain so I had to add on decorative materials. Here is an image of my bag without the decorative materials.

I added a ribbon on the flap of the bag and I added colourful buttons around the front of my bag to brighten up my bag. I also added on velcro to the part where the original plan was to add a buckle. I added velro instead as the buckle I had was too heavy and would have pulled down the whole flap. Below are some pictures of the final product:

Lesson 3: Decision making

I chose these two materials for my bag. I found the black fabric at home and I bought the white fabric from Spotlight. I resorted to buying the white fabric as I could not find any recycled fabrics at home that was big enough for a bag as we gave away most of our unwanted clothes and bedsheets ect. I feel that these two fabrics go very well together as they are both around the theme "Black and White". The fabrics are also firm and not too flimsy and can hold items well. 

After making the prototype for this design, I realised that it would take a reasonable amount of time and effort to produce the bag. I just needed to make some adjustments in the size of the bag. I decided on the following dimensions for the bag:

Length- 40cm

Width- 25cm

Sides width- 10cm

Base width- 10cm

Length-25cm

Flap- 20cm by 25cm

Second Sewing Lesson: Ideation and Prototyping

        Second Sewing Lesson: Ideation

On the second lesson, we started sketching possible ideas. I considered the practicality, size, shape, design and material of the bag before sketching out my ideas. Below are my sketched out ideas:

I decided on this idea in the end.

The first design would have been made from an old pair of denim shorts with some lacy designs. I would also add a hot pink ribbon as it would have stood out from the denim shorts. I also wanted side pockets to keep bottles. However, I did not choose that as I thought it would have been quite hard to sow on jeans material.

The second design would have been a bag shaped like a pinafore. I would have used my Primary 1 uniform to make it. I decided not to use that idea as it would have taken a lot of time to sow it.

The third design would have been a square shaped bag. It would have been made to look like the Instagram app. I did not choose that design as I figured it would be hard to create something similar to the camera lens on the instagram app.

The fourth design would have been made out of a skirt. However, I did not own any skirts that would be of suitable material and design for a bag.

I finally decided on the fifth design. I chose to use some spare designed fabrics we had at home. The material of the fabrics were firm but still quite easy to sow onto. Also, I added a backing to the fabric to make it harder and firmer. The design of the material is interesting and cool for a bag, thus I decided to use it. i also liked the shape of the bag as I prefer bag packs compared to sling bags. I decided to use a shiny buckle to close the bag, however I changed my mind throughout the process of creating the bag. 

 Here is the prototype made out of newspaper. The dimensions are below:

Width: 25cm

Length: 30cm

Side width: 18cm

Side length: 30cm

Base width: 15cm

Base length: 25cm

Flap: 10cm by 25cm

I felt that the sides of the bag were too big. This made the bag look fat and bulky. The flap was also too short and it could not close and cover the bag properly. I needed to make the flap longer and the width of the side and the base of the bag to make it less bulky.