Category Archives: Costume and Fashion

Not just recycle – UPcycle

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Sad to say the clothing/fashion industry is not very sustainable – and for years it has been thought to be the second largest contributor to pollution after oil. And while it may not hold second place  (see NY Time article) clothing and fashion still has a ways to go in cleaning up their act.

That is why I was excited to see an UpCycle challenge on Project Runway. I have to admit that Project Runway is the only reality TV competition that I routinely watch – usually on mute. I like to see how the designers approach challenges and I (like many of you) am always on the lookout for how I can meld my classroom lessons with the real world.

That is why this week’s hands on project in Period 3 Costume and Fashion Design is to create a new outfit from the pile of clothes I bought at Goodwill. Each student needs to use at least 2 articles of clothing and re-work them into at least 1 new garment.

To help them get started I shared about a costume we re-made in Company last spring for Pygmalion. We had an odd pair of wide legged pants (which 3 people could fit into), but the fabric pattern was fantastic. I suggested we make a coat out of it for one of the characters. So, Emily Walsh and Maggie Heiskell cut and ripped apart the seams and then Emily laid out the pieces and using the measurements of the actor we cut and sewed a coat.

I am excited to see what my students come up with – several of them jumped right into it,

Alexa and Christina cut and measure 2 men’s t-shirt that they will rework into shorts, mini-skirt and new tops.
Isabelle draped a scarf on a dress form to make a blouse and is cutting away the excess.
while a couple others needed more time to consider what it is they wanted to create and how they should go about doing it.

Ruth, Allie, Malia and Stella look online for inspiration from online fashion sites and Pintrest.

Day 2 of Projects. . .More students actively cutting up their clothes.
Stella even had her mom go with her to Goodwill to pick up new items as she had decided to change her project from Wednesday. She show up on Friday with a purple skirt, a pair of jeans and a picture of a halter dress that is her inspiration. Several of the girls at her table plan to transforms jeans into a skirt or dress and we talked a lot about where/what to cut and how the shape of the jeans would help us decide where we cut.

One student got the whole table to laugh when, after asking my advice on how she should cut sher jeans she remarked “Wow, you really know what you’re doing.” I was impressed when Bridget, who hasn’t fully engaged in the class, came to see me on Monday (the day we closed campus) to ask to take her project home so she could work on it. This is not required as most girls don’t have access to equipment so I paused this project and we switch to a unit on Fashion History.

In an interest survey given to the class I already know that most of my students want to do hands on projects over slide presentations, reading, research or writing. I am hopeful that I can keep them engages as we transition to Online Learning during March.

Here are the pics from Day 2:

These Seniors are fully engaged trying to figure out how to deconstruct their clothing items.

Bridget surprised me on Monday asking to take her project home so she would work on it while campus was closed.

I like having several students at the machines at one time. They can help each other out with questions, since I can’t be everywhere at once.

Christina is trying to figure out how to do a half shirt, half halter on the dressform.

Voice, Choice, and Ownership in PBL

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Have you considered doing more project-based learning in your classroom but have concerns
about planning projects properly, using class time wisely, and teaching standards effectively?
With these concerns in mind, Michelle Koski and I attended a PBL Design Camp at High Tech High
in San Diego, and here are some highlights of what we learned:

  1. Planning projects can be time-consuming but is doable and worth it.
  2. Yes, you can have traditional standards-based teaching with PBL, and you should!
  3. There is no “right” way to begin or plan a project.
  4. Ask students for their feedback, not just after the project but before and during the project as well.
  5. Students are PROUD of their work (not their grade).
Voice, Choice and Ownership in PBL! So, how does that happen?
At High Tech High’s PBL Design Camp, middle and high school educators from all over the country came together, each with the spark of an idea for a project. By working with their school partners and hearing critique from other camp participants, they were able to develop a project that suited the needs of their students and their teachers. 
Michelle and I are two such participants who have benefitted from the PBL design process. The idea for our cross-curricular project came while discussing two independent projects we do for our students. My Dystopian Fiction students write dystopian scenes that focus on world building, character development and action sequences. Michelle’s Costume and Fashion Design students create costumes for plays based on fashion trends. For our project, we have decided to combine the two and have Michelle’s students design costumes for my students’ writing. My writer’s will pitch their story ideas to her designers who will choose a partner to work with. The partners will meet regularly during the design phase of the costumes to work on revisions of both the writing and the costumes. 
We plan to conduct this project during fourth quarter. Here is what we hope to gain in terms of learning outcomes:
  • Both classes will learn the process of critique and revision
  • As writers, Dystopian Fiction students will learn to clearly communicate their vision with sensory imagery and vivid language.
  • As designers, Costume and Fashion Design students will learn to collaborate and communicate with a “client” in order to create a product that reflects more than the artist’s vision.

Stay tuned for the results of our project…