Sewing Project 3 - Cynthia Rowley Dress

So, here we are again. Another school holiday, so another sewing project. I wish I had more time for projects outside of the school holidays but what with studies, a new job and a wedding to plan, I just can't find the time. I can, however, always find the time for buying patterns and fabric, then I find more time for longing I had the time for making things.

Anyway, I bought this pattern awhile ago. So, after thinking about the honeymoon and needing a new summer wardrobe but being to skint to do anything about it, the pattern came out.

The pattern (for the dress in the main image) was quite loose and and had sleeves and though, initially, I liked the idea of this, when I had cut the pattern and had pinned it to my dress form, I started to want something more fitted. As I cut the pattern for Size 14 (I'm still not too great at measuring myself), I had excess material so just kept stretching and pinning. 

 

The back was way more striking, I loved the V-shape it created when stretched more than the pattern wanted. 

I had enough excess material from the back facing to pull over the shoulders making a sleeve as I didn't want to use the sleeves I had cut from the pattern. 

 It had looked a little boring  from the front, so I added the fabric I cut for the front facing to the create a ruffled collar type thing (it also served to hide really terrible stitching!). 

The dress benefits from a few accessories.

 I'm proud of the dress for a few reasons:

a) It was my first time attempting a pattern that had more than two parts (this one had fifteen though I think I used eight pieces).

b) It was also the first time I have sewn pockets.

c) I use pattern and adapted it. 

I love the print and think it is a perfect summer dress!

Sewing Project 2 - 'One-Hour' Sneaker dress

Second project is finished!! Yay! What a palava this one was. This time I downloaded a pattern called the 'One-Hour Dress'. It certainly did not take me one hour!

Making the pattern and cutting the fabric was easy enough and I was very proud of myself for doing so. The website has a downloadable PDF that basically walks you through it all.  I'm new to this and I found it reasonably straightforward.

I need a lot of space when I'm creating as you can see.

However, after sewing the front and back panel together, the foot pedal of my sewing machine exploded! Well, slight exaggeration, as I inspected my stitches, the sewing machine started moving without my foot on the foot pedal, I heard a fizzing sound and smoke started flowing out of the pedal! After turning it off my the mains, I turned to P (I'd like to say calmly but was actually quite frantic as I thought the machine was broken forever) who took apart the pedal and found this:

So, it turned out the capacitor had blown. Not wanting to risk, I reluctantly gave up for the night. 

The next day, P and I went to a replacement electrics shop, got a replacement capacitor for £2.50. Much cheaper than a new sewing machine! P replaced it for me. 

So, I was back to sewing!

Here's the finished project from the back:

I'm so lucky that you can't see some of the stitches, I have to remember that I am still a beginner and it's not going to be perfect. 

I like the length - not too long and not too short. Though, if I was doing this again, I'd definitely add pockets. 

I found gathering the sleeve really difficult and ended up cheating by adding elastic. Shh, I don't think you can tell. 

All in all, I am pretty darn happy with myself for this project and can't wait to move on to the next. Practice makes perfect. 

What do you think?

Sewing Project 1 - Stripy Maxi Skirt

So, I finally got my sewing machine out and I haven't even blogged about it. I'm annoyed with myself as I completed this at the end of May!

I am incredibly proud of myself; getting in contact with +Jennie Caminada, going fabric-buying crazy and finally, producing a finished garment.

Jennie came over for a lesson, teaching me how to become independent with my machine.

I have created a Craftsy profile  , bought a few classes and gotten going from there. 

My first project from the Sewing with Knits class led me to make my very own maxi skirt! The class itself is a bit monotonous but the patterns are great and easy to use. I bought my fabric from Saeed Fabrics in Walthamstow for £2 a metre.

The finished result is definite source of pride considering this is the first real thing I have ever made. 

The skirt has had a great response on Craftsy and Google+ sewing community, which has given me enough confidence to keep going with my new-found skill.  I have gone a bit mad with fabric at Saeed Fabrics (I'll post my evidence soon) and am really excited about the end of term to spend more time sewing. 

What do you think? 

Day 43 of Today

'Love not tea'. I can't help but agree. 

Metamorphosis: Descent in to madness

I began this piece when I was at a low ebb in my life and didn't know what path to take in my career and personal development. It has been quite cathartic to carry out as it needed me to painstakingly add string to the figures and draw lines between them. It required patience and focus, which is what I needed in life at the time. I finished it yesterday at a time where I think I have a plan for my paths in career and personal life. I am usually the type of person who knows in her gut what her next steps are and what direction I should take. It was disconcerting, which is what I think this piece represents. 

Day 42 of Today

I have been inspired by The Great British Sewing Bee. Got my 50 year old Singer serviced. Now to get sewing!

Not smoking: A collaborative effort

Five days ago, I quit smoking. It is one part of my step towards better personal development as I have realised that I am doing a lot of talking about the things I want to do and not a lot of actually doing.

On my first day of being a non-smoker, I posted this on my Google+ profile  publicly and was amazed at the level of support I was offered by complete strangers. In particular, the support from +Ian Russell and +Mark Wray, who have been posting daily encouraging messages, has been pretty mind-blowing. I believe their support has been part of the reason it has been a lot easier for me to give up this time. I have smoked daily for about 11 years and have tried giving up about four times. The longest I have managed prior to this is four months.

Yesterday, +Ian Russell asked me what was it that made me start up again the other times and this got me thinking. It is an important question as knowing the answer will mean that I am able to avoid that factor this time. However, I couldn't answer it. I couldn't remember what it was that sent me off the edge. One thing I have recognised though, is that this is the first time I have given up and felt this committed and dedicated to never giving up again.

There are many reasons that I don't want to smoke anymore: I'm nearing my thirties, soon I'll be thinking about having children, my health, financial reasons; the list goes on but primarily, I just don't want it to be part of my life anymore.

I have managed to get through through these five days without relying on any substitutes. Whenever I have a craving, I think about what I feel after submitting to a craving. I know I would be annoyed and frustrated at having to start at Day 1 again. Also, importantly, I know I would be ashamed at having to tell friends, my fiance and all the other people who have been supporting me that I have set myself back.

I was initially annoyed with myself for having even started smoking in the first couple of days of giving up but I am now starting to be grateful for the journey that it is setting me on. I am proud that I've gotten this far. Every time I ignore a craving and distract myself with something, I mentally give myself a bonus point. I am seeing this as a competition between Mel the Smoker and Mel the Non-Smoker. I am rooting for Mel the Non-Smoker and I know that I'm not the only one.

P.S Thanks to all the Google Plussers who have been so lovely to me especially +Mark Wray and +Ian Russell

Day 41 of Today

Today was an adventure. 

Studio Project

After becoming severely addicted to Pinterest (evidenced here in my Pinterest profile), I have gathered enough creative projects to keep me busy for the next millennium. 

However, something has held me back. We moved in to our house a year ago on Monday 13th and have had so many house projects, redecoration and overhauls to focus on. Now we have reached a stage where we have completed most of the  biggest projects, I am desperate to be creative again.

So starts my next creative project, overhauling what will be our creative studio! P will use it to build computers and maintain servers etc. I will use it to paint, sew and craft. 

View from the doorway:

As you can see, one of the first things we will need to do is get some flooring!

View from the window:

We have a sofa bed in here as we use it as a bedroom when we have visitors.

A view from the sofa bed:

We definitely want to get rid of these pieces of furniture but we don't know what to replace them with. As you can see, we have a lot of stuff and will need to store it somewhere!

So project is in progress now, I'll keep you posted!

Day 40 of Today

I love the feeling of having him by my side... every step of the way. 

Day 39 of Today

Assessment week: Loved not by teachers, nor pupils.

Day 38 of Today

Second sketch for commission.

Day 37 of Today

I was asked by a friend of my mum's to paint him a 'strong black woman with an expression of pain yet ultimately victory'. This is a practice sketch of me gibving that a go... Hmm...

Day 36 of Today

Sunrise between St James' Street and Clapton stations.

Day 35 of Today

 

A dog followed me to the train station today...

Day 34 of Today

Today has been a bit up and down...

Day 33 of Today

Autumn falls...

It starts...

Well, it has officially started...

I am finally studying for a Masters in Education with The Open University. It has been an interesting experience waiting for this day to come. It has been made more interesting by the build up and panic created by other people.

When I told people that I was about to start, their reactions were mainly that I was insane or that I was taking on too much. People were incredulous that I could take on this while teaching full-time. For me, I need to be continually assessing and reflecting on my practice and this study will allow me to do that. My source of support will mainly be coming from my partner, who, like me,  believes that if I have a thirst for knowledge I should quench it.

Looking to my next point of call for support, I went to the OU forum and was greeted with what felt like hysteria.  It felt like a virtual room of anxiety. People worrying about course notes, use of technology and the assignment that is more than a month away!

I questioned why with all that I am currently doing at school:

-I've launched a school newspaper with the year 4, 5 and 6s
-I am conducting a Young Reader's Programme with the Year 4s and The Literacy Trust
-and I have just been made music coordinator

We also have a brand new Head at the school, who I am trying to impress and present professionally too. All this, and we have just bought and moved house!


However, today I sat and spent five hours reading and blogging. I loved it! I felt at peace and I did it all at my pace, though have still manged to be ahead of the study planner. I think I may enjoy isolating myself despite the shift distance learning institutions are making towards interaction and socializing. Maybe I can ease myself into it.

My main action point for myself is to start thinking more critically about what is I am reading.but I am actually enjoying the academia again. Whoop whoop!

Day 32 of Today

First full day of MEd study was empowering.

Educational Research - A Single Concept?

Bassey is hugely critical of Lord Skidelsky's assumption that educational research is a single concept that can only be studied by a group of researchers who work externally to the field they are studying. The study of 'educational research' as plural concept enables a transient phase of understanding. I, too, am critical of the assertion that Skidelsky has 'stud[ied] professionally much of the research that has taken place' informing his decisions to move all research to the TDA. This ignores the ability to cover research questions that may be difficult to bring in to the public light. He believes that educational research should be its on subset of a larger group of research disciplines; that it should have a close link to practice and aim to improve educational action via informing educational judgements and decisions, thereby illustrating the functional purpose of research. The outcomes should come by way of improvements in learning. 

This is contrasted with the other discipline-based research, which Bassey makes distinct. He states the psychological, sociological, philosophical, historical and economic research are research on education by stating that these are focussed on examining specific phenomena involved in educational processes and their settings. I disagree with this, as I believe that all these disciplines are education and education is part of them; to make them completely distinct means we will always be infringing on one discipline or another. For example, when we study 'peer pressure and it's effects on learning', we are looking through a social discipline, when we question the practice of teaching maths in the classroom, we must look at previous history of mathematics teaching.

When amalgamating all teachers within the box of only being able to offer 'personal theories' using David Tripp (1993)'s statement 'most academic educational knowledge is of very little use to teachers and that teachers' knowledge and understanding of their practice is seriously under-represented and discounted in the university discipline of education.' to support this, I feel confusion and anger. What is the point of me undertaking this Masters study if all I need is teaching practice, practical experience? Is this all a narcissistic and futile activity? 

Even Dylan Wiliam (cited in Lipsett, 2008), deputy director of the Institute of Education states the Masters study needed to have a practical focus, so teachers could see how to use what they learn in their classrooms.

"Research shows that current masters degrees do not appear to make people better teachers and there is no relationship between those that hold them and children progressing any quicker," he said.

"The masters needs to be practical and focused on making people the best teachers and not filling their heads full of educational theory."

So now we have William stating that teachers need not to be filled with 'educational theory' and Bassey claiming that by being led by professional discourse and everyday experiences, teachers can only offer 'personal theory'. Surely having both personal and educational theory makes can aid in strengthening the competency of  teachers. I agree with Bassey in the sense that purely 'personal theory' cannot fully inform educational action yet, like William I believe that those whose heads are filled with 'educational theory' do not a better teacher make.

My experiences and professional discourse with colleagues form the predominant understanding of my teaching practice, however, the training and reading I have obtained and will obtain from this study allow me to be reflective about what it is actually easy I am understanding. It allows me to place my understanding within the stratosphere of other teachers and staff within the educational field.

This is why I am undertaking the MEd. It will allow me to input all my sources of knowledge into my practice.

References 

Bassey, M. (2007) ‘On the kinds of research in educational settings’ in Hammersley, M. (ed) (2007) Educational Research and Evidence-Based Practice, Milton Keynes, The Open University  pp. 141–50

Hammersley, M. (ed) (2007) Educational Research and Evidence-Based Practice, Milton Keynes, The Open University

Lipsett, A. (2008) 'New teachers to follow masters programme', The Guardian [Online], Available at:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/mar/07/highereducation.teachertraining Accessed on: 7th Oct 2011