Assignment 2 – Gabe and Ema (Gabe)

This project was intimidating at first; I was worried my sewing skills would not suffice a well-made final product. It was hard for me to visualize how the 2-D cuts I was making (I cut the Kangaroo pieces) were going to fit together in 3-D. Ema did the sewing for the legs and tail while I finished making the cuts, and after seeing her sew and reverse the pieces, I better understood the process. I surprised myself by sewing the entire body and pouch, as well as attaching the tail and head of the Kangaroo.

My hand-stitching skills improved a lot during this project; there were lots of odd corners and edges that I had to do by hand. Sewing openings so that the thread is not visible from the outside was something I struggled with going into the project and I now feel quite comfortable with. I also became more comfortable visualizing the thing as I sewed, periodically taking it away from the needle to reverse it and see how it was shaping up.

Moving forward, I would try to stitch the tail on before stuffing it, because that connection looks a bit Frankensteinian. I would also like to blend the animals a little more dramatically; the Cat Hat is great but there’s nothing mutated or creepy about the Kangaroo itself.