I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO relieved to be done with my presentation. Even though I had been preparing it for a long time and knew deep down that I was ready for it, I was still extremely nervous. I was terrified of getting up on that stage from the moment I laid eyes on it on the first day, until I finished answering my last question and walked off, and I think a lot of my friends can vouch for that.
I am extremely proud of what I accomplished throughout these past 7 weeks but I don't think I can bring myself to giving myself a 30/30, not because I don't want to sound cocky or anything but even if I did my best today there's always room for improvement.
I always try to keep from reading off my note cards when presenting and that's definitely something I have been trying to improve since the first presentation last year. I would love to say that I fixed that today but I still think I need some improvement.
As much as I don't want to actually grade myself on this presentation, I would give myself a 26 or 27 out of 30. I felt like I actually gave the audience something to think about and I felt that I made the message behind my presentation very prominent. One thing I thought I could have done better after seeing everyone else's presentation was I probably could have talked about my process a little more. I know that the main idea of the TED Talk wasn't about the process itself, but if I could do it over I would probably have talked about the steps I personally took in order to overcome the obstacles I faced.
I throughly enjoyed this project and even though most of the projects we get in gifted are pretty open-ended I feel like this was the one that we had the most freedom with and it is probably my second favorite project that we've done in gifted so far (first being the invention project last year(: )
Even though I didn't LOVE presenting in the audio, I happy I did, because last year I never would have thought that I could get up in front of everyone and do that which makes me really happy.
Overall, I'm very happy with how this project went and even though I'm excited that the presentation is done with, I will definitely miss the rest of this project.
Thank you(:
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Friday, March 29, 2013
March 29, 2013
So if you've been reading my blog you're probably aware that I've been making a skirt for the past few weeks and I am excited to say... IT'S DONE! Yaaaaaaaay. So i figured out that I somehow sewed pockets in it without realizing.... All I did was cut out the pieces that the directions told me to and then sewed the seams that it said, not actually knowing what I was sewing at the time.
Now with just a few days left I am ready to start sewing my shirt for the presentation. I have been researching a ton about how to make patterns from scratch so they fit and look good and such so I'm pretty confident that I can finish it quickly.
I loved using the patterns to make the other products but a big reason I did this project was to save money making my own clothes. Well when using the $10 (sometimes $15) patterns, I'm not actually saving money. I also believe that by not using the patterns I am able to make it more "my style" and do really whatever I want and make it however I want it to be.
Once I finish the tank top using my homemade pattern I will be finished my product and will be set to present!
Can't wait!!
Now with just a few days left I am ready to start sewing my shirt for the presentation. I have been researching a ton about how to make patterns from scratch so they fit and look good and such so I'm pretty confident that I can finish it quickly.
I loved using the patterns to make the other products but a big reason I did this project was to save money making my own clothes. Well when using the $10 (sometimes $15) patterns, I'm not actually saving money. I also believe that by not using the patterns I am able to make it more "my style" and do really whatever I want and make it however I want it to be.
Once I finish the tank top using my homemade pattern I will be finished my product and will be set to present!
Can't wait!!
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
March 26, 2013
Well this week hasn't really been the best progress-wise. I have been in Jamaica since Saturday and trust me I'm not complaining about that at all, but I've had no way to finish my final product since I had to leave all my sewing stuff at home. It's also been extremely hard to research anything because the internet connection is SOOO TERRIBLE. It took about 10 minutes just for this to load and I'm sure it will take another hour just for this blog to post. Anyway, there isn't really much to report for this week but in a few days when I come back it will really be time for me to get everything together and finish my final product! Excited to see how it turns out! Wish me luck(:
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
March 19, 2013
This week wasn't terrible! I didn't make as much progress as I wanted to but there weren't really any prominent failures, which surprised me a lot. I'm still in the midst of making a skirt. Hopefully if it goes well, I will end up wearing it for the presentation!
I bought a pattern to make the skirt (shown in the video at the bottom) and it is very helpful but also very confusing. I've had to use this sewing glossary >>> http://www.bhg.com/crafts/sewing/basics/sewing-glossary/ in order to understand most of what it is saying.
I probably should have expected this, but sewing actual wearable clothes is really hard. After sewing pillows and other easy things I thought "psh, I got this." and then I tried to make pajama pants. Thankfully I was able to find a 3-part youtube video with step-by-step instructions on how to use the pattern I got for it. {http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=984XMmBAhoE}
When I began making the skirt, I attempted to do it without using any outside help, since I wanted to get good at using and understanding the patterns. I eventually gave up. I searched and searched for a youtube video to help me with the specific pattern and I couldn't find one for the life of me. So now I am forced to do it without any help.
Instead of using sources that directly relate to the pattern I am using, I have found other, more general sources that so far have been relatively helpful. I think it's better that I don't have any videos to help me because this is the only way that I will truly get better, even if it takes 14 billion tries.
I bought a pattern to make the skirt (shown in the video at the bottom) and it is very helpful but also very confusing. I've had to use this sewing glossary >>> http://www.bhg.com/crafts/sewing/basics/sewing-glossary/ in order to understand most of what it is saying.
I probably should have expected this, but sewing actual wearable clothes is really hard. After sewing pillows and other easy things I thought "psh, I got this." and then I tried to make pajama pants. Thankfully I was able to find a 3-part youtube video with step-by-step instructions on how to use the pattern I got for it. {http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=984XMmBAhoE}
When I began making the skirt, I attempted to do it without using any outside help, since I wanted to get good at using and understanding the patterns. I eventually gave up. I searched and searched for a youtube video to help me with the specific pattern and I couldn't find one for the life of me. So now I am forced to do it without any help.
Instead of using sources that directly relate to the pattern I am using, I have found other, more general sources that so far have been relatively helpful. I think it's better that I don't have any videos to help me because this is the only way that I will truly get better, even if it takes 14 billion tries.