Auden said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed this unit, as it is creative, challenging and exciting. Our teacher, Mr Devine has guided us through the unit, step by step, in enough detail for us to succeed, but not too much so that it gets confusing.
“We had lots of time where we were actually getting physically involved in making our tote bags, and just enough theory, so that it was beneficial rather than boring. All in all, one of the most enjoyable units of work I have ever done. Thank you, Mr Devine!”
Max said: “This term, 7DTE5 worked on our tote bag project under the leadership of Mr Devine. Mr Devine guided us through the process, starting from the video where we learnt to thread a machine. His loud voice and humour made the experience enjoyable and also made it really fun to learn.
“I enjoyed working with the sewing machines as they were challenging and also a learning opportunity. The overall process was lengthy, starting from Adobe Illustrator where I designed a Hot Air Balloon themed pocket, followed by Mr Devine printing the designs out with a special type of printer.
“Then we proceeded to start the pocket where we learned a technique called ‘mitered corners’, followed by sizzle of the steam iron, which was then ready to be made into a pocket.
“Then, we sewed the pockets to the bag with the constant whir of the machine as I pressed my foot down on the peddle.
“The actual bag was a difficult process, with many different techniques.. The end product was really great, with spacey pockets and a big tote bag suitable for carrying our books around.”
Aleyna said: “For my design on my tote bag, I did an online design of turtles on my pocket because I love the sea and they are my favourite animal. I enjoyed doing this unit as we got to learn how to sew a sewing machine, how to sew, use an iron and writing down my progress in the booklet.”
Nadja said “For my bag I really wanted it to be aesthetic but also a little funny. So I choose to make a design with Lisa Simpson. It was really fun making the bags and learning how to sew. I feel like I definitely put a lot of effort in it which made it even more fun. This was something that I really enjoyed.”
Chenelle said: “For my design on my tote bag I decided to do something that connects to me. So I made a design which is ‘me’ with a rugby league ball in my hand. I really like it because I made it with my own imagination. It’s not really what I imagined for it to look like but I tried my best to make it ‘cool’. I really enjoyed making this!”
Elliot said: “Making the tote bags for DTE was a great experience. I had a really fun time and learnt a lot about sewing. Using adobe to create the patterns for the tote bag pockets was very enjoyable, and everyone made great creative designs. My design was of a few planets in space, and others had design such as pictures of the the earth, a solar system, and some turtles. Overall it was a great learning experience and I am so grateful to have been able to have participated in it.”
Marcel said: “I did a design of a boy sitting on the backboard of a basketball hoop. I thought that making these bags were really fun and I liked how we could put whatever design we wanted on our bags.”
Nico said: “I really liked making the tote bag because we got to design a pocket on Adobe and then sew it onto the fabric and then turn it into a bag. Mr Devine helped me learn how to thread a sewing machine and use it to make a really cool tote bag.”