Reaction Paper:
When we first got this assignment, I started to brainstorm different ideas about toys I would have enjoyed as a child. I thought of a dollhouse, but i didn't think I would have enough materials to make one that I really liked. I thought of materials I had around to recycle, and I remembered the leftover fabric from the portfolio case I made for my final design project last semester. With the extra fabric in mind, I decided I would make a stuffed animal dog. Since before kindergarten, I always wanted a dog. I would negotiate with my father for hours but he never got my brother and I the puppy we wanted. My stuffed animals were some of my favorite toys when I was little since they were cuddly and cute and I really wanted a pet. I decided to use the durable fabric because I imagined this toy dog as the dog I never had and I would it take with me everywhere, so it would probably wear out quickly if it was weaker fabric. The dog has a leopard print scarf with rhinestones on it to dress her up since I have always been a girlie-girl. I used the rhinestones from my senior year dance competitions for the eyes and nose to dress her up more and to add a personal touch since dance has always been a part of my life as well.
The first thing I did was I found a little stuffed dog that I had in my room to use as a model for my design. Then I sketched out the shapes of fabric that I would cut out. After that I laid out fabric and drew out the main body piece on it. I cut that piece out then proceeded to draw and cut out the underside of the dog. Then I pinned and sewed these pieces together. After that was all sewed, I cut out the chest/neck/chin piece and sewed it on. At this point I tried to flip the dog inside out so the seams wouldn't show, but the legs were very skinny and as I tried to turn them inside out the seams were tearing. I decided to leave them on the outside and just clean them up instead. After that I pinned on the tail, stuffed the dog, and sewed up its back end. Then I made the ears and attached them. Once that was complete, I made the scarf, glued on the eyes and nose, cleaned up the seams, put fray check on all of the seams, then my pretty little puppy was complete.
I learned a lot from making this final project. It was a very personal project since my inspiration came completely from my childhood, my life experiences, and things that are important to me. It was challenging since I had to change my plan a few times when things didn't go as planned, like the seams lining up and turning the dog inside out so the seams wouldn't show. Overall, I like my project a lot, I think it is cute and the seams on the outside make it look more homemade and loved.
