MDT: Ashlee Talks About her Year 12 Project
Materials Design & Technology (MDT) is a practical course enabling the girls to develop their knowledge and skill, while working with a variety of fabrics and techniques. The aim is for students to design and create a range of outfits.
Year 12 student Ashlee Cusworth is one of our MDT students. We’ve asked her to share her current project with us.
Ashlee what are you working on in MDT at the moment?
I am making a pair of wide leg jeans and a turtleneck top. At the moment, I am mainly putting my jeans together and embroidering them. I am also starting to look for inspiration for my next task, which involves recycling old clothing.
What’s the inspiration behind this project?
I am creating an outfit that would be worn to an art exhibit where you express yourself through clothing, makeup, paintings, drawings etc. The embroidering on my jeans is the main feature as it represents my hometown and what my family’s livelihood revolves around. The first pocket says ‘PJ. This represents my home town which is called Perenjori. The number, 3821, is my farming gate number. The other side is a wheat crop, the main thing we do on the farm.
What are the stages you’ve gone through to create this project?
Before making this garment, I had to do a lot of written work that helped me get to the production stage. This included finding inspiration in designers, clothing and fabrics. I researched different styles and possible colours of jeans and tops. I also explored different ideas to embroider and where to put the embroidery. I also had to design five different outfits. We were also required to research three main fabrics, explaining their properties and environmental impact. Lastly, we had to write out the planning steps and timeline for our final design.
What have you found most challenging about this project?
The written work for me has always been quite difficult because it’s a lot of work and research that you have to do in order to finally get to make your product.
What has been the best part of the project?
Embroidering my pockets was really interesting and it was pretty cool to see how they turned out. Although it’s very time consuming it’s worth it because it does look really good.
What is the final outcome?
The final outcome will be for my assessment firstly but also for me to wear personally, as they are tailored to fit me, so that will look really good.
- ConnectingLearning2Life, Creativity, Featured
Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.