MYP Personal Project - Repurposing old clothes into small articles

Ayaka Azumi

Criterion A: Planning
Learning Goal:
When I was notified that I have to select a focus on my Personal Project,
I immediately considered managing the old clothes that had accumulated
in the corner of my room. Through childhood, I have always had an
unnecessary amount of hand-me-down clothes provided by my relatives.
Due to my indecisive nature, some remain in my closet even to this day.
Although I have given a thought to discard them, my uncertain concern
over the environmental damages that fabric wastes have, has prevented
me from doing so. When finding a solution to this problem, I recalled a
project done in Grade 8 science, where I conducted research on polymer
fabric and recreated them into a snood and some scrunchies (see fig. 1).
It was one of the projects that I truly enjoyed because I have been
interested in crafting ever since I can remember and was absorbed in
experimenting. Although I was very passionate about this area, on that
occasion, I could only learn knitting techniques and apply my basic
knowledge of hand sewing due to the time restriction. Therefore my
learning goal is to broaden my knowledge in: sewing techniques, fabric
recycling methods developed by organizations, and the environmental
impact of the fashion industry.

Product Goal:
While aiming to achieve the learning goal, as my product goal, I would like to produce multiple small
articles. This can be accomplished as I gain more knowledge regarding sewing, along the way of the project.
Although my initial thought was to create a piece of clothing, I thought it was not suitable for me because
large products are difficult to carry especially in crowded trains. Thus, I decided to repurpose old clothes into
new small articles (L handmade; Wa.Miyabi Channel). Although there is no particular theme for these
products, they should be realistically made and function well by serving their purpose. The reason for this is
that the main focus of this project is to learn and apply new techniques and knowledge of fabric recycling
instead of conveying a message through the products (Homedit; Rose tutu). When the products are formed
into their basic shapes, I will make adjustments according to my research and personal judgment. After they
are fully completed, I will make a presentation about my personal project journey and display the products in
front of the school entrance.

Product Success Criteria:

When determining the specification criteria for my products, I first considered what aspects would make my
products successful. I immediately thought of the quality of being realistic. To be more specific, I need to
imitate existing products and make my products practical, functioning, and as flawless as possible. Therefore
I borrowed the aesthetics criterion from what we usually use in design projects and conducted some research
on the elements that make things artistic (Nikolov). Then, according to my learning goal, I made a material
criterion, as one of the main focuses of this project is to learn the effects that different materials have on the
environment. Furthermore, I made a goal for the quantity of products that I am making because I wanted to
aim for a challenging workload but manageable for myself. I also thought I have to be very cautious during
the creation of my products because I would have to use tools such as needles and sewing machines, which I
am not accustomed to. Hence, I thought safety could be a crucial part of the production. However, when I
questioned myself on how to build a safety criterion during this project, I found it difficult to put it into
different levels to assess because it was rather a do-or-don’t matter. Consequently, I decided to build a
checklist instead, based on laboratory rules, to ensure my safety (“General Laboratory Safety Rules”). By
creating the success criteria, I will be able to narrow my area of focus and evaluate my rate of success at any
point in the project. Further explanation will be provided regarding each success criterion in the right-most
column, in the success criteria below.

Success 1-2 3-4 5-6 7-8 Details/How will I measure

Criteria

Aesthetics/ The variety of the The products The products include The products include It is important to ensure that my
Function products’ color, somewhat include artistic elements such sufficient artistic products look realistic and
acceptable as tools to be used
(Does the shape, pattern, line, artistic elements such as color, shape, elements such as daily. I will assess this according
product look texture, balance, and as color, shape, pattern, line, texture, color, shape, pattern, to my personal judgment as I
realistic?) proximity are pattern, line, texture, balance, and line, texture, balance, believe that the goal of this
relatively few and balance, and proximity in a and proximity product creation is for me to
acquire knowledge and skills
insubstantial proximity (Nikolov). satisfactory manner (Nikolov). The regarding handicrafts rather than
(Nikolov). The The product is (Nikolov). The product is how other people perceive my
product is plain-looking and product is aesthetically pleasing work.
unattractive, looks somewhat aesthetically and looks realistic.
unrealistic, and is realistic. acceptable, somewhat
overall aesthetically pleasant to look at,
unacceptable. and looks realistic.

Material/ Less than half of the At least 60% of the At least 80% of the More than 90% of the Throughout the project, I will
Environment products are made products are made products are made out products are made out record which materials I used and
from which clothing. These
out of recycled out of recycled of recycled materials of recycled materials materials do not include sewing
materials excluding materials excluding excluding sewing excluding sewing tools such as thread, scissors, etc.
sewing tools. The sewing tools. The tools. The materials tools. The materials This is because the fundamental
materials used have materials used are used have an adequate used have a sufficient purpose of this project is to
reduce environmental impact was
no consideration somewhat consideration towards consideration towards repurposing clothes, not to stop
towards the considering the the environment. the environment. purchasing tools to create the
environment. negative impacts on products.
the environment.

Quantity There is only one There are two to five There are six to nine There are more than I want to ensure that this project
final product as an final products as an final products as an ten final products as is challenging and impactful, I
chose to set a goal for the number
outcome of this outcome of this outcome of this an outcome of this of products I will make. Although
project. project. project. project. ten may seem unreasonable, I
personally find crafting more
manageable than researching
itself, thus I thought a high
expectation in this area is realistic
but at the same time would push
me through even more.

Safety - What would safely look like Check box Details

- Choose a location to work that is a safe and quiet place where I can avoid I understand that we should always
distraction (“General Laboratory Safety Rules”). be cautious when working with our
hands and it applies especially to
- Be aware of the locations of each piece of equipment and prevent any loss,
this project because, at some point in
especially those that are dangerous such as needles (“General Laboratory
Safety Rules”). this project, I am considering
working with needles and sewing
- Be alert and proceed with caution at all times (“Safe Laboratory Practices & machines. Therefore a checklist of
Procedures”). safety measures I should take would
easily allow me to assess my own
- Dress appropriately by tying back long hair and taking off anything that may rate of attention to safety. 0 applied
catch during the crafting such as jewelry (“Safe Laboratory Practices &
Procedures”). would indicate level 1-2, 1 or 2
applied would indicate level 3-4, 3-4
- Properly dispose of waste and return equipment to assigned locations (“Safe applied would indicate level 5-6, and
Laboratory Practices & Procedures”). 5 or more applied would indicate
level 7-8.
- Do not eat or drink during the creation (“General Laboratory Safety Rules”).

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Long Term Plan for Achieving the Product:
I created a general timeline that would give me an understanding of what tasks to complete should be
completed by the Exhibition. I set up a due date for each task and wrote some sub-tasks to ensure each and
everyone can be completed. I also wanted to ensure that I do not forget the associating success criteria. Thus,
I created a space to remind myself which requirements are relevant and how they address the criteria.
Overall, I could not follow my long term plan precisely due to some obstacles such as the need of prioritizing
more urgent tasks and no access to certain materials including a sewing machine. Further details will be
discussed in the progress notes column, in the following table regarding the long term plan.

Month Tasks Specific sub-tasks Associating Progress notes

success
criteria

Jun Complete the - Learning goal and product General Completed on June 13th
first draft of the - Product Success Criteria First meeting on May 27th
report - Long-Term Plan
- Meet with Supervisor to confirm

Jun Come up with - Consider research goals Material/ I came up with three questions each of the learning and product
narrower - Consider product goals Environment goals and have confirmed with my supervisor. Moreover, at the
research - Check questions with the first meeting on May 27th, my supervisor suggested some more
questions supervisor possible questions and I will add some of them as I make some
progress in my research notes. Later completed on September 9th.

July Start - Finalize questions Material/ I decided not to finalize my questions completely because I
researching Environment thought that some new research topics may arise as I progress.
according to my Moreover, due to summative and other school tasks, I wasn’t able
learning goal to start my research.

Aug Continue - Finish at least 3 research Material/ Although I was behind my schedule until the last week of August,
researching questions Environment I was able to catch up on my research and completed 3 research
questions on the general effect of textile on the environment,
environmentally friendly fabric, and environmentally harmful
fabric. Completed on August 29th. Completed researching what
fabrics are particularly environmentally friendly/ harmful and
recycling methods done by companies on August 31st.

Sep Complete - Decide ATL foci Material/ Confirmed ATL foci with supervisor on the second meeting on
factual research - Update works cited Environment, September 6th. I decided to add two more questions that would
- Primary research Aesthetics, help me to physically create my products: “How do I repurpose old
- Research on sewing skills while Quantity, clothes into new products?” and “What elements and principles of
also creating my products by Safety art make an effective handicraft?”. These questions will be
hand sewing addressed while I create the products therefore I decided not to
finish them in September. However, I decided to conduct primary
research by sending emails to fashion companies and confirmed
with my supervisor on September 27th.

Oct Continue - Finish at least three more Aesthetic, I was not able to make any progress as I prioritized school work
research products Quantity, and decided to move the deadline to November,
- Research on sewing techniques Safety
and aesthetic principles while
creating the products

Nov Finish the - Finish the remaining seven Aesthetic, I realized that finishing the products before winter break is
products products by applying research Quantity, unrealistic and it does not take a whole month to finalize my
and problem-solving skills Safety products. Therefore I decided to mainly work on developing my
Writer criterion products during winter break when I do not have to prioritize other
B report work as often. However, I still managed to organize my work and
complete my criteria B report on November 7th.

Dec Final check - Research Material/ I researched possible ideas for my product creation on December
- Products Environment, 20th when we entered winter break. Then, I researched
Aesthetics, hand-sewing techniques and sewing machine techniques on
Quantity, YouTube on December 22nd. On the same day, I conducted
Safety primary research on how to use a sewing machine by asking
Mr.Sasaki to demonstrate the process. Finally, by using my
research, I completed creating the trial products as well as the final
on January 3rd.

Jan Exhibition - Finish all adjustments before General I, along with my peers, conducted a gallery presentation and
then speech presentation sharing the journey of our personal project.

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Criterion B: Applying skills
Achieving the Learning Goal: Research - Information and Media Literacy Skills
My learning goal was to broaden my knowledge in: sewing techniques, fabric recycling methods
developed by organizations, and the environmental impact of the fashion industry. To achieve this goal, I
applied research skills including information and media literacy skills as I thought it would allow me to work
more productively and efficiently (see fig. 2). I ensured myself to gather a variety of sources so that I can get
an objective view on the topics from multiple perspectives (Groff; Robertson; Strasser). I also made an effort
to reference accurately and to evaluate the sources based on their appropriateness to my project. This will be
discussed in a later paragraph.

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 I attempted to balance my research by using a wide range of sources. To expand my knowledge in
the environmental aspects of fabric production, I decided to use journal articles, books, and official websites
by governments or other organizations as they provide better factual information (Groff; Ro; Strasser;
“UNIQLO RECYCLE.”; Young). As an example, I learned that approximately 70 million barrels of oil are
used to make polyester fibers from reading a BBC article by Christine Ro (Ro). On the other hand, despite
that they are not created by trained professionals, I referred to YouTube videos by channels such as はりもぐ
ら。のおうち時間 and Homedit as I learn how to repurpose clothes and common sewing techniques. The
reason for this is that this area is more skill-based and I personally thought it would be more efficient to learn
by watching and through trial and error than reading reliable research reports (Diaries; Ozachan channel;
HGTV Handmade; Homedit). For instance, I learned the basic steps and tips for hand sewing through the
video, Learn How to Sew by Hand: Six Basic Hand Stitches by Homedit (0:00 - 12:08). This helped me to
achieve my learning goal as it led me to acknowledge the possible techniques I could apply to my product
such as scrunchies, pouches, and so on, as an amateur.
To conduct primary research, I decided to send interview emails to organizations such as Uniqlo,
Worn Again, and Japan Environment Planning. I communicated with my advisor to ensure that the interview
is valuable to my learning goal and also established the correct protocols for making such a request. Figure 3
and 4 show an example of these emails that I sent and the responses that I received from Uniqlo.

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Fig. 4. Azumi, Ayaka. “Response from UNIQLO,” Osaka International School, 16 Jan. 2022, unpublished paper. Accessed 16 Jan. 2022.

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 To further balance my research, I also conducted
an in-person interview with Mr.Sasaki, who is a worker at
a sewing machine in a sewing machine repair store in
Kyoto, Zig Zag (Sasaki). There, I requested him to
demonstrate the basic steps for using the sewing machine.
I believe that this method was extremely successful as
watching a demonstration in person allowed me to
understand the basic structure and usage of the machine
easily as a beginner. This opportunity allowed me to
freely ask any questions that arose and further
explanations for clarification on any parts that I was
unable to understand. I also believe that the video
recording of the demonstration greatly helped me as I
could refer back to the video whenever I needed as I
encountered problems such as threading the needle, which
was very different from hand sewing. Figure 5 is a
screenshot of the video recording.

I also applied the OPVL method to determine the strengths and limitations of my sources. Here, I
will evaluate the email interviews that I conducted with companies, however, further examples will be shown
below in a form of OPVL charts. Considering the origin of the email sources, I acknowledge that these
interviews could be credible information because respondents of the emails were arguing on behalf of their
organization. The purpose, on the other hand, was to inform a student about recycling procedures done by
own companies and possible practices that individuals could incorporate in their daily lives to address the
issues caused by fabric waste (JEPLAN; UNIQLO, Recycling Program in UNIQLO; Worn Again ).
The context is extremely valuable as they directly address the topic-specific questions that I find interesting
and worth investigating, which also provide firsthand evidence and arguments. However, I had to be aware
that these email interviews may be limited to some extent because they give less anonymity to the companies
and have possible elements of bias as well. This may lead me to collect information that is less truthful but
more biased because it may affect these companies’ reputations. Some other examples of the OPVL chart are
as follows.

Title: Material Guide: What Is Viscose and Is It Sustainable? (Robertson)

Text type: Website Link: http://bckwards.com/index-6.html

Origin Purpose
This article was published on August 26th, 2021. It comes from Good on You The purpose of this article is to teach statistics
by the company, Made Together (Made Together). I looked into the director about viscose fabrics and their sustainability and
of the company and found out that Blake Mills was running a legitimate evaluate them from an objective perspective
business in Australia according to LinkedIn (“Blake Mills”). The author of (Robertson). The information is factual as it
this article is called Lara Robertson and she is a senior writer for teaches the reader that viscose is a plant-based
Sydney-based ethical fashion startup Good On You (“Lara Robertson”). She fiber that is not polluting or inherently toxic to
is also a Second year Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) student at the human body (Robertson). However, its
UTS. Published fiction and non-fiction content writer (“LARA manufacturing process is also chemically
ROBERTSON”). intensive and highly polluting (Robertson).

Value Limitation,
This source was valuable to my research as it directly answers my research However, this source is limited to the extent that
question on what types of fabric are environmentally friendly by providing the information is mere statistics and does not
statistics regarding what type of fabric it is, the manufacturing process, and its show any arguments or interpretations
effect on the environment with supported research and experiments (Robertson). Hence, does not allow us to read
(Robertson). Not only this, it also introduces some suggestions of other more than is on the surface (Robertson).
materials that we can incorporate in our lives that are more eco-friendly such
as EcoVero and R Collective (Robertson).

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 Title: Waste and want: a social history of trash (Strasser)
Text type: Book

Origin Purpose
This book was written by Susan Trasser published in 1999. I The purpose of this article is to teach statistics regarding
researched the author’s credentials (Strasser). “[She] is an the history of trash making and the social factors that
award-winning historian and a Distinguished Lecturer for the contribute to that (Strasser). It uses statistics and logical
Organization of American Historians. She has been praised by the arguments to teach the readers about how many things
New Yorker for ‘retrieving what history discards: the humans have taken for granted (Strasser). It also explains
taken-for-granted minutiae of everyday life’” (“Susan Strasser”). the relationship between American cultural history with its
From this, we can deduce that she is a professional regarding this encounter of consumption and highlights the ethical
area and thus is reliable. impacts of wastage and some efforts to counteract that
(Strasser).

Value Limitation,
This source was valuable to my research as it gives a wide range of However, it is limited to the extent that the information
perspectives regarding consumption and associating wastage covers a wide range of knowledge regarding trash making,
(Strasser). It not only answers my research question regarding the and therefore specific information regarding fabric waste
environmental impacts of fabric waste and possible ways of is very limited (Strasser). Thus, despite the nuanced
addressing this by repurposing but also informs about the historical perspectives that it gives, it does not directly answer my
causes and how our world of goods changed accordingly (Strasser). research question and I have to make some connection
It also has well-supported arguments with evidence, reasoning, with what we can do in the modern world (Strasser).
statistics, etc (Strasser).

In these ways, applying research skills helped me reach my learning goals as I was able to select
suitable sources from a wide range and evaluate them in terms of their origin, purpose, value, and limitation.

Achieving the Product Goal: Creative Thinking and Affective Skills

To achieve my product goal of repurposing old clothes into multiple new small articles, I used
creative thinking and affective skills. More explicitly, I practiced imitation of works with a focus on the
creative process and also practiced dealing with disappointment and unmet expectations as I came across the
difficulties of my product creation.
I utilized the sewing techniques that I learned during research and tried to follow the same procedure
while also incorporating my original ideas in the process. For instance, when creating my trial product I tried
to imitate a repurposing idea from the 10 Easy Crafts With Old Clothes where they used a non-skid rug pad
and made knots with crochet hooks to create a bath mat (0:06 - 0:28). However, none of the non-skid rug
pads were available at my house and therefore I tried to experiment with alternatives and discovered a
solution to this problem by creating a net with additional strings of clothes. This way, I could recreate
existing ideas in my own unique way while also partially following the original pattern. Figure 6, 7, and 8
visually outline the process that I took when creating the trial product of a zipper pouch.

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 Although I was generally successful in integrating creative problem-solving processes into my
creation, sometimes I had to face failure and careless mistakes such as creating unstraight seamlines,
selecting wrong materials, and sewing wrong sections. This led my products to appear less aesthetically
pleasing and appealing. Not only that, there were times when I couldn't afford to devote myself to the project
because I had to prioritize other work and deal with some stress associated with this. To handle this problem,
I applied affective skills. To begin with, I decided to be aware of my mind and acknowledge all of the issues
that I was facing by continuously expressing my thoughts to people with whom I feel confident. Then, I
decided what to prioritize based on the urgency of each task and entered them into my digital calendar that I
refer to every day (see fig. 9). Sometimes, I also challenged myself to take the risk of reaching out to my
teachers to seek advice and having a rest from all problems by practicing activities that I enjoy such as
singing (see fig. 10). In addition, I developed a new strategy by building confidence in my organization skills
where I occasionally ignored criticisms and trusted the plan that I constructed to catch up with the unmet
expectations from both myself and the people around me. In these ways, I adapted to the changing
environment by using different forms of affective skills to meet my product goal.
Consequently, it is evident that creative thinking and affective skills were necessary for my success
in the product creation process.

Criterion C: Reflection and Tools

Impact of Project:
Through my personal project, I became more confident, self-aware, knowledgeable about the
environmental impacts of textile and different techniques of handicraft. I also enhanced my skills and
abilities which may benefit my future in various ways. Prior to the school Exhibition, I practiced my
presentation multiple times in front of my teachers, classmates, and revised my work based on the comments
I received. Although I was very nervous when I first presented to my supervisor, I found myself being
relatively confident during the final presentation as I was able to know the content by heart. Therefore, I
came to the realization that I am capable of presenting my work in front of people, as long as I practice
public speaking and fully understand my arguments.
Moreover, I learned that by applying and improving my ATL skills, I will be able to withstand and
recover from difficult situations. For instance, an organizational skill that I acquired was to prioritize work
by identifying the urgency of each task and logically constructing a better plan to follow. During the
summative seasons, I checked the deadline for tasks in ManageBac and entered them in my google calendar.
For instance, in the first week of December 2021, I organized the tasks in the following order: science
astronomical tool investigation, math right angle trigonometry test, kanji test, an art research journal. In
addition, when I was stuck with handling multiple works simultaneously, this strategy allowed me to become

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more flexible and resilient as I could problem-solve and adapt to the changing environment more efficiently.
Consequently, I learned that in the future when I encounter the same problem, I do not have to fear falling
behind schedule or being at different stages as my peers when I can calmly determine solutions without
neglecting other tasks and maintain a positive attitude.
I also practiced organization skills to help maintain a stable learning process. I experimented with
various strategies to improve this area such as by constructing a file that categorizes all useful documents in
google drive and keeping track of deadlines by recording them regularly in google calendar. Despite that,
methods such as setting a timer regularly failed, I believe that these new skills that I obtained helped me
learn more efficiently. Hence, risk-taking and facing challenges are qualities that I need to develop.
Through my personal project, I also became a more effective communicator. I frequently practiced
communicating skills as I often contacted my supervisor through email for various purposes such as setting
up a meeting, asking for specific advice regarding the presentation and report, etc. Similarly, the in-person
and email interviews were a great opportunity for me to enhance in this area as I had to act formally and
respectfully as a student towards professional people. I believe that not only will this help me with my
academic life but also foster friendships with my peers which will greatly support me mentally through tough
times.
Lastly, during the research and product creation, I was surprised to find myself enjoying the process
of widening my knowledge in areas that I was personally interested in and also realizing that taking a break
from using electronic devices and working on something physically with my hands is very therapeutic. Thus,
I will continue to become more generally open-minded, not through the IBDP but beyond so that I can learn
reflectively while also maintaining positive affectivity.

Product Evaluation:

Strengths Limitations

1. Aesthetics/ Function: 5-6

The strength of my products regarding aesthetics Nonetheless, there were some areas of
and function is that various elements of art were improvement to my products’ aesthetics and
applied to create the visual appearance. For functions. Although my products look realistic and
instance, I was able to create my products based on allow me to distinguish each product, some of my
various shapes such as squares, circles, trapezoids, earlier products, which I created when I was still
etc as you can see from the scrunchies, coasters, not familiar with using a sewing machine, had
zipper pouch, etc. Regardless of the limited types of uneven and non-straight seam lines. This led the
materials I had, I was able to select a range of products to appear relatively poorly shaped and
different fabrics with or without patterns which thus make them become less aesthetically pleasing
included a plain blue shirt, a checkered shirt, and a to look at. In addition, some of the careless
white shirt with floral motifs. These materials also mistakes I made during the creation process made
had different textures such as a smooth surface of a my products function less smoothly. For instance,
collared shirt and a rough surface created by the the rubber string that I selected for my scrunchie
flower embroideries. Moreover, elements of lines was fairly old and less flexible. It then caused some
were clearly shown through angular and curvilinear difficulties when trying to tie my hair with it. Thus,
lines as you can see from products such as the I believe that in the future, I need to pay further
coasters, scrunchies, etc. Lastly, I also ensured to attention to selecting appropriate materials to work
show aspects of balance in my products as most of with. In these ways, my product’s aesthetics and
them had a symmetrical design which appeared that function were limited and should be further
the “weight” was fairly evenly spaced out. improved.

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 2. Material/Environment: 5-6

In terms of the type of materials I used to create My initial plan was to construct a hierarchy of
these products, one of the strengths is that all of the fabric from most harmful to least harmful to the
fabric used to create these products were environment and prioritize using the most harmful
repurposed from my old clothes and thus I did not materials in the hierarchy to reduce the amount of
have to purchase any new fabric. In fact, I also the most environmentally-damaging fabric waste.
utilized the remaining fabric scraps and created a However, my research taught me that no fabric is
pot holder with some additional research so that I entirely eco-friendly or harmful and that it is
could minimize the waste. extremely difficult to categorize these impacts as
they are often completely unrelated. Thus, one area
to improve my products is to prioritize the materials
that I will use in descending order from most to
least harmful.

3. Quantity: 7-8

I created 9 types of handicraft ideas but 15 products I could always improve the quality of my work with
in total, including my trail products, each one with more practice and repetition. This would allow me
a different design. The number of these products to further understand what I am good at, what I
exceeded my initial goal of creating more than 10 could improve on, and be generally more
products. The amount of repetition I got to self-aware. Moreover, I could also add more
experience with these products allowed me to balance to the series of handicrafts that I created.
gradually get used to sewing, and my understanding Since some of the products were the same but
that the quality of my work with sewing could be merely had a different design, for instance the four
easily improved by repeated trial and error was coasters, if I had the opportunity to improve my
correct. work, I would give a balanced amount of products
per product idea.

4. Safety: 7-8

The strength of this criteria is that I was able to Although I followed all of the guidelines listed in
follow the safety guidelines most of the time. For the success criteria relatively consistently, it is true
instance, I decided to work on my products by that I couldn’t follow the guidelines all the time.
always using the sewing machine even at times There were some special occasions, the first being
when I was hand sewing because unlike other that I had to work on hand sewing outside of my
places in my house, it does not have any house due to a family vacation. The second
unnecessary tools unrelated to sewing. Therefore occasion was that I couldn’t tidy the working area
this allowed me to concentrate well. Moreover, I after some sessions due to some sudden changes to
never let any materials or tools leave the sewing my schedule. This includes leaving scrap fabrics on
machine table and also stored all of the small tools the table, and not returning tools such as fabric
such as needles, threads, fabric scissors, etc in a scissors and measurers in the designated organizer.
zipper bag. Furthermore, I tied my hair during all Consequently, on average, I was only able to follow
working sessions, wore clothes that were 5 or 6 guidelines in the checklist. However, as I
comfortable, and also avoided eating, drinking, and stated that being able to apply 5 or more guidelines
wearing jewelry. I also organized my working space would indicate a level 7-8, my record supports that
by using a small rack with fabrics on one layer and I have reached this level.
tools on the other. Lastly, for better convenience, I
cleaned the area after most working sessions and
returned the equipment back to the rack.

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 Overall, I believe that I scored a level 6 according to the success criteria. One of the strengths was in
the aesthetics of the products as I incorporated elements and principles of art to make my products appear
realistic and pleasing to the eyes such as lines, shapes, texture, balance, variety, and movement. However,
they are limited to the extent that there are some flaws as some of my products do not function smoothly due
to the lack of attention I paid to the materials and tools during the product creation process. Moreover, a
positive impact on the environment is that I maximized the amount of fabric I can use from the clothes I
selected. Yet, I believe that I could think more critically in terms of the type of fabric I’m prioritizing, from
most to least harmful. I also ensured to carry out the creation as safely as possible, though some protocols
weren’t followed on special occasions. Nonetheless, I am very proud of how much knowledge and skills I
was able to acquire through this project. In fact, by applying my research and problem-solving skills, I was
able to produce over 10 small articles and make significant improvements to the quality of my products
within a short period of time. Generally, I believe that my personal project was successful and I would like to
make the most of this experience.

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Bibliography:
“A New Life for UNIQLO Clothing.” UNIQLO,

www.uniqlo.com/jp/en/contents/sustainability/planet/clothes_recycling/re-uniqlo/.

“A World Where Resources Are Kept in Constant Circulation, Driving Economic, Social and Environmental

Benefits.” Worn Again, wornagain.co.uk/. Accessed 8 Nov. 2021.

Assoune, Alex. “The Disastrous 10 Worst Fabrics for the Environment.” Panaprium,

www.panaprium.com/blogs/i/worst-fabrics-environment.

Azumi, Ayaka. “Demonstration Video about Using Sewing Machines with Mr.Sasaki,” Osaka International

School, 16 Jan. 2022, unpublished paper. Accessed 16 Jan. 2022.

---. “Email Sent to UNIQLO,” Osaka International School, 16 Jan. 2022, unpublished paper. Accessed 16

Jan. 2022.

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