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The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project

Slow Sustainable Fashion - 200 One of a Kind T-Shirts

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Slow Sustainable Fashion T-Shirts

A 9-12th grade STEM lesson

Kimberly Roach

04/25/2024

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Notes for teachers

  • This lesson takes place in a classroom for five to seven or more class periods.
  • Students may work individually or in pairs.
  • The focus is on the finished product a one of a kind t-shirt.
  • Creative solutions should be encouraged.
  • Suggest students’ personal relevance in design choice and process.

List of Materials

  • Recycled Printed T-shirts - one for each student.
  • A variety of sewing scissors
  • Fiskar Rotary Cutters
  • Glass headed pins
  • Sewing needles
  • Thread in a variety of colors
  • Corset pattern from Alabama Stitch Book by Natalie Chanin
  • Cutting boards

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Arizona Art Standards

VA.CR.2.HS1a

a. Engage in making works of art

or design both spontaneously and

deliberately (such as using

elements and principles of

modern art, applying artistic

norms of diverse cultures,

addressing social issues in

contemporary art, etc.).

VA.CR.1.8

b. Collaboratively shape an artistic

investigation of an aspect of

present-day life using

contemporary practices of art and

design.

Arizona Digital Photography Standards

6.1 Incorporate the elements of design (e.g., line, shape, form, texture, pattern, color, value, and space) when composing photographs

4.4 Differentiate among photographic genres and styles (i.e., portrait, landscape, macro, street, editorial, sports, journalistic, architectural, fine art, commercial, lifestyle, events, etc.)

9.4 Demonstrate non destructive editing techniques

9.5 Apply image adjustments (e.g., sizing, cropping, retouching, orientation, and resolution adjustment)

9.6 Apply color correction (i.e., white balance, saturation, hue, luminance, etc.)

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Arizona Math Standards

A1.N-Q.A.3 Choose a level of accuracy appropriate to limitations on measurement when reporting quantities utilizing real-world context.

Arizona Science/ Engineering Practices

  • ask questions and define problems

● develop and use models

● plan and carry out investigations

● analyze and interpret data

● use mathematics and computational thinking

● construct explanations and design solutions

● engage in argument from evidence

● obtain, evaluate, and communicate information

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Objectives:

Today students will experience an overview of Natalie Chanin’s fashion company, called Alabama Chanin and learn about fast vs slow fashion.

Today students will learn about the 200 one of a kind t-shirt project which began Natalie Chanin’s fashion design company.

Today students will choose a printed t-shirt.

Today students will determine their individual size by measuring themselves with a sewing tape measure.

Today students will choose their appropriate sized pattern and layout and cut out the pattern for their 200 One of A Kind T-Shirt.

Today students will learn a wrap stitch and a straight stitch and begin hand sewing their t-shirts.

Today students will learn about fashion photography by taking photos of each other in their t-shirts.

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Agenda: Day One ( 50 minutes) Introduction to Alabama Chanin Slow Fashion T-Shirt Project

Students will choose a graphic t-shirt.

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Agenda: Day One ( 50 minutes) Introduction to Alabama Chanin Slow Fashion T-Shirt Project

Students will experience an overview of Natalie Chanin’s fashion company, called Alabama Chanin.LINK TO ALABAMA CHANIN WEBSITE

Students will learn about the 200 - one-of -a -kind t-shirt project which began Natalie Chanin’s fashion design company.LINK TO TRANSCRIPTS ONE OF A KIND T-SHIRTS

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Agenda: Day Two ( 50 minutes) Chose size and Deconstruct T-shirt

Students will deconstruct their t-shirt:

1. Detach neckline ribbing

2.Detach sleeves

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Agenda: Day Two ( 50 minutes)Chose size and Deconstruct T-shirt

Students will deconstruct their t-shirt:

3.Separate shoulder seams which will separate the the front of the t-shirt from the back at the shoulder seams.

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Agenda: Day Two ( 50 minutes)Chose size and Deconstruct T-shirt

Students will deconstruct their t-shirt:

4. Create a tube of fabric by either cutting up the center of t-shirt or by cutting on both sides of t-shirt from the bottom edge up to the center of the arm hole.

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Agenda: Day Two ( 50 minutes) Chose size and Deconstruct T-shirt

Students will determine their size according to the Alabama Chanin size chart.

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Agenda: Day Three ( 50 minutes)Tracing the Corset Pattern

Students will layout and pin the corset front pattern on the t-shirt.

Students will trace the pattern on to the t-shirt with tailors chalk or fabric marker.

Students will remove the pattern and cut out the traced pattern with scissor or a rotary cutter.

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Agenda: Day Three ( 50 minutes)Tracing the Corset Pattern

Students will remove the pattern and cut out the traced pattern with scissor or a rotary cutter.

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Agenda: Day Three ( 50 minutes)Tracing the Corset Pattern

Students will layout and pin the corset back pattern on the t-shirt.

Students will trace the pattern on to the t-shirt with tailors chalk or fabric marker.

Students will remove the pattern and cut out the traced pattern with scissor or a rotary cutter.

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Agenda: Day Four ( 50 minutes) Hand Sewing the Corset

Students will hand sew the corset pattern pieces using a wrap stitch and a straight stitch.

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Agenda: Day Four ( 50 minutes) Hand Sewing the Corset

Students will always use a double knot at the end of sewing.

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Agenda: Day Four ( 50 minutes) Hand Sewing the Corset

1. Pin and sew using a straight stitch the corset front center to both of the corset front middle pattern pieces.

2. Pin and sew using a straight stitch the corset front side pieces to the corset front middle pieces.

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Agenda: Day Four ( 50 minutes) Hand Sewing the Corset

Students will first pin the

corset pattern center front to one of corset middle front.

Next, students will start to sew the corset using a wrap stitch to start sewing and finish sewing. Then students will use a straight stitch to attach the pattern pieces.

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Agenda: Day Six ( 50 minutes) Hand Sewing the Corset

4. Pin and sew using a straight stitch the front corset shoulder to the back corset shoulder.

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Agenda: Day Five ( 50 minutes) Hand Sewing the Corset

3.Pin and sew using a straight stitch the corset back center to both of the corset back side pieces.

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Agenda: Day Five ( 50 minutes) Hand Sewing the Corset

3.Pin and sew using a straight stitch the corset back center to both of the corset back side pieces.

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Agenda: Day Seven ( 50 minutes) Fashion Photography Shoot (optional)

After a lesson on fashion photography, students will take turns taking photographs of each other wear their Slow Fashion T-shirts, shorts and skirts.

LINK TO FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY SLIDES

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Intro/Driving Question/Opening

What is the importance of a design company such as Alabama Chanin?

Who is Natalie Chanin?LINK TO NATALIE CHANIN VIDEO

LINK TO NATALIE CHANIN VIDEO

What is fast fashion and slow fashion?LINK TO THREADS MAGAZINE NATALIE CHANIN

LINK TO VIDEO FAST FASHION VS SUSTAINABLE FASHION

LINK TO VIDEO SUSTAINABLE FASHION VS. FAST FASHION

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Hands-on Activity Instructions

  • Students will work on a t-shirt individually or in pairs
  • Students will bring in or chose a graphic t-shirt.
  • Students will determine their size according to the Alabama Chanin size chart.
  • Students will deconstruct their t-shirt.
  • Students will layout and pin the corset pattern on to the t-shirt.
  • Students will trace the pattern on to the t-shirt with tailors chalk or fabric marker.
  • Students will cut out the pattern.
  • Students will hand sew the corset pattern pieces using a wrap stitch and a straight stitch.
  • OPTIONAL - Students will design and paint a stencil; creating an applique to sew on their t-shirt.
  • OPTIONAL - Students will model their t-shirts for a fashion photography event.

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Assessment

For an assessment, students will write a summary of the steps used to create the 200 one-of-a-kind t-shirt.

Another type of assessment could be a video demonstration of the process of creating a 200 one-of-a-kind t-shirt.

In a workshop setting, students could show or teach other students how to create 200 one-of-a-kind t-shirt.

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Differentiation

A potential remediation would be for the teacher to prepare the t-shirt for the student. The student could choose the t-shirt and appropriate size but the teacher could layout and cut the pattern, pin the pattern pieces together, and thread the needle for the student. The student would only need to to sew the t-shirt pattern together.

Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

For an extension activity, students can design a personalized symbol stencil. This stencil can be painted on scraps of leftover fabric, cut out and sew on the back of the t-shirt as an applique.

For an extension activity, students can make an additional article of clothing to go with their t-shirt, such as shorts or a skirt.

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Student Slow Fashion T-Shirt Examples

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Student Slow Fashion T-Shirt Examples

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Student Slow Fashion T-Shirt Examples