Working on their first sewing project, Fashion Design III students are focusing on making button-up shirts. After a year and a half out of the sewing labs, students are eager learning on hands-on skills.

“A lot of home-ec programs are like, ‘Oh we’re making pajama pants,’ but the juniors at Southwest never got a chance to make their pajama pants,” Fashion Teacher Levi Harbeson said. “Now we’re at a point where we need to use our time in the most efficient and valuable way possible, and that involves making sure I’m pushing the students to achieve their best with a project that is a little more difficult.”

The virtual learning environment was a setback for Fashion and other programs. While students begin the early steps of garment construction, like ironing and cutting, they’re excited to learn new skills and interact with their peers again.

“I’m very intrigued by this project and so eager to start already. However, since we missed out on a year of physically interacting with the machines, my mind has been trying to regain all the information from freshman year,” junior Janelle Castillo said. “I know I’m not alone nor the only one feeling like this since everyone has experienced the same situation. I’m glad to have the interaction with others that I missed out on due to being online.” 

In preparation for the sewing labs, some students purchased their own machines last year and attended classes on campus over the summer to work on these skills.

“I had my own time to sew and work on the skills we began to learn in freshman year,” junior April Reyes said. “I haven’t made anything comparable to a button-up shirt, but I was able to tailor clothes that I’ve thrifted or thought were too big.”

With everyone sewing at their own pace, Harbeson has been helping the students and analyzing areas they need to improve on. 

“I have no real way to know where all of your skill sets are, and I think more so than any other year there will be a wide variety [of skill sets],” Harbeson said. “There will be kids who love fashion, love sewing, and have a sewing machine at home and taught themselves to sew over the pandemic. Other students are not that into it anymore and I need to get them re-excited and reconnected with this program area.”  

Students will be working on this garment for the coming weeks, and continue to master their skills throughout the year. 

“I’m very excited and happy, but I am a little nervous considering we’re juniors that are supposed to do a whole fashion show next year,” Reyes said. “It’s a lot of pressure realizing that we’re going to have to learn a lot.”