The Hippo Shoe

My final product for the “Shoe-ology” or Shoe-to-Animal project!

All the shoes together:

 

Patterns:

 

Final Project-

Fabrics used:

• T-shirt fabric (p)
• Thread (p)
• Plywood (l)

Tools:

• Drill/Drill bits*
• Needle
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Sewing machine*
• Band saw*
• Belt sander*
• Pins

*New/unfamiliar tool

 

What was easiest in this project was probably the hand sewing. I used Youtube videos and handouts from class to learn the backstitch which was especially helpful in attaching the tiny appendages like the eyes, ears, and nostrils to the base. Also, cutting the wood sole and then drilling holes in it seemed very intimidating, but once I got the hang of it, there was no problem.

The most difficult part of this project was definitely sewing on the machine. In addition to the enormous amount of time it took, there were so many small rules I kept forgetting that would mess up my piece. I spent a significant amount of time messing up and starting again and making huge adjustments and redoing messy stitches with slightly neater stitches. I tend to work really messily, and sewing and working with fabric must be very accurate, which I definitely struggled with.

My favorite piece from the critique was probably Daniel’s. It was so elegant in its simplicity, but there wasn’t really any ambiguity in what animal it was modeled after. Also, I think its simplicity allowed the craftsmanship to stand out, it was really well done.