Fabric Construction Process Blog

Our Goal

Design and create a pencil case in fabric construction.

Constraints

• made from flexible fabric or material
• use a sewing machine to connect and assemble the component parts
• use fastening mechanism

Design

fig 1: sketches of the first and second iteration of the pencil case

fig 1: prototype of a pencil case

Analysis

what works well

• hold a fairly amount of pens (around 16)
• fasten tightly that it wouldn’t leak any pens
• the design of the pencil case is quite exotic

what needs to be improved

• the lines of stitches made from the sewing machine are not perfectly straight
• one of the velcros is outside of the case which will hinder the aesthetics of the pencil case
• one of the two sides of the container fabrics is a bit too tall that affect the sights of looking for pencils inside
• one layer of the fabrics is not strong enough to hold the pencil case tight
• it could be more modern

Second iteration

Changes

1. practice makes perfect! → the lines of stitches made from the sewing machine are not perfectly straight
2. change to the rope to fasten the pencil case → one of the velcros is outside of the case which will hinder the aesthetics of the pencil case
3. make the outer side of the fabrics lower → one of the two sides of the container fabrics is a bit too tall that affect the sights of looking for pencils inside
4. make it two layers → one layer of the fabrics is not strong enough to hold the pencil case tight
5. choose a different fabric → it could be more modern

fig 2: second iteration of the pencil case

what works well

• hold a fairly amount of pens (around 25)
• after opening the case, it’s easy to see what’s inside it
• the pencil case is using thick material that could prevent nibs points out
• the design of the pencil case is quite cute and morden

what needs to be improved

• the rope does not fasten tightly enough without specific instruction
• the stitches at the bottom of the pencil case could be made more elegantly

Reflection

The pencil case effectively completes its task of holding pens up to 25. Although most of the time the pencil case is able to hold the pens tightly, sometimes without a certain way of revolving the rope, the pencil case could not fasten tightly enough. Using the sewing machine is more difficult than I had expected. The whole process requires patience and full attention. However, using the end product is very fun and interesting.