Fifth Period: Shop Class
Every Sunday I find myself venturing into the MakeShop just to see what’s going on. Lately we’ve been allowing visitors to experiment and build using wood. Visitors are able to create whatever kind of project they want using our tools and materials. First off, visitors are asked to draw up a blueprint of their project. Visualizing your project is incredibly…
WoodShop Begins
It’s been quite a change, moving from the malleable and forgiving materials of SewShop to the hard-bodied solidity of wood, and making the adjustment from electrical-powered sewing machines to a cadre of hand-powered tools. Already with WoodShop I am discovering a completely different kind of reaction to the tools and materials we’re using. Hammers and nails are nearly ubiquitous, and…
Some Reflections on SewShop
Last week we wrapped up SewShop, sorted through all the scrap fabric, put the bear-repair teddies out of their misery and put our sewing machines back in storage (for now). Many of the visitors (not just the youngest ones!) were completely new to the world of sewing and textile manipulation. Quite a few had never cut fabric before, never held…