“Sew” Much Improvement by Kali

“Sew” Much Improvement by Kali - December 2024 Scholarship Essay

Throughout middle school and high school, I took several art classes which improved my craftsmanship and overall skills, but something deep within me yearned to design clothing. I was successful grade-wise and kept up my GPA, but my classes didn’t inspire me much. It wasn't until the end of my Junior year that I heard about a charter school, in partnership with my home high school, that offered a fashion, art, and branding class. I knew this was an opportunity I couldn't pass up, so I grabbed a flyer from the office and signed up for the school.
I started FAB Lab my junior year, having no prior knowledge of how to sew and only some ideas about design. A few weeks into school, my teacher brought out the sewing machines. Eyeing the heaps of all different kinds of fabrics on the shelf I imagined the possibilities of pieces I could create. I grabbed a sheet of pink cotton gingham fabric and ambitiously started to sew a straight stitch with the machine. When I took the fabric off the machine and cut the excess thread, I noticed my straight stitch appeared to resemble more of a zig-zag due to my shaky, amateur hands. I looked around the room at my peers who were already moving on to the next steps of the project and felt so frustrated. It seemed impossible for me to make clothes by the end of the year.
I wish I could say that was the last error I made while learning to sew, but unfortunately, it’s rare to become perfect at sewing the first time you try it out. It took months of re-threading bobbins, getting the thread stuck in fabrics, poking my fingers with needles while hand stitching, not squaring fabric quite right, ripping through tons of paper patterns, and staying after class on multiple occasions before I finally made a usable garment. The first thing I made was a floral tote bag with white lace trim. The feeling that all of my hard work and frustration had paid off was truly one of my most gratifying experiences.
It’s been a year and a half since I started the program and I have learned tons of different techniques for sewing and met so many amazing people. I’ve made aprons, t-shirts, pants, upcycled clothing, bags, dresses, you name it! With high school ending, I’ve been scoping out various ways to take higher-level education fashion courses. I plan on attending Oregon State University's apparel design program through the College of Business. These business and Fashion courses will expand my pre-existing skills and open my eyes to different career paths within the fashion industry. My dream is to own a small business where I create my unique clothing designs and market my products. I’m willing to work through the hours of seam ripping, poking, machine jams, and late nights finishing projects because when it’s all said and done, creating makes me feel complete.