Textiles

Textiles is a hands-on skill-based course offered from Grades 10-12 at Notre Dame. Students learn more advanced and challenging skills to create increasingly intricate projects and designs independently. Some of these projects include boxer shorts, hoodies, half-zipped jackets, aprons, skirts, fully-lined coats, and lined dresses. Topics such as discovering the latest fashion trends, styling and coordinating wardrobes, up-cycling denim, and the inner workings of the fashion industry are discussed.

In Textiles 11, a continuation of Textiles 10 and a full-year course, a variety of projects allow students to further develop sewing techniques. These techniques include sewing a zipper, darts, pleats and hand-stitching. Projects include a fleece hoodie, a skirt and spring dress (females) or zipped jacket (males), a Christmas project, and a project of their choice. This course explores famous fashion designers and brings awareness to global issues in the fashion industry, such as working conditions in a sweatshop and environmental toxins used in manufacturing fast fashion. Designing and constructing a dress made of newspaper and upcycling denim are also projects in this class. The class visits the fabric store to experience how to select and purchase fabric for projects.

Textiles 12 is designed for students with a special aptitude in this subject area and who are independent learners. During this full-year course, students learn challenging skills, such as sewing an invisible zipper and making buttonholes. Projects include a fully-lined winter coat, a lined cocktail dress (females) or buttoned shirt (males), and a project of their choice. Students also explore opportunities and various careers available in the fashion industry and attend a post-secondary fashion show. All students in Textiles 12 are encouraged to apply for the Dogwood District Scholarship, specializing in Textiles, where they display all their projects as well as their Textiles Portfolios to an adjudicator.