Cleaned the space after completing the assignment!
In-progress, Dusty the cat
Completed, Dusty the cat (front)
Completed, Dusty the cat (back)
My lovely son, Dusty, did not cost anything to produce. However, if I were to make Dusty on my own time, with materials and labor all provided by me alone, the cost would change.
The materials used in creating Dusty were: fabric scraps (approximately 20 cm x 15 cm in black scrap fabric and 10 cm x 10 cm of purple plaid fabric), two plastic buttons, embroidery thread, all-purpose thread, and polyfil stuffing. The fabric scraps were leftovers from other sewing projects from the OEDK, but if bought, would cost approximately $4 for a 92 cm x 150 cm (Cheap polyester twill). The amount of fabric used was approximately 1/18 of the area of the fabric, which would be $.22 worth of fabric used in total. The plastic buttons would be approximately $4 for 130 buttons, so 2 buttons would be $.06. The embroidery thread is approximately $2/9 yds for a higher-end brand of embroidery thread, and the amount used was estimated to be 1 ft, and worth $.07. The all-purpose thread is approximately $3/300 yds, and an estimated 3 yds were used, costing approximately $.03. The polyfil costs approximately $11 for 20 oz, and an estimated 1 oz was used in Dusty, equaling approximately $.55. All together, if I had paid for the materials out of pocket and round up by the dollar of each material price, Dusty would cost $0.93, or about $1 if we round up again.
The cost of equipment (needles, pins, and scissors) is negligible, as the equipment is all shared and reusable, and should all be usable for >10 years, assuming they are only used in the OEDK for the yearly assignments.
When we consider the cost of labor, the price goes up significantly. There are two calculations we can do to determine the cost of labor for Dusty: The living wage and the Texas minimum wage. I spent approximately 1.5 hours planning, cutting, sewing, decorating, and stuffing Dusty. MIT Living Wage Calculator claims that the living wage for hourly, full-time pay in Texas should average $21.82/hr. However, the true minimum wage in Texas is $7.25. Therefore, if we go by the wage necessary for 1 working adult to live in Texas, Dusty would cost $32.73 + $0.93 in materials, coming out to $33.66 to produce. Using the Texas minimum wage, Dusty would cost $10.88 + $0.93 in materials, coming out to $11.81 to produce.
The general process of creating Dusty was a simple yet strenuous one. I began with drawing an oval-ish shape in the black fabric, and folding it over to cut two pieces of the same shape/size together for symmetry. I cut out the purple plaid stomach fabric in a similar manner, and sewed it onto the good size of one of the black ovals, using black app-purpose thread to sew a contrast stitch and secure the rolled-over hem between the two fabrics. I sewed the eye-buttons on, using the black thread to imitate a cat’s pupil, and embroidered the nose triangle under. I sewed the front and back pieces together with a tight running stitch, flipped it so the good sides were out, and stuffed Dusty with approximately 1 oz of polyfil. I cut out 2 small triangles in each fabric and sewed them into little triangle-pockets, before flipping them good sides out, and used a running stitch to secure the folded-in triangles to the top seam on Dusty’s head. Overall, the project itself did not feel extremely complex when drawing out the pieces and visualizing it, but working to keep the stitches small and even, especially over the purple fabrics, was very meticulous and required a lot of patience and hand-eye coordination, as well as finger strength to get through some of the thicker layers of fabric. Dusty is a little awkward, but I wanted to keep a rustic, handmade look to him, as well as prioritizing secure stitches instead of hidden or purely decorative stitching.
