Toilet Bag
Jessica Fitzjohn
St Margaret's College
Year 8 Materials Technology, half-year project
Teacher: Deb Lean
Jessica was asked to design and make a toilet bag that would meet her personal needs. She had to think about what products she would take with her on her travels and how best to store them en route. The bag would have to be relatively waterproof, and made so that certain items, such as soap and a toothbrush, were kept apart.
Jessica looked at the bags on the market and at the items she would like to carry in her toilet bag; these included earrings and jewellery, hair ties, shampoos and conditioners, brushes and combs, and a toothbrush. She measured these items and sketched out her developing ideas of how best to store them.
From these sketches, Jessica developed more accurate drawings that included measurements. All the students were given a generic lesson on how to use the equipment and basic construction techniques. More complex techniques were taught on a 'need-to-know' basis; individually or in small groups.
Jessica made a mock-up of her design to see what worked – it confirmed that her bag could fit all the items she wanted – and what need to be altered. The mock-up enabled her to try ideas, such as testing different zips, before making her final product. "I did quite a few trials with my zips because I wanted one that would open straight into the pocket but wasn't behind the material and there were different ways to do that. In the end I added another strip of material over the top that covered the zip".
The final product is practical and attractive. The bag holds all the items it was intended to, is water-proof in all the right places, and folds away so it can easily be packed in bags. The choice of patterned outer material makes the toilet bag distinctive.
Teacher comment
The thought that went into Jessica's work was excellent. Every week she would come up and say: 'I've got a problem with this. Could I do this or could I do that?', and she always had ideas for solutions. It was really great."
