Leslie Fontana has been making things, taking things apart and fixing things for as long as she can remember. Studying fine arts at an engineering school, Carnegie-Mellon University, led her to the field of industrial design, a career that she has enjoyed contributing to for many years. Studying at the Domus Academy in Milan, Italy provided an appreciation for design that is both beautiful and functional.
Through her consulting practice, les&more, Leslie designs for a variety of companies creating both soft goods and device design. She has received awards from the Juvenile Products Manufacturing Association, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Industrial Design Society of America, the MIT Hacking Medicine Prize, and the Frazier Award for Excellence in Teaching from RISD. She is currently researching aging, inclusive design solutions and curriculum design for higher education.
Courses
Fall 2024 Courses
ID 2526-01 - INTRODUCTION TO SOFT GOODS
LevelUndergraduate
UnitIndustrial Design
Subject Industrial Design
Period Fall 2024
Credits 3
FormatStudio
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date
ID 2526-01
INTRODUCTION TO SOFT GOODS
LevelUndergraduate
UnitIndustrial Design
Subject Industrial Design
PeriodFall 2024
Credits3
FormatStudio
ModeIn-Person
Start and End2024-09-04 to 2024-12-11
Times: W | 8:00 AM - 1:00 PMInstructor(s): Leslie Fontana, Sarah Guerin, Tom WeisLocation(s): Industrial Design Building, Room 602Enrolled / Capacity: 15Status: Open
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course is intended to introduce basic sewing skills and soft goods construction techniques in bag making and soft product design. Students will learn how to operate standard industrial sewing machines and create three-dimensional products from flat patterns. Fabric and notion selection for product performance will be taught as students learn to prototype and create final models of bags and soft products. Access to a portable sewing machine is suggested, as the eight industrial machines will be shared. You will be given some basic sewing supplies, but will need to purchase additional materials based on your class projects.
This course is intended to introduce basic sewing skills and soft goods construction techniques in bag making and soft product design. Students will learn how to operate standard industrial sewing machines and create three-dimensional products from flat patterns. Fabric and notion selection for product performance will be taught as students learn to prototype and create final models of bags and soft products. Access to a portable sewing machine is suggested, as the eight industrial machines will be shared. You will be given some basic sewing supplies, but will need to purchase additional materials based on your class projects.
