Hello and welcome to today's Design and technology lesson.

My name's Mrs. Fletcher, and I'm here to help and guide you through your learning today.

Today's lesson is called Fabric joining techniques, and it's part of the 2D shapes to 3D products stationary storage unit.

This lesson is all about developing your sewing skills, and I'm really looking forward to doing that with you today.

So let's have a look at what we'll be learning about.

The outcome of today's lesson is I can explain how to thread a needle and sew a run of stitches.

So you're going to learn the skills needed to be able to do those things, to thread a needle, to be ready for sewing, and then to sew what we call a run of stitches, that's a completed run, a line of stitches that conjoin fabrics together.

There are some keywords that are important to today's lesson that we need to have a look at before we start.

So let's have a look at those together.

First of all, we have the word thread.

Can you repeat that after me, "Thread?" Well done.

Now we have two versions of this word to have a look at.

First of all, thread as a noun.

So as a noun, or a naming word, the word thread means a thin piece of string that we use for sewing, but we can also use the word thread as a verb, as an action word, to describe something passing through a small hole.

So we'll be seeing how we use those words differently in today's lesson.

The third phrase that we're going to be using today is the phrase blanket stitch.

Can you repeat that, "Blanket stitch?" Well done.

And a blanket stitch is a type of stitching that leaves a decorative edge on a fabric.

The fourth phrase we're going to be using is back stitch.

Can you repeat that? Well done.

A back stitch is another type of stitch, but, this time, it's a reverse stitch that creates a solid line when we sew.

And the last one is the word run.

You may have already heard that word before with another meaning, but, in today's lesson, it means a completed line of stitches.

So it's a word we use to describe a complete line of stitches.

So now we've got the words that we need, let's have a look at how we'll be learning the skills today.

So the lesson's going to be divided into three sections.

First of all, we're going to look at some basic sewing skills, so that's where we'll learn to thread the needle and get ready to sew.

Then we'll move on to looking at the back stitch.

And then, finally, we'll look at that blanket stitch, and you'll get to learn and see how to do those stitches and practise them as well.

So let's get started with that first section of the sewing skills.

Sewing is a method of joining fabrics together, and it's a way of making sure that they stay together.

Hand sewing, which is where you do it by hand instead of by a machine, uses a needle and thread to make the stitches that keep the fabric together.

So the joined fabric is stitched using those stitches using a needle and thread, which is then used to sew those stitches into place.

To begin stitching, first, you need to thread the needle.

So there's that keyword being used as a verb here.

So threading the needle means passing that thin string through the eye of the needle, and that's the hole at the end of the needle where the string can pass through.

So there you can see the thread being passed through, or threaded, so we've got two versions of that word there, the thread as the string, the noun, and the thread of the verb, being passed through that hole or the eye of the needle.

You can use a needle threader, which is a special type of tool to help you do this and to make it easier.

And to use that, you push the needle threader through the eye of the needle first, then you put the thread, the string, through the needle threader, and then you pull both of those things back through the eye of the needle.

So sometimes it can be a little bit tricky to thread a needle, especially if the eye of the needle is quite small.

So using something like a needle threader can help make that task a little bit easier.

Quick check then.

The hole in the needle is known as what? Was it the mouth, the eye, or the arm? Pause the video, have a think.

Okay, did you remember what it was called? Well done, if you said it was the eye.

Yes, the eye of the needle is the hole at the end of the needle where the thread is passed through.

To begin stitching, we need to make sure we secure the thread in place.

And this is to make sure it doesn't unravel or come undone, and those fabrics don't become unjoined once we actually use it for joining fabrics.

So, to begin with, I'm going to hold the fabric that I'm using, and today I'm using a cross-stitch fabric, which is a fabric that's good to start practising your sewing skills with, because it has very clear places for you to push the needle through.

And I'm using quite a blunt needle, so it's not too sharp, and I'm using a thick thread, which makes it easier for me to control and to see the stitches that I've made.

So these are all good choices when you are practising your skills like this.

So I hold the fabric in one hand and I use the other hand to push the needle through the fabric from front to back.

Once the needle's gone through, I pull that thread all the way through the hole from the back, but I make sure I leave a little section of thread still coming through the front, Otherwise, the thread's gone completely through the fabric, and I've not made any stitch at all.

I am going to push the needle back through from the other side.

So, the needle's at the back, and I'm gonna come back through to the front holding onto that little section of string or thread that I left at the front, so that it doesn't come out of place.

And I'm going to make that come through quite close to that first hole that I made, but not too close so that it goes through the same hole.

And that will make a small stitch.

You'll be able to see the stitch on the back.

On the front, you'll just be able to see where you went in, and where you came back through.

So you should have that in place.

To secure the thread, I'm just going to repeat that same stitch again.

So I'm going to push the needle back through that very first hole that I made, again, holding that little bit of thread that you left at the beginning, so it doesn't come out of place, push it through to the back, and then come back from the back to the front using the same hole that you did the first time.

So now you've got a loop that goes around those two holes that you've made, and that will secure that piece of thread, so it doesn't come undone.

So now we're ready to begin whichever stitch it is that you are learning.

If you continue to pass the needle and thread through the fabric, returning it from the other side, that's how you create stitches.

So stitches are made by going through and back through a fabric.

So you go through to the back, and then come back again to the front.

And by doing that repeatedly, that is making stitches, those are a run of stitches.

Moving along in small, even spaces each time creates that simple running stitch.

So that's a basic stitch that you can practise.

Once you've completed several stitches, we call that a run of stitches.

So there's that keyword.

So a run of stitches means several stitches all in a row to complete one section of stitching or joining.

Quick check.

What is a completed row of stitches known as? Is it a walk, a run, or a line? Pause the video, have a think.

Okay, what did you think? Well done, if you said it was a run.

Of course, that's what we said in the keyword section.

A run is a word for a completed line of stitches.

So to end a run of stitches, so to make sure we secure it again so it doesn't come undone, we need to repeat the very last stitch that we do just in the same way that we did at the beginning.

So, to secure at the beginning, we repeated a stitch, and we do the same at the end, repeat that last stitch.

So that means that you go back in and back through the last holes that you did.

So you've effectively got two stitches in the same spot, and that will keep the thread in place and stop it from coming undone.

So time for a task to help you practise those skills now.

So all I want you to do for this task is to thread your needle using a needle threader, if you need to, secure that thread in place by repeating the stitch in the same spot as the first stitch, sew a couple of stitches just to practise passing the needle in and out to create those stitches, and then secure that thread at the end by repeating the last stitch that you did.

And as Izzy is helpfully telling us here, make sure you use an embroidery thread if, like me, you're using a cross-stitch fabric, because that's a good thick thread that is easy to use in this type of fabric, and it helps you to be able to see the stitches that you've made as well.

Pause the video and come back when you've had a go at that task.

Welcome back.

How did you get on? Hopefully, you're able to practise those skills, and now you feel a little bit more confident about starting with your sewing, starting your run of stitches, and starting that sewing skill.

So you should now have a secured thread at the start of your run of stitches, and a secure thread at the end of your run of stitches as well.

That's just how we keep that thread in place.

So that means we can move on to the next part of our lesson.

So this is where we are going to do a back stitch.

So let's have a look at how we do that.

So there are different types of stitches, we're only going to look at two of them today.

We've got the basic stitch that we did in practising our skills, that running stitch, we're going to do another version of that running stitch, and then we're going to look at the blanket stitch at the end.

But there are lots of different types of stitches.

Some of the types of stitches you might use are used to add strength, so that means to really join those fabrics together, and some of them are more decorative, so that means they just look nice, they make the stitching look nice when it's visible on a piece of fabric.

So, here, we've got a back stitch that you can see has been used to join some pieces of denim together.

So that's a strong fabric so we need to make sure that a strong stitch is used for that.

So that's why it's used that back stitch, and that's shown by those close stitches, stitches are close together on that image.

A blanket stitch has been used here around the edge of this piece of fabric.

And as a blanket stitch is quite decorative, you can see it just adds a decorative touch to the edge of the fabric rather than joining.

And a cross-stitch is another type of stitch that you might see, which is quite decorative, and is used to make patterns and designs on a piece of fabric, not necessarily used for joining fabric.

The back stitch that we're going to practise now is a stitch that's used to add strength.

So we saw it on the denim image there on the previous slide.

That's because it is good for adding strength.

And it does that by creating a solid line of stitches.

So there's no gaps where any weakness can be created.

So you can see here in the image, it's a solid line with no gaps.

The solid line is made by stitching a backward stitch to the previous stitch that you made.

So every time you make a stitch, you go back to that stitch before you move forward onto the next stitch.

And by doing that, you close all the gaps that might be created by doing a simple running stitch.

So true or false then.

"A back stitch creates a broken line of stitches." Is that True or False? Pause the video, have a think.

Okay, what did you think? Is that True or False? Does it create a broken line of stitches? No, of course not.

That's False.

A back stitch creates a solid line of stitches with no gaps.

If we had a broken line, then we would have gaps in that stitch.

Okay, so let's have a look at how we create a back stitch then.

So, to begin, we need to secure the thread, just like we did in our skills earlier on in the lesson.

And we just sew one stitch.

So we secure the thread by repeating that first stitch, and then we sew one stitch by moving along a little bit further from that stitch, and passing the needle through the fabric.

Once you've pushed that needle through to the back, we need to push it back through to the front.

So we've got one little stitch that we've made, we've pushed the needle back through, and now we are bringing it back to the front.

And we've moved forward a little bit.

So you can see from the image here, we've got the secured stitch, first of all, then we've made one small stitch right next to that secured stitch with no gap, and then, as the needle's been passed through to the back, it's come back to the front, but a little bit away from that stitch that we made.

So, at the moment, we've got a gap.

In order to close that gap, we need to go back a little bit.

So we need to push the needle back through the hole that we made in the last stitch, and that will close that gap.

So we shouldn't have any gap now between that first stitch we made and where the needle came back through to the front of the fabric.

So it should look a little bit like this once you've completed a couple of stitches, and we do that by repeating step 2 and 3.

So we push the needle through from the back, then we close the gap by going back to the previous stitch, pushing it back through to the back, and then we keep repeating that over and over again until we have a solid line.

True or false then.

"You can secure a stitch by repeating a stitch in the same spot." Is that True or False? Pause the video, have a think.

Okay, what did you think? Of course, it is True.

So, by repeating the same stitch in the same spot at the start and end of your run of stitches, that is how you can secure your thread in place.

It just makes it a little bit ease.

A little bit harder, sorry, for the thread to come loose from that first stitch.

So, for your task, you're going to practise those skills to have a go at doing it for yourself.

So you're going to practise doing a back stitch on the same piece of fabric that you used earlier on in the lesson.

So to start with, you need to secure the thread in place by repeating the same stitch twice at the very start, then you're going to complete a run of back stitches, and you might need to go back and look at those steps, or look at the pictures on this slide to see how to complete that back stitch, and then you're going to complete the run of stitches by securing the thread at the end.

So that means repeating the very last stitch that you do to keep that thread in place.

If you want to see how the stitch is done in real-life, you can watch the video that's on this slide, and then pause this video and come back when you've had a go.

Okay, how did you get on? Hopefully, now that you've had a go at doing a back stitch, you can see how they work and see how they create that solid line.

So you can see from this image here, this is something like what you should have on your fabric now.

So you've got the secured thread at the beginning where you did two stitches, you've got a solid line of neat, evenly spaced stitches with no gaps, and then you've got a secured thread at the end where you repeated the last stitch twice in the same spot as well.

If you've done that, well done, you are ready for the next stitch.

So the last part of the lesson where we look at the blanket stitch.

So now we've practised our basic sewing skills and we've had to go at that back stitch, we are ready to move on to a little bit more complicated stitch.

So this is a decorative stitch called a blanket stitch.

So let's have a look at how we do that.

A blanket stitch is used to neaten the edges of a piece of fabric preventing it from fraying, so it stops those loose threads in a piece of fabric from coming away from the main piece of fabric.

It can also be used as a decorative finish as well.

So it doesn't always need to be used for the same purpose, it can just be a decorative stitch.

So here you can see a frayed edge where those loose fibres are coming apart from the piece of fabric, and that's why it would be used to stop.

And then we can see it being used as a decorative finish there on that piece of fabric.

So the stitch is made by securing small loops of thread with a vertical stitch along the edge of the fabric.

So we're going to see what that looks like, and you're going to have a go at practising that as well.

Before we start though, which of these is the blanket stitch? So I've just told you a little bit about what a blanket stitch is, which one of these is the blanket stitch? Is it a, b, or c? Pause the video and have a think.

What did you think? Well done, if you said it was a, the blanket stitch that's been used around the edge to stop fraying or as a decorative element to that sewing.

So let's have a look then how we create a blanket stitch.

Now, blanket stitch is quite tricky, so you might need to look at each step a couple of times before you have a go yourself.

There is a video for each step of this stitch that you can have a look at and practise.

It does take a little bit more practise than the previous back stitch and the basic running stitch.

So don't worry if you need to have a look at these videos to help you a few times.

So let's have a look at the steps together first.

So, first of all, you're going to begin by securing the thread, but, this time, you're going to do it with a vertical stitch, and this is called an anchor stitch that keeps the thread in place.

But, instead of sewing across the fabric and making that loop, you're going to cross over around the top of the fabric and make that loop.

So you're still going back through the same hole twice, but, this time, you've only got one hole because you looped it around the top of the fabric rather than moving along and making a new hole.

So, like I said, there is a little video there that can help you do that first anchor stitch with that vertical stitch.

So that's the first step you'll need to creating a blanket stitch.

Once you've done that anchor stitch, then you need to return the needle from the back, not through the hole, just bring your needle back to the front of the fabric, and push it underneath that vertical stitch.

Pull the thread all the way through, so your needle and thread is ready then to start with the blanket stitch.

You can see how to do that, how to get your needle into this position, by watching the video.

So, once you've pushed your needle underneath that vertical stitch, you should have your needle and thread loose ready to start sewing.

You're going to come from the back of your fabric and you're going to push the needle through from the back to the front, and you're going to pull it through.

But, before it comes all the way through, you'll notice a little loop gets made at the top, and you're going to push your needle through that loop before you pull the thread tight.

And that means you are kind of hooking the loop before you pull your thread tight.

Well, Izzy is reminding you here to not pull the thread too tightly, because the stitch that you make by hooking that loop should sit on the edge of the fabric.

And if you pull too tight, it will bunch up the fabric and it won't sit nicely on the edge.

So, again, watch the video, so you can see how to do this, and follow the steps yourself to have a go at creating that first blanket stitch.

For the final steps, you're going to continue to push the needle through from front to back, hooking the loop before it goes all the way through, to continue to make those blanket stitches.

Again, watch the video to have a look at how to do that.

And to finish your run of stitches, you're going to secure the run by completing a stitch in the same place as the last stitch.

You're gonna do two stitches in the same spot to secure your thread at the end.

Okay, quick check then.

What type of stitch is used to create the blanket stitch? Was it a horizontal stitch, a diagonal stitch, or a vertical stitch? Pause video, have a think.

Well done, if you said it was a vertical stitch.

So that was the stitch that looped around the top of the fabric at the start of the blanket stitch.

So, for your task, you are going to practise your blanket stitch skills by completing a run of those stitches in the same fabric that you used for the other two tasks.

You might need to turn it around so you can use an edge of the fabric to complete this stitch.

We are going to secure the thread in place by completing two stitches, complete a run of blanket stitches along the edge of the fabric, and then secure the thread at the end to finish your run of stitches.

Watch the video if you need to here to see the whole process of completing a blanket stitch from securing at the beginning to securing at the end, and then pause this video to have a go at practising that skill, and come back when you're done.

Okay, welcome back.

How did you get on? Hopefully, you managed to practise your skills well, and you now have a complete run of blanket stitches on your fabric.

So it should look a little bit like this.

You've got a secured thread at the beginning, you've got a neat line of loop stitches close to the edge of that fabric, and then you've got a secure thread at the end to stop the thread from coming undone.

Well done, if you managed to complete that.

You now know how to do a blanket stitch.

Don't worry if you found it a little bit tricky.

It can be tricky, and you might just need a little bit more practise with this.

So we've come to the end of the lesson now, and we've learned lots of things about those different types of stitches.

And you have had a go at developing your sewing skills by practising those stitches as well.

We've learned that there are different types of stitches, two of that we've seen today called a back stitch and a blanket stitch.

We've learned that they're used for different purposes.

We've learnt that beginning a run of stitches can be secured by repeating a stitch, so that secures that thread in place at the start.

And we've learned that ending a run of stitches can be secured in the same way by repeating that last stitch at the end.

Keep practising those skills, and I hope to see you in another lesson where we can put these skills to a test in making a 3D product.

Goodbye for now.