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.

This lesson is called "Assemble a stationery storage product," and it's part of the "2D shapes to 3D products: stationery storage" units.

In this lesson, we'll get to see how the 2D fabric pieces that were cut from pattern pieces can be turned into a 3D product by joining them together in the correct way.

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

The outcome of today's lesson is I can join fabric templates and that's where we'll get to see how our 2D fabric pieces that were cut using paper templates can be joined using our sewing techniques to turn them into the 3D products from our design.

There are some keywords and phrases that we're going to see in today's lesson that we need to make sure we understand before we get started.

So let's have a look at those together.

So first of all, we've got the word assemble.

Can you repeat that after me? Assemble.

Well done.

And that means to put together.

To assemble pieces, is to put the separate pieces together.

Then we've got the word method.

Can you repeat that? Method.

Well done.

And that is a way of doing something.

A particular way of doing something, similar to the word technique.

Then we've got the word visible.

Can you repeat that? Visible.

Well done.

And visible simply means something that can be seen.

It's the opposite of invisible, which means something that can't be seen.

And then we've got the phrase reverse side.

Can you repeat that? Reverse side.

Well done.

And that is the back or the wrong side of your pattern pieces.

So it is the side that will eventually be the inside of your 3D product.

And then we've got the word reverse.

Can you repeat that? Reverse.

Which, in this lesson, in this context means to sew the inside of the pattern piece and then turn it the right way around.

So if we're sewing the reverse side, we're sewing it inside out and then turning it the right way around in the end.

There are two parts to today's lesson.

First of all, we're going to be looking at assembling our fabric pieces.

So that means putting them together in the correct place.

And then we're going to be looking at joining those fabric pieces to turn them into our 3D product.

So let's get started with the assembling the fabric pieces section of our lesson.

Fabric products are made by joining pre-cut pieces of fabric together.

So here you can see a pattern piece has been used to cut the fabric pieces that we will need to join to make a 3D product.

In order to sew those fabric pieces together, they first need to be assembled, which means put together, in the correct position, that means in the correct place where they will be in the end product.

To assemble fabric pieces correctly, first of all, we need to make sure that the edges that will be joined together when we sew them should be lined up accurately.

So the edge here, you can see we've got two pieces of fabric.

The edge of the back one should be lined up with the end edge of the front one in the correct place before any joining is to be done.

There are two different methods to assemble fabric pieces, ready to join.

A method is a way of doing something.

So we're going to look, have a look at two different ways that we can join our fabric pieces today.

Method one, the fabric pieces can be assembled in their final position, the correct way around.

So that means the pieces that we are going to assemble are put in their final position, ready to be joined and that's where they will stay.

So here you can see if we use that method, the final product outcome would have visible stitching because we will stitch on the outside of the product.

And this is a good option to use if you're using quite stiff fabrics, if you are using quite thick thread, like an embroidery thread because a stiffer fabric can be difficult to reverse or turn inside out.

So we want to just keep it in one position.

Quick check then, before we move to the second method.

Assembling in the final position suits which type of fabric? So assembling in that final position suits which type of fabric? Was it shiny fabrics, stiff fabrics, or flexible fabrics? Pause video, have a think.

Okay, welcome back.

What did you think? Well done.

It's the stiff fabric.

So because they're difficult to change the position of a stiff fabric once they've been joined, it's best to sew them in their final position to start with.

So that leads us onto method two.

So the second method we could use to join our fabrics is to assemble them in the reverse position.

So that means the reverse side, the inside or the wrong side of our fabric pieces is visible on the outside.

And then, when we finish our sewing, it will be turned the correct way round.

So you can see here the first sewing stage that we would sew the pieces together, but that would be inside out.

So then we would turn the product the correct way round, which will hide that stitching.

So the main difference between the outcome of these two methods in method one, you will see the stitching, the stitching will be visible in the final product.

And in method two, the stitching will be hidden inside the product and you won't be able to see it.

Now, this method two is a good option if you're using a softer, more flexible fabric and a thinner thread because those types of fabrics and threads are much easier to change their position, turn them inside out because they're much more flexible.

Why is the reverse side method more suitable for thinner, softer fabrics? Is it because they're stronger? Is it because they're easier to cut? Or is it because they are more flexible? Pause the video and have a think.

Okay, welcome back.

What did you think? Well done.

If you say it's because they are more flexible.

So thinner, softer fabrics are easier to turn inside out because they're a lot more flexible than a stiffer fabric.

So once we've assembled our pieces, so once we've put them into the place that we want them to be ready for joining, they need to be held in place.

And we can do this either using pins or we can use fabric clips.

So fabric clips are a much safer, quicker way of joining your fabric, but pins will work well as well.

For your task, then, in this first part of the lesson, you are going to decide which of those two methods of joining you are going to use for your pencil case method.

Are you going to position them in the final position, so they will have visible stitching, or are you going to position them on the reverse side so that in the end product that stitching will be hidden? So you need to make that decision now because that will affect the way that you join, temporarily join your fabric pieces with the pins and clips ready for joining permanently with the sewing technique later on.

You're going to position your fabric pieces into the correct place once you've decided which method you're going to use.

And then you need to use those pins and clips to hold the pieces in place ready to start joining with the sewing technique.

So pause the video while you do that step of this task and come back when you've done.

Welcome back.

So which method did you choose to go with? So we've got two different methods here.

Alex has decided to assemble his fabric pieces in their final position so that the stitches will be visible on the outside.

So you can see here, he's pinned his fabric pieces together and in the smaller picture you can see that once he's finished the stitching, that stitching will be visible on the outside.

Whereas Aisha's chosen method two and she's chosen to assemble her fabric pieces in reverse, so the stitches will be hidden on the inside in her final product.

So she still pins her pieces together.

She's used pins instead of clips.

She still pinned them together just like Aisha's done.

But once the stitching has been done, the product will be reversed.

So you can see in the smaller image, Aisha's stitching will not be visible once she's finished.

So well done if you've chosen your method, positioned your pieces, and pinned them into place.

Ready to start.

So the second part of the lesson is where we get to join those fabric pieces.

So now we have them in position.

We've decided which method of joining we're going to use and whether our stitching is going to be visible or not.

We need to go actually get on with the joining of those fabric pieces.

The fabric pieces need to be joined securely to make sure that the final product functions as expected.

So everything needs to stay in place if it's going to work as we intended it to in our design.

So here you can see in a stationery storage product, it's important that this type of product doesn't have any gaps in it, where the stationery products could fall out.

So by assembling and joining correctly and accurately and securely, we make sure that this type of product functions properly and the function of this product is to hold those pencils in place.

So we don't want any gaps where they can escape.

Quick check, then.

Gaps in a stationery storage product would make it less.

What? Would it make it less waterproof? Would it make it less flexible? Or would it make it less effective? Pause the video and have a think.

Welcome back.

What did you think? Well done if you said effective.

Exactly.

If we have gaps in our stationery storage product, it will not work as we want it to do.

So it will not be very effective.

The type of stitch that you use will affect the final outcome of your product.

So we're going to choose which type of stitch you would want to use for your final product in this part of the lesson.

So for method one, where you're going to see the stitches in the final product because they'll be visible on the outside.

It's a good idea to either use a close running stitch, which you can see here with the yellow thread.

Or a back stitch, which is similar to a running stitch, but doesn't have those gaps between the stitches.

Or a close blanket stitch, which will seal the edges of the fabric, but also provide that decorative finish, which if we're going to be seeing the stitches in the final product, that might be something we want to consider when choosing which stitch to use.

Alex has reminded us here that the stitches should be closed together.

Whichever type of stitch we use, they should be neat and evenly spaced, and that will prevent the gaps in all of those stitch types.

Quick check, then.

Why do the stitches need to be small, neat and evenly spaced? Like Alex reminded us, there.

Was it because we want to prevent gaps? Was it so that they can be seen? Or was it so that they can be taken apart? Pause the video and have a think.

Okay, what did you think? Well done if you remember that Alex told us it was to prevent gaps.

So by keeping those stitches neat, small and evenly spaced, we prevent those gaps, which will stop the pencils from escaping from our stationery storage product.

For method two, the stitches are going to be hidden inside in the final product.

Now, they still need to be secure and effective, but we are not going to see them in the final product.

So that might mean you either use a close running stitch or a back stitch because those two are going to be secure, but they're not particularly decorative.

But that doesn't matter because we are not going to see them in the end product.

And as Aisha is saying here, you could use a blanket stitch if you wanted to, but because we are not going to see them in the end product, then there really, doesn't really have a need to have a decorative stitch like that.

So that leads us to your task, then.

So you're going to choose the type of stitch that you are going to use to join your fabric pieces, and you're going to sew your pieces together along the seams that need to be joined.

You need to remember when you come to doing your sewing that you need to begin by securing the thread in place.

You need to keep those stitches small and close together to prevent those gaps.

And you need to secure the thread at the end of each run as well.

So that at the end of a run could either be the end of a straight edge that you sewn or it could just be where your thread runs out.

In either of those cases, you need to secure the thread by doing an extra stitch in the same place before you begin with a new piece of thread or on a new run of stitches.

Be careful when you're sewing your scenes together that you don't sew up the opening of your pencil case.

So the place where your pencils are going to enter the product does not need to be sewn together.

So it shouldn't have a seam on your pattern piece, but be careful you don't accidentally sew that opening up.

Pause the video while you complete your sewing task and come back when you've done.

Welcome back.

How did you get on? So sewing can be a little bit tricky, but hopefully, you've managed to choose a correct stitch to use for your product and you've managed to keep those stitches nice and neat and closed together so that you have an effective stationery storage product.

Now, Alex has finished sewing his.

He's used a very small running stitch to sew around the edges of his pencil case.

The stitches are visible 'cause remember, he said he was going to stitch them in the final position, so that the stitches were visible in the final product.

Whereas Aisha chose method two where she positioned her fabric pieces in the reverse position.

Then she's used a back stitch to prevent the gaps in the stitching, and then she reversed the product when she'd finish, which hides that stitching inside the product.

So she still securely joined those fabric pieces together, but those stitches are hidden on the inside of her product and are not visible from the outside, like Alex's.

Well done if you manage to do one of those two methods and join your fabric pieces to make your stationery storage product.

We are at the end of the lesson now, and we've had fun assembling our pattern pieces into that final 3D pencil case product that we've been designing.

We've learned a few things along the way.

We've learn that fabric pieces should be assembled correctly before we start sewing.

We've learned that the stitches need to be close together so that there are no gaps, which is particularly important when we're making something like a stationery storage product, a pencil case, because we don't want those pencils to escape through any gaps in the side.

We've also learned that seam allowance and stitches will be hidden if we use the reverse side method of sewing like Aisha did with her product in this lesson.

And we've also learned that pieces can be stitched on the right side as well, but that seam will be visible if we do that and the stitches will be visible.

So we have to make slightly different choices of stitch type if we know that it's going to be seen in the final product.

Different methods and different sewing techniques have different effects, so using a decorative stitch that's visible on the outside has a much a different effect to using a running stitch that might be hidden on the inside.

So we have to think about how we want the product to look in the end before we make decisions about the methods and techniques we use for joining fabric pieces.

Thank you for joining me for this lesson today.

I hope to see you in another lesson where we get to further develop our stationery storage products using some different techniques.

But goodbye for now.