# Handout 05.13: Cost Per Wear Worksheet and Quality Inspection Checklist

Name: ______________________ Date: __________ Station: ______

Lesson 5.13, one day. Every dollar figure on this sheet is written for class and marked [update].

**The formula:** cost per wear = price divided by the number of times worn. The answer is in dollars per wear.

Word bank: price, wear, divide, seam, thread, button, strong
Turkish: fiyat, giyme, bölmek, dikiş yeri, iplik, düğme, sağlam
Portuguese: preço, uso, dividir, costura, linha, botão, forte
Spanish: precio, uso, dividir, costura, hilo, botón, fuerte

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# Part 1. The three worked problems

Show the division. Write the unit on every answer.

**(a) The jeans.** A pair of jeans costs $60 [update]. You wear them 200 times before they wear out.

$60 ÷ 200 wears = $__________ per wear

**(b) The shirt.** A shirt costs $15 [update]. You wore it 5 times and then stopped wearing it.

$15 ÷ 5 wears = $__________ per wear

**(c) The coat.** A winter coat costs $90 [update]. You wear it for 3 winters.

First you have to estimate. How many times do you wear a winter coat in one winter? ________ times

So 3 winters is 3 × ________ = ________ wears

$90 ÷ ________ wears = $__________ per wear

Which of the three cost the most per wear? ______________________

Which one had the lowest price? ______________________

Write one sentence about what those two answers together tell you: ________________________________________________

# Part 2. What makes a garment last

Fill in what a good one looks like and what a fail looks like.

| Factor | What to look for | A good one | A fail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Fiber | Read the label. What is it made of, and in what percentages? | | |
| 2. Seam type | Look inside. One row of stitching, two rows, or a raw edge wrapped inside? | | |
| 3. Stitches per inch | Put the ruler on a seam and count one inch. | ______ per inch is good | ______ per inch is low |
| 4. Reinforcement at stress points | Look where the body pulls: pocket corners, belt loops, underarms, knees, where a strap joins. | | |
| 5. Buttons and closures | Pull the button gently. Run the zipper. | | |

**Seam words to know**

- **Single-needle seam:** one row of stitching. It is the first seam to open.
- **Double-needle seam:** two parallel rows. It holds much better.
- **Flat felled seam:** the raw edges are folded and wrapped inside, then stitched through. The strongest of the three. Look at the outside side seam of a pair of jeans.
- **Serged edge:** thread looped over the raw edge to stop it fraying. That is a finish, not a seam. A serged edge alone does not hold two pieces together.
- **Bar tack:** a short, dense line of stitches at a stress point, like the corner of a pocket.
- **Stress point:** anywhere the body pulls on the garment.

# Part 3. Quality inspection, four garments

Run all five checks on each garment your station gets. Check the box if the answer is good. Write the number where a number is asked for.

## Garment 1: ______________________

| Check | Finding | Good? |
|---|---|---|
| Fiber (from the label) | | [ ] |
| Seam type (single, double, flat felled, or serged only) | | [ ] |
| Stitches per inch | ______ per inch | [ ] |
| Reinforcement at a stress point (name the point) | | [ ] |
| Buttons and closures | | [ ] |

One sentence: this garment will or will not last, because ________________________________

## Garment 2: ______________________

| Check | Finding | Good? |
|---|---|---|
| Fiber (from the label) | | [ ] |
| Seam type | | [ ] |
| Stitches per inch | ______ per inch | [ ] |
| Reinforcement at a stress point (name the point) | | [ ] |
| Buttons and closures | | [ ] |

One sentence: this garment will or will not last, because ________________________________

## Garment 3: ______________________

| Check | Finding | Good? |
|---|---|---|
| Fiber (from the label) | | [ ] |
| Seam type | | [ ] |
| Stitches per inch | ______ per inch | [ ] |
| Reinforcement at a stress point (name the point) | | [ ] |
| Buttons and closures | | [ ] |

One sentence: this garment will or will not last, because ________________________________

## Garment 4: ______________________

| Check | Finding | Good? |
|---|---|---|
| Fiber (from the label) | | [ ] |
| Seam type | | [ ] |
| Stitches per inch | ______ per inch | [ ] |
| Reinforcement at a stress point (name the point) | | [ ] |
| Buttons and closures | | [ ] |

One sentence: this garment will or will not last, because ________________________________

## My ranking

Most likely to last, 1, to least likely, 4. Write one reason for each rank.

| Rank | Garment | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | | |
| 2 | | |
| 3 | | |
| 4 | | |

# Part 4. The trade-off: price now against cost over time

Two garments, two different people. Compute both.

**Garment 2, the thin t-shirt: $8 [update]. Garment 1, the heavy sweatshirt: $44 [update].**

## Person 1: a student who walks to school and will wear it four days a week for two winters

About how many wears in two winters? ________ wears

| Garment | Price | Wears | Cost per wear |
|---|---|---|---|
| The $8 t-shirt | $8 | | $ |
| The $44 sweatshirt | $44 | | $ |

Verdict, one sentence: ________________________________________________

## Person 2: someone who needs a shirt for one concert

About how many wears? ________ wears

| Garment | Price | Wears | Cost per wear |
|---|---|---|---|
| The $8 t-shirt | $8 | | $ |
| The $44 sweatshirt | $44 | | $ |

Verdict, one sentence: ________________________________________________

**The point in your own words:** cost per wear only answers the question once you know ________________________________.

# Exit card

3 things you would check on a garment before buying it:

1. ______________________ 2. ______________________ 3. ______________________

2 cost-per-wear numbers you computed today, with units:

$__________ per wear and $__________ per wear

1 item in your own closet that you now think was a good buy or a bad buy, and why, in six words:

________________________________________________

# Grade 8 stretch (optional, on the back)

1. At what number of wears does the $44 sweatshirt become cheaper per wear than an $8 t-shirt worn 10 times? Show your work.
2. The $8 t-shirt survives 10 washes. The $44 sweatshirt survives 100. If you need a sweatshirt for 100 washes, what does each option actually cost you in total? Which is cheaper?
3. Pick a coat you own. Estimate its price and the wears per winter. What is its cost per wear per winter?

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# Teacher key

## Part 1

(a) $60 ÷ 200 = **$0.30 per wear**.
(b) $15 ÷ 5 = **$3.00 per wear**.
(c) The estimate is the student's. At about 60 wears per winter: 3 × 60 = 180 wears, $90 ÷ 180 = **$0.50 per wear**. Accept any reasonable estimate between about 40 and 90 wears per winter with the division done correctly on the student's own number. A student who estimates 50 gets 150 wears and $0.60 per wear, which is also correct.
Most per wear: the $15 shirt at $3.00. Lowest price: the $15 shirt. The sentence should say something like "the cheapest thing to buy was the most expensive thing to own," or "price does not tell you what something costs you."

Watch for: dividing wears by price (200 ÷ 60 = 3.33 wears per dollar). Not wrong as a rate, but not the one a buyer compares. Say so and require dollars per wear.

## Part 2

| Factor | A good one | A fail |
|---|---|---|
| Fiber | Cotton or a cotton-rich blend for comfort and durability; wool for warmth; a blend for wash durability; percentages printed | No label; "cotton blend" with no percentages; a garment that is mostly elastane in a place that takes stress |
| Seam type | Double-needle or flat felled on any seam that carries load | Single-needle on a load-bearing seam; a serged edge with no seam behind it |
| Stitches per inch | 10 to 12 | 8 or fewer |
| Reinforcement | Bar tacks at pocket corners and belt loops, a gusset under the arm, a doubled knee, a reinforced strap join | Nothing at any stress point, especially where a strap or pocket joins |
| Buttons and closures | Four to six passes of thread, a shank so the button sits above the fabric, a knot that holds; a zipper that runs smoothly both ways | A button held by two loose threads, no shank, a knot cut flush; a zipper that catches or separates |

## Part 3

There is no single right answer; the answer depends on the four garments in the room. Score on process, not on outcome: did the student count stitches with the ruler on a structural seam, name a seam type, and find a real stress point. The intended ranking for the suggested set is (1) the jeans, (2) the heavy cotton sweatshirt, (3) the fast-fashion blouse, (4) the thin promotional t-shirt, but a student who ranks the sweatshirt first with good reasons is correct.

## Part 4

Person 1, at four days a week for about 24 weeks of cold weather over two winters, roughly 190 to 200 wears. Accept any estimate in that range.
- $8 ÷ 200 = $0.04 per wear, but the thin t-shirt will not survive 200 wearings, which is the whole point; a student who says so in the verdict has the best answer.
- $44 ÷ 200 = $0.22 per wear.
- Verdict: the sweatshirt, because the t-shirt's $0.04 is a number that assumes something impossible.

Person 2, one concert, 1 to 3 wears.
- $8 ÷ 1 = $8.00 per wear. $44 ÷ 1 = $44.00 per wear.
- Verdict: the t-shirt, or better, borrow or wear something you own.

The point: cost per wear only answers the question once you know **who is wearing it and how often**.

## Grade 8 stretch

1. The $8 t-shirt worn 10 times is $0.80 per wear. The $44 sweatshirt beats $0.80 per wear at 44 ÷ 0.80 = 55 wears. So at 56 wears or more, the sweatshirt is cheaper per wear.
2. For 100 washes: the t-shirt needs 10 shirts at $8 = $80. The sweatshirt is one at $44. The sweatshirt is cheaper by $36, and that is before counting the waste of nine discarded shirts, which is the Lesson 5.14 connection.
3. Student's own numbers. Check the division and the unit.