Name: ______________________ Date: __________ Station: ______
Lesson 5.15, one day. Print double-sided: page 1 is the idea menu, page 2 is the design brief, page 3 is the picture plan template, page 4 is the permission note to take home.
Word bank: cut, sew, fold, stitch, pocket, bag
Turkish: kesmek, dikmek, katlamak, dikiş, cep, çanta
Portuguese: cortar, costurar, dobrar, ponto, bolso, sacola
Spanish: cortar, coser, doblar, puntada, bolsillo, bolsa
Page 1. The idea menu
First, three definitions
| Word | What it means | My clothing example |
|---|---|---|
| Recycle | Breaking a thing down to its raw material and making something new out of the material | |
| Upcycle | Keeping the material and turning it into something worth more or just as useful | |
| Repurpose | Same material, same shape, new job |
This project skips the ______________________ card from the journey set in Lesson 5.14.
The four constraints
Every project. No exceptions.
- It must start from a used textile. Not new fabric off a roll.
- It must be finished in two build days (Lesson 5.17, two periods of 40 minutes).
- It must use at least two of the taught joins (hand stitches or a machine seam): running stitch, backstitch, whipstitch, sewing on a button.
- It must be something somebody would actually use, and you have to name who.
The ten paths
The difficulty mark is how hard the construction is. It is not how good a grade it can earn. An Easy path built well scores higher than a Harder path built badly.
| # | Path | Starts from | Becomes | Stitches you will need | Difficulty | Does the scrap bin have it? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | T-shirt tote bag, no sewing on the body | A t-shirt | A bag for groceries, books, or gym clothes | Whipstitch the handles to reinforce them | Easy | |
| 2 | T-shirt headband | A t-shirt sleeve or a strip of the body | A headband or hair tie | Whipstitch the ends into a loop, running stitch to gather | Easy | |
| 3 | Sweater sleeve phone sleeve | One sleeve of a sweater or sweatshirt | A padded sleeve for a phone, glasses, or a calculator | Whipstitch the cut end closed, backstitch a reinforcement | Easy | |
| 4 | Pillowcase drawstring bag | A pillowcase | A drawstring bag for shoes, laundry, or supplies | Running stitch for the drawstring channel, backstitch the side seam | Easy | |
| 5 | Patchwork square | Four or more fabric scraps | A mat, a potholder-style square, or a wall square | Backstitch to join the pieces, whipstitch the outer edge | Easy | |
| 6 | Jeans-leg pencil case | One leg of a pair of jeans | A pencil case, tool roll, or brush case | Backstitch the bottom, whipstitch the edges, a button for the flap | Medium | |
| 7 | Shirt pillow cover | A button-front shirt | A pillow cover that uses the button placket as the opening | Backstitch three sides, whipstitch raw edges | Medium | |
| 8 | Towel produce bag | A hand towel or a cut piece of a bath towel | A washable bag for fruit and vegetables | Backstitch two sides, running stitch the top channel | Medium | |
| 9 | Sock rice hand warmer | A clean sock with no holes | A hand warmer you heat at home | Running stitch to close, whipstitch the same seam a second time | Medium | |
| 10 | Sweatshirt cuff wristlet | The cuff of a sweatshirt | A wristlet or key pouch | Whipstitch one edge closed, backstitch a small inside pocket | Medium |
Design your own. Bring me the brief with a sketch and measurements. If it fits the four constraints, it is approved.
Rice hand warmer rules. Uncooked rice only. Nothing scented. It is never heated at school. Heating happens at home with an adult, 30 seconds maximum, and your display card must say so. If rice is a problem for you or anybody at home, use dried beans or flax seed.
Screen your three ideas
| My idea | Constraint 1: used textile? | Constraint 2: two build days? | Constraint 3: two taught stitches? | Constraint 4: a real user? | Keep or cross out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
If you crossed one out, write which constraint it failed: ________________________________
Page 2. The design brief
1. What I start with
What it is: ______________________________________
Its size in inches: ______ inches by ______ inches
Fiber, if the label can be read: ______________________ (write "no label" if there is none)
Its condition (holes, stains, wear, pilling, missing parts): ________________________________
Where it came from: ☐ the room's scrap bin ☐ the donation drive ☐ home, with a signed note
Does it stretch when you pull it sideways? ☐ yes, it is a knit ☐ no, it is a woven ☐ it is felt
2. What it becomes
The finished item: ______________________________________
Its finished size: ______ inches by ______ inches
3. Who will use it, and for what
The person: ______________________ (a name, not "anyone")
What they will use it for: ________________________________________________
4. My two stitches (at least two of the four)
Stitch 1: ______________________ and where on the item: ______________________
Stitch 2: ______________________ and where on the item: ______________________
5. My tools
☐ hand needle ☐ thread (color: ______) ☐ pins or clips ☐ fabric shears ☐ measuring tape ☐ chalk or marker ☐ thimble ☐ needle threader ☐ button ☐ cord or drawstring ☐ other: ______________________
6. Three steps, in order
Step 1: ________________________________________________
Step 2: ________________________________________________
Step 3: ________________________________________________
7. The one thing most likely to go wrong
8. My reduced-scope version (write this now, before you need it)
If I run out of time, my item becomes: ________________________________________________
9. Closing line
My item starts as ______________________ and becomes ______________________ for ______________________.
Grade 8 stretch lines (optional)
The one measurement that ruins this if I get it wrong: ______________________
What it would cost to buy this new: $__________. What it cost me to make: $__________. The difference: $__________
Page 3. The picture plan template (a full-credit way to do the brief)
Draw instead of writing. Fill every number blank. This is scored the same as the written brief.
BOX 1: Draw what you start with. Write its size in inches on two sides of your drawing.
[ Draw here. Label the length and the width. ]
Size: ______ in by ______ in
BOX 2: Draw what it becomes. Write the finished size on two sides.
[ Draw here. Label the length and the width. ]
Size: ______ in by ______ in
BOX 3: Draw the person who will use it, and draw the thing they will put in it or the way they will wear it.
[ Draw here. ]
Their name: ______________________
BOX 4: Draw your two stitches on the item. Use a solid line for the cut, a dashed line for the fold, and a dotted line for the stitching. Label which stitch goes where.
[ Draw here. ]
Stitch 1: ______________________ Stitch 2: ______________________
BOX 5: Circle the tools you need.
needle / thread / pins / clips / shears / tape measure / chalk / thimble / threader / button / cord
BOX 6: Number your three steps by drawing them, 1, 2, 3.
[ Draw three small boxes here. ]
BOX 7: Circle the part you are worried about on your BOX 2 drawing, and put a star on it.
BOX 8: Draw the smaller version, if you run out of time.
[ Draw here. ]
Page 4. Permission note (take home tonight)
Cut along the line and bring the bottom half back signed.
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Family and Consumer Sciences, Unit 5: the Upcycle Challenge
Dear family,
For the next six class days my students are turning a used piece of cloth into something useful, by hand, with a needle and thread. No sewing machine is used. We cover needle and pin safety every day, we count every needle and pin out at the start of the period and back in at the end, and nobody leaves the room until the counts match.
Your student does not need to bring anything from home. Our classroom has a bin of donated and scrap fabric, and every student can take what they need from it. That is the normal way to do this project and it earns full credit.
If your student would rather use something of their own, it has to be something you are willing to have cut up and sewn, because it will not go back to being what it was. Please sign below only if that is the case. Nothing valuable, nothing borrowed, and nothing that belongs to somebody else.
If you have clean, used textiles you would like to donate to the class bin (t-shirts, towels, pillowcases, jeans, sweaters with holes, sheets, fabric scraps), we will take them and everyone will use them. Donating is not required and is not tracked.
Thank you,
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Permission to use an item from home
Student name: ______________________________________
The item my student is bringing: ______________________________________
I understand this item will be cut and sewn and will not go back to what it was. I am fine with that.
Signature of the owner or an adult in the home: ______________________________________
Date: __________ Phone or email, if you want a copy of the finished item's photo: ______________________