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 seams and curves, and it's part of the combining fabrics: accessible textiles unit.

In this lesson, we'll get to look at how to join fabrics using different types of seams. We'll be looking at straight seams that you use to join straight edges, as well as curved seams for joining curved pieces of fabric.

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

The outcome of today's lesson is I can sew seams and a curved edge.

So we're going to be looking at developing our skills of joining fabric by sewing along the straight seam, and looking at how we need to adapt our technique in order to sew a longer curved edge when joining fabric.

There are some key words and phrases that we're going to see in today's lesson that we need to have a look at together before we get started.

So the first one is the word seam.

Can you repeat that after me? Seam.

Well done.

And the word seam refers to the join that exists between two pieces of fabric once we have sewn.

There are some key words or 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 that word seam.

Can you repeat that after me? Seam.

Well done.

And the word seam is used to refer to the join between fabrics.

Then we've got the phrase seam allowance.

Can you repeat that? Seam allowance.

Well done.

And a seam allowance is additional fabric that's allowed for joining, so it's extra space where we can do that sewing to join the fabric.

Then we've got the word curved.

Can you repeat that? Curved.

Well done.

And curved refers to a curved rounded bend that's not straight.

And then we've got the word piece.

Can you repeat that? Piece.

Well done.

And that refers to an individual section of pattern or fabric.

Today's lesson is going to be split into two parts.

First of all, we're going to look at sewing seams and learning the skill around that, and then we're going to look at sewing curved seams and looking at how we need to adapt our technique in order to sew around a curved edge.

So let's get started with the section on sewing seams. Sewing is a method of joining fabrics together.

Hand sewing uses a needle and thread to make stitches.

So here we can see the images that go with that.

The joined fabric is those two pieces of fabric that are joined together.

The needle and thread is the tools that we need to make stitches, which is the actual thing that holds the fabric together.

A seam is a line of stitches that joins those pieces of fabric together, so it's a row of stitches.

Here we have two separate pieces of fabric, which may have been cut out using a template, and the seam is where we join them using a needle and thread to attach them both together.

Seams follow the shape of the pattern piece, so they can be straight or they can be curved.

So here we can see down the side of this pocket pattern piece, we've got some straight seams that follow the straight edge of the fabric, but around the bottom of the pocket piece, we've got a curved seam that follows that curved shape of the bottom of the pocket.

A quick check then before we move on.

What is a seam? Is it two separate pieces of fabric? Is it a line of stitching that joins fabric? Or is it a type of stitch that's used for sewing? Pause the video and have a think.

Welcome back.

What did you think? Well done if you said that a seam is a line of stitching that joins fabric.

Well done.

A seam allowance is extra fabric that we allow on our pattern pieces between the seam and the edge of the fabric, and in that space, it gives you some extra room to sew, without altering the size of the planned pattern that you are making.

A seam allowance is usually an extra 15 millimetres, which is 1.

5 centimetres, around the edge of each of the fabric pattern pieces, and it's the place where we will sew.

It's the extra place to sew.

So here you can see on this fabric pattern piece for our pocket, the seam allowance is around the edge, showing us where we would sew on that pocket.

And Andeep's just pointing out that the top of the pocket would need to be open, so that we won't sew in that place, so that's why there's no seam allowance at the very top of the pocket.

So the seam allowance is only in the places where we would be sewing the pieces together.

A quick check then, which of these images shows a typical seam allowance? So we've got A that's showing 150 millimetres, we've got B that's showing 15 centimetres, and we've got C that's showing 15 millimetres.

Pause the video and have a think.

Welcome back.

Did you remember how much the typical seam allowance was? Well done if you said it's 15 millimetres or 1.

5 centimetres.

Pattern pieces must be cut and attached accurately so that the edges line up before we begin to sew any seam, 'cause once we start sewing, that's the place that those fabrics are going to stay.

So we can see in the first image that the paper templates are used to cut out fabric pieces from a larger piece of fabric, then those two pieces of fabric need to be lined up so their edges are in the right place to be joined before we sew that seam into place, which will keep them permanently in that position.

To sew a seam, first of all, we need to be able to thread the needle ready to sew, and we thread a needle by passing the thread that we're going to be using through the eye of the needle, so that's the opening or the hole at the end of the needle.

You can use a needle threader to help you do this 'cause it can be a little bit tricky.

So there's a thread going through the eye of the needle, and there's a needle threader, which can be used to help you do that.

So it's a tool which is used to help that task, make that task a little bit easier.

We're also going to need to tie a knot in the end of our thread in order to stop the thread from coming out of the fabric when we start sewing the seam.

Tying a knot in the end of the thread stops it from coming loose.

So first of all, you need to hold the end of the thread that's not threaded through the needle, so it's the opposite end that we're going to put the knot in.

The quick way to do it is to wrap it around your index fingers, that's your pointy finger, wrap it around three times, so you've got a loop attached to your finger.

Then using your thumb, you're just going to roll that thread off the edge of your finger, making sure that the loose end, the short loose end goes through the loop that you've made by wrapping it around your finger, and then you can pull the thread together to form that knot.

If you're left with a long piece on the end, you can just snip it off to make it shorter.

So you might need to pause the video and have a little go at practising that technique, if you don't already know how to do it.

There are other ways to tie a knot, but this is a quick way to learn to do it if you are new to tying knot.

Of course you can secure a thread without tying a knot.

To do that, you need to hold the fabric in one hand and push your needle and thread through to the back of the fabric, and pull it all the way through, but making sure you're left with just a small bit that doesn't go through.

We don't want it to come out of the fabric.

We need it to just have a little bit that's left on the side that you can see.

Then you're going to push that needle back through from the back, close to the first hole, to make a small stitch.

And you can use your thumb to hold that thread in place so that it doesn't come out of position while you make that stitch.

And to secure that thread, you're just going to repeat the same stitch again in the same hole.

So you go back through the first hole that you made and come through from the back in that second hole that you made.

So you've got a stitch that runs right the way around the front and back of your fabric, and that is another way to secure your thread in place.

By passing the needle and thread through to the back of the fabric and returning it to the front, that's in and out of the fabric, that is creating a simple straight seam.

So that's what we mean by sewing a running stitch.

So you may have practised this before, simply going in and out of the fabric with your needle and thread creates a simple running stitch, which can be used to secure a straight seam.

You can see it there in the image what it would look like if you did that.

A back stitch is a different type of stitch that's used to add strength to a seam.

So this type of stitch is a little bit stronger than a simple running stitch because it creates a solid line of stitches.

So you can see from the image there's no gaps between the stitches in this type of stitch.

And the way it works is by stitching backwards to the previous stitch before you move on to the next stitch.

So you're still doing a running stitch, but you're going back and filling in the gaps each time before you move on to your next stitch.

Let's have a look at how that looks like in real life by watching the video together.

So to begin with, we need to secure our thread, so we push our needle through to the back of the fabric, pull that thread all the way through, and then hold onto that loose thread to keep it in place.

Push the needle through from the back of the fabric to return it to the front, pull it all the way through, and then repeat that by pushing the needle back through the first hole that you made and pulling the thread all the way through.

Now we can begin our stitch.

So we return from the back, but moving along a little bit along the fabric to make our next stitch.

We'll pull that thread all the way through, and then we're going to go back to that last hole that we made, push it through to the back, pull the thread all the way through.

We've closed that gap.

Then we move along a little bit further, push through from the back, pull that thread all the way through again, and return back again to that first hole and push through to the back.

Pull the thread through, closing that gap.

Move along, push that needle through from the back, pull the thread through, go back to the hole you made before that one, push it through, pull the thread through.

Again, no gaps.

Move along, push the needle through from the back, pull the thread through, then go back to that last hole, push it through to the back, pull the thread all the way through, creating that solid stitch.

And again, push it through from the back, pull the thread through, return to the last hole, push it through, pull that thread through.

And then to secure that stitch, you're going to come back up through the last hole that we made, so we're not making any new stitches, and repeat that last stitch in the same spot.

So we've got a double stitch at the end, and that's the complete run of stitches.

To end a run of stitches, when you've finished and got to the end of your seam, you need to secure the thread again to stop it from coming undone, and you can do this in two ways again.

So you can either the last stitch that you did in the same spot, so you've got two stitches in one spot, or you can remove the needle completely and use the knotting technique to tie a knot in the thread, which will also keep it in place.

Time for a task now.

So we're going to practise the skill of joining two fabric pieces using a straight seam.

So first of all, you need to cut out a square pocket template.

So you can use the one on the worksheet, or you can cut out your own square paper template.

Then you're going to use that template to cut out two fabric pocket pieces from scrap fabric, so you'll need two identical square pieces of fabric, as you can see here.

Then you're going to make sure you attach those two pieces together accurately.

So you need to line them up and pin or clip them together, so they stay in position ready to be sewn, and then you're going to practise sewing the seams of that fabric.

You can use a running stitch or a back stitch to sew the seams, making sure that you secure the thread at the beginning and end of each of your run of stitches.

You could sew all three sides in one run, or you could do three separate runs securing the thread at the start and end of each one.

Pause the video while you have a go at that, and come back when you're done.

Welcome back.

How did you get on? Well, Andeep has been practising his sewing skills, practising sewing that straight seam, and he cut out two pieces of fabric using the square paper template.

He pinned them together, making sure those edges lined up accurately, and then he sewed around three of the edges.

And he's telling us here that using small, even stitches helped to keep the seam straight.

So he's used a running stitch there to join his straight edges.

Well done if you managed to complete that task as well.

It's time to move on to the second part of the lesson now, where we'll be looking at sewing curved seams. So we've practised sewing a straight seams, now let's have a look at what changes we need to make in order to sew around a curved piece of fabric around the bend of a piece of fabric.

Pattern pieces can have curved edges, and if they do, they need a curved seam in order to join them.

So we can see on that curved pocket there, the curved edge needs a curved seam.

Pattern pieces with curved edges need to be cut accurately using paper templates.

So just like we did with the straight seams, they need to be cut accurately and joined accurately before we start.

The curve on both pieces needs to be at the same place and needs to be the same curve in order for them to fit together.

So again, we cut out two pieces from the fabric, we pin them together, and we sew them together in the same way.

Curved seam as sewn using exactly the same stitches as straight seam.

So we don't need to change the way we sew or the type stitches that we use in order to sew a curved seam.

Quick check before we move on then, which of these pockets would have a curved seam? So I've got three paper templates here.

Which one has a curved seam? Pause the video and have a think.

Welcome back.

What did you think? Well spotted if you said it was C.

C has got some straight edges, but the very edges of that pocket have got curved seams. So they don't have to be large curves.

It's just anywhere that doesn't follow a straight edge, doesn't have a straight seam.

Well done if you got that right.

So to follow the curve of a pattern as you sew, you need to rotate or turn the fabric as you go along.

So this is a change you need to make in order to sew a curved seam as opposed to a straight seam.

So we're using the same stitches, but we need a slightly different technique, a slightly different method.

So we're going to be turning the fabric as we go.

So we start to sew on one edge, we've secured our thread and we begin to sew our run of stitches.

And as the fabric starts to curve, then we can turn it around slightly so that we can still sew in and out in the same direction.

So rather than moving our arm and trying to sew in and out in a different position, we rotate the fabric so that we can carry on sewing in and out in a comfortable position.

So we keep turning as we sew.

Turn and sew, turn and sew until we get to the end and then we secure the thread again.

So we're not changing our hand position, we're changing the position of the fabric, and that's the technique we'll use.

Quick check then, which was the best method for sewing a curved seam? Was it using straight lines on all the edges? Was it sewing in a zigzag pattern? Or was it sewing in small sections and turning the fabric as we go? Pause the video and have a think.

Welcome back.

What did you think? Well done if you said it was sewing in small sections and rotating or turning that fabric as we go.

A little bit like when you're cutting paper, you cut and turn, cut and turn, just the same way as we do with this.

So it's time for the second task then where you're going to practise sewing those curved seams. So again, just like in the first task, you're going to cut out a curved pocket template this time, again from the worksheet or you can draw your own.

It needs to have a curved edge as well as those straight edges as well.

You're going to use that template to cut out two fabric pocket pieces from a piece of scrap fabric, so it'll look like this, two identical pieces of pocket fabric.

And then you're going to attach them together accurately, making sure the curve of the bottom of the pocket of each piece lines up together, secured with pins or clips, so that when we start to sew, they stay in that position.

And then you're going to practise using that rotation method of sewing a small section and rotating the fabric each time to practise sewing the curved seam.

Again, you could use a running stitch or a back stitch, whichever one you want, or you can practise half and half of both if you want, to try and join those two pieces together.

Pause the video while you have a go at that task and come back when you're done.

Welcome back.

How did you get on? Well, Andeep again has been practising his sewing skills, having a go at that curved seam.

He cut out his two fabric pieces using the template for the curved pocket.

He pinned them together accurately, making sure those curved edges lined up together, and then he used as sewing technique, the rotation sewing technique to make sure he sewed them accurately.

And he is pointing out there that rotating the fabric was the key to sewing that curved seam.

So making sure we turn and sew, turn and sew each time is the way we can make sure we follow that curve around without accidentally doing a straight seam.

Well done if you managed to do that as well.

We've reached the end of the lesson now, and we've had lots of practise of sewing some straight seams and some curved seams. We've learned that practise seams can be sewn on pieces of scrap fabric, so we don't need to wait until we're making an actual product before we can practise our technique of sewing those seams. Sewing on a piece of scrap fabric is a good way to get your technique right before you start.

Seams need to have an allowance, which is extra fabric allowed for a place to sew, and that's usually 15 millimetres.

Practise curved edge seams can be sewn on scrap fabric as well, so as well as those straight seams, we can practise a curved seam on scrap fabric.

And to sew those curved edges, a template needs to be attached accurately, and then we use that rotation method to make sure we follow that curve around the edge of the fabric.

I've had fun practising my techniques, I hope you have too and that you feel more confident in being able to sew a straight seam or a curved seam, depending on the pattern piece that you're going to use.

I hope to see you again in another lesson.

It's goodbye from me for now.

Goodbye.