Lesson video

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 this lesson today.

Today's lesson is called Simple Pattern Pieces and it's part of the textile pattern pieces, hats and caps unit.

In this lesson we'll be looking at making accurate paper pattern pieces, which can be used to make fabric pattern pieces to construct our own hat designs.

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

The outcome of today's lesson is I can design fabric pattern pieces.

So we'll be looking at the stages we need to take a pattern design through to a paper pattern template to be used to cut out fabric pattern pieces as well.

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

So first of all, we've got the phrase pattern piece.

What do we mean when we're talking about that? Can you repeat that phrase, pattern piece? Well done.

And a pattern piece is a paper shape that shows you how to cut fabric into the correct shape to make a fabric product.

Then we've got the phrase, seam allowance.

Can you repeat that? Seam allowance.

Well done.

And a seam allowance is some extra fabric that's allowed for joining and it usually measures 15 millimetres.

So it's an extra space where we do the sewing.

And then finally we've got the word accurate.

Can you repeat that? Accurate.

Well done.

And accurate means being exact without making any mistakes and that's very important when it comes to making pattern pieces.

There are two parts to today's lesson.

First of all, we're going to be looking at planning our pattern pieces so we know exactly what shapes we will need in order to make our fabric hat product.

And then we'll be looking at accurate pattern cutting and why that is important.

So let's get started with planning our pattern pieces.

Pattern pieces are paper shapes that show us how to cut the fabric that we need to make a hat product.

Some pattern pieces are ready-made for us to use, but we can make our own made to measure pieces to fit our user.

Net diagrams can help us to see the shape of the pattern pieces that we will need to make.

So here we can see the 3D shape of a hat style.

The net of that hat style would look a little bit like this.

So that net is that flat opened out view of a 3D object.

And that tells us that we're going to need pattern pieces that look like this.

We're going to need a rectangular piece that is that central hat band, we're going to need a circular piece for the crown and we're going to need a circular piece with a centre taken out for the brim.

Once we've worked out the shapes of the pattern pieces that we're going to need, we can turn them into accurate pattern pieces using the sizing information, which are the measurements from our user.

So as part of a design brief, we would've taken some measurements of our user's head if we're going to be making a hat product for them.

And that information can help us make the pattern pieces.

Being accurate means that we need to use those exact measurements to help us.

So here we can see those pattern piece shapes that we worked out that we needed and we're going to turn those into finished pattern pieces that can be used to cut out fabric.

The measurements taken from our user can tell us exactly what size to make each pattern piece.

It is very important to be accurate with the measurements when we're making our pattern pieces.

Otherwise we will not get an accurate final product.

So if it's a hat product, we don't want it to be too tight or too big, we want it to fit correctly on our user.

Tape measures are used by milliners, which are hat designers, to take accurate measurements.

They are useful because they are so flexible.

So they can fit around the user's head to take those accurate measurements.

Tape measures can be used to measure in centimetres or inches.

So you may have noticed they sometimes have two sides, measuring on centimetres on one side and inches on the other side.

We're going to be using the side with the centimetres on for our measurements today.

A quick check then about measurements.

Can you match these measurements? So we're going to be working in millimetres and centimetres and we need to remember there are 10 millimetres in one centimetre.

So can you match these measurements? The millimetres on the left, match them to the centimetre measurement on the right.

Pause the video and come back when you're done.

Welcome back.

How did you get on? So let's have a look if you managed to match those.

So if there are 10 millimetres in one centimetre, then the millimetres are going to be 10 times bigger than the centimetre measurement.

So 540 millimetres is matched to 54 centimetres because that's 10 times smaller than 540.

140 millimetres is 14 centimetres, 270 millimetres is 27 centimetres and 370 millimetres is 37 centimetres.

Well done if you managed to get that right.

Now, we can use paper to make a prototype of our hat to help us work out the measurements.

We can use the sizing measurements from our user and recycle paper to make the shapes that we need and we can assemble it together to check that that sizing is going to work.

Sofia is using the measurements that she took of Jacob's head to help her work out the measurements for the pattern pieces that she's going to need.

So this is the information she has here in the table of Jacob's head measurements, the circumference, which is the distance around the head, the crown height, which is the distance between the top of the head and where the hat will sit above the ear, the width, which is the distance from ear to ear and the length which is the distance from back to front, front to back.

So those measurements are what we need for our pattern pieces.

She's making a brimmed hat for Jacob, so she knows that she's going to need a side panel, a crown and a brim.

So those are not to scale at the moment.

Those are just the pattern pieces that she knows that she will need, the shapes that she knows she will need.

Sofia first of all, used the circumference measurements.

That was the measurement around the head and the crown height, so the distance from the top of the head, to just above the ear, to work out the size of the side panel for her brimmed hat.

So the circumference of Jacob's head was 540 millimetres.

So that means the side panel is going to need to be 540 millimetres wide so that when it's curved around into a band, it will fit around his head.

The crown height measurement from Jacob will help her work out how tall that band needs to be as well.

So she now knows that the side panel band needs to be 540 millimetres long and 140 millimetres tall and that will help her to make an accurate pattern piece for that piece of the hat.

And she's saying here that she drew the shape accurately onto paper using a ruler.

So the tape measure's used to take the measurements of the head, but a ruler should be used to draw the straight lines of your pattern pieces.

Sofia then accurately cut the template out.

So that means that she followed the lines exactly used with her scissors because we don't want to change the shape by going away from the line that you've drawn.

Then she taped that piece into the correct shape.

So you can see here it's taped into a band shape and there's a view looking down on it.

It should be in a circular shape now because this is going to be the part that goes around the head.

And an important point that Sofia's reminding us of here is try not to overlap the edge too much because that will change the shape of the band.

So we want the edges to butt up together so we can tape it and it will not change the shape of that band.

Once she'd done that, Sofia carefully drew around the taped panel and cut out the shape to create the circle for her crown.

So in order to get the crown the right size for the top of Jacob's head, she drew around that side panel that she's already assembled into the right shape.

Now, this can be quite tricky because the paper is quite flexible, so you may need to be quite gentle with your pencil, make some marks so that you can draw that circle accurately in place.

And that will need to be cut out very carefully as well.

Once she created that circular crown piece, she could use that to create the centre of her brim because the shape of the crown and the inside circle of the brim should be the same size because that's the width of Jacob's head.

So she laid that piece on a piece of paper and drew round it to create the centre of the brim.

She then decided how wide she wanted the brim to be on Jacob's hat.

So this is the part that extends out from the hat.

So Sofia decided she wanted it to be 80 millimetres wide.

And she drew another circle that was 80 millimetres larger than the first circle all the way around.

So she measured out 80 millimetres from the sides and the top and bottom and then drew another circle that was 80 millimetres bigger in all directions.

And then she very carefully cut out that circle and cut out the centre to create the brim.

So this can be quite tricky.

It might take a little bit of time to get this done and we need to work accurately so that the sizing is correct.

Once she had all the pieces that she needed, she taped all of the pattern pieces together to create the shape and style of hat that she's planning on making.

So you can see here we've got the crown taped to that band, which is then attached to the brim that she made as well.

So this is a prototype.

It doesn't have to look exactly as the finished product is going to be.

It gives you an idea of the size that the hat is going to be once it is made.

True or false, then, on a straight sided top hat, like the one you can see here, the circular shape of the crown and the centre of the brim are the same size.

Is that true or false? Pause the video and have a think.

Welcome back.

What did you think? Well done if you said that is true.

Exactly.

They both join onto the side panel, which is the width of the user's head.

So that top crown piece should be the same width as the inside circle of the brim because they're fitting over that same part of the head.

Well done if you got that right.

So let's just recap those steps to make a paper prototype hat in order to check the measurements of our user.

First of all, we need to accurately draw and cut out the side panel using that circumference and crown height measurement.

Then we need to join that side panel with tape without overlapping to create that circular shape.

Then we need to draw and cut out a circle for the crown using that taped band.

Then we need to draw around that crown shape onto another piece of paper to create the centre of the brim.

Then we need to draw a larger circle around that central circle and cut out the brim.

And then we need to assemble those pieces together to create our prototype hat.

Now, Izzy has chosen a different style of hat.

She's chosen to make a baseball cap and that has some different steps to make the pieces that you will need.

So first of all, you would need to use the user's head circumference and divide that by six and that will give you the width of the bottom of each of those individual side panels that you need to make a baseball cap.

And the user's crown heights, that was the measurement from the top of the head to just above the ear, will tell you how tall to make those side panels.

So by using those two measurements, you can make six identical panels that can be used to make the main parts of a baseball cap.

Then you'll need to make the peak of the baseball cap and that should be the same width as two of those individual side panels next to each other.

So the peak shape can be any size coming out from the hat, but it needs to be the width of two of those panels because they will be at the front of the hat and you want your peak to be the width of the front of your hat.

So that leads us to the first task in this lesson.

You're going to follow the steps to make your own paper prototype of your hat design using your user's measurements.

You're going to choose one of the styles that closely matches your hat design to help you make your pattern pieces.

So if you're making a brimmed hat, like Jacob's, with a brim that extends all the way around, then you'll need to make a side panel, a crown and a brim in the size that matches your design.

If you're making a brimless hat, you'll need to make a side panel and a crown, but you won't need to make the brim.

And if you're making the baseball hat, like Izzy, then you'll need to make six side panels using your user's measurements and a peak that is the width of the front of your user's head.

Make a note of the measurements that you use to make each piece, it's a good idea to write them on each piece, so that you can use them again to make your final pattern pieces later.

Pause the video while you complete that task and come back when you have your completed paper prototype hat.

Welcome back.

So now you've made all your pieces and attempted to put them together, you may have noticed that some adjustments need to be made and this is your chance to do that now.

So if there are any pieces that are too big or too small, don't fit correctly when you come to put them together, then you need to make those adjustments to make them fit correctly and you'll need to make a note of the new measurements so that you know how big or small it will be for the next stage of the making process.

Pause the video while you make any necessary adjustments and come back when you're done.

Welcome back.

So these pupils follow the steps to make a paper prototype hat of their designs.

Alex was making a brimless hat, so he said that he did not need to make a brim for his hat design.

He cut out the side panel and the circular crown section and then he joined them together to make his hat prototype.

And Izzy, as we know, was making a baseball style cap.

So she has joined the side panels together to make the side panel and crown in one on her hat and attach that visor to the front as well.

Hopefully you've managed to follow some of those steps to make your hat prototype.

Well done if you finish that task.

So let's move onto the second part of the lesson now.

In this part of the lesson we'll be looking at cutting out accurate pattern pieces to use to cut the fabric pieces for our hat designs.

If that paper prototype that we made in the first part of the lesson is the correct size and shape, we can use those measurements to make the final pattern pieces.

The pattern pieces should be accurately drawn again onto another piece of paper.

So we've already joined our pattern pieces from that first section and we should have written on them the measurements that we needed for each piece.

And if we need to make adjustments, then those measurements should have been adjusted on there as well.

So now we can draw our new paper pattern pieces, making sure they are accurate and they're going to fit together for the final product.

So we draw them again on another piece of paper.

You need to make sure that you leave space around each piece because we're going to add on to these paper pattern pieces, so we need a little bit of room around each one to draw some extra bits.

A 15 millimetre, which is one and a half centimetres seam allowance, should be added onto the edges of each pattern piece where it will be joined to another piece.

So not every side of every pattern piece will need a seam allowance, just where you're going to join it to another piece.

Seam allowance is extra space that we will need to sew.

So if we're not going to sew on one side of a pattern piece, then we don't need to allow that extra space.

But anywhere that's going to be joined to something else, we'll need that 15 millimetre seam allowance added on.

Once we've cut out those new shapes with the seam allowance added on, then that creates the final pattern piece that's ready to use onto fabric.

So that's why we need to make sure it's accurate and it has that seam allowance because we need to make sure the fabric we cut is exactly the right size to make the final product.

A quick check then, how big is a typical seam allowance? Was it 1.

5 millimetres, was it 15 centimetres or was it 15 millimetres? Pause the video and have a think.

Welcome back.

What did you think? Well done if you said it was 15 millimetres.

Exactly.

15 millimetres or 1.

5 centimetres.

Well done if you got that right.

So the final pattern pieces that you will need will be slightly different depending on the hat that you're making.

So these are the final pattern pieces that you would need to make a brimmed hat.

So we've got the brim with the cutout in the centre and the seam allowances only in the centre because the edge of the brim is not going to be sewn to anything else.

We've got that side band side panel which has a seam allowance all the way around because that's going to be joined to the brim and to the crown.

So it needs a seam allowance all the way around.

And we've got the crown, which also has a seam allowance all the way around because it will be joined to the edge of that side panel.

The solid lines on these pieces are where we're going to cut out the shapes and the dashed line, the dotted line, shows where we're going to stitch those pieces together.

So that's the edge of the seam allowance.

If you were making a baseball cap style hat, then the final pattern pieces you would need for that are a side panel shape and a peak shape.

So you're going to use the side panel piece to make six shapes out of fabric, but you only need one paper template.

So you'll have one side panel and one peak.

And again, the solid line is where we'll cut the shape out and the dashed dotted line is where we will be sewing that extra space that we've added.

The pattern pieces need to be cut out very carefully and very accurately to make sure those sizes stay the same.

Inaccurate cutting will change the size or the shape of the pattern pieces, and that may mean that they will not fit together properly when we come to assemble the final product.

So we don't want to change the shape of those pieces.

A quick check then.

Why is accuracy so important when cutting the pattern pieces? Is it A, so we know which pattern pieces we need? Is it B, so we have the correct number of pieces, or is it C, so the final product fits together? Pause the video and have a think.

Welcome back.

What did you think? Well done if you said it's C, so the final product fits together.

Exactly.

We want those pieces to be accurate so they fit together properly.

Well done if you got that right.

So that leads us to the final part of the lesson.

This is where you're going to be creating your final pattern pieces.

So first of all, you're going to use a ruler to accurately draw and label your pattern templates onto a large sheet of paper.

And you need to make sure you leave space around them so that there's room to add onto each piece because we're going to add that seam allowance later on.

Pause the video while you draw those shapes and come back when you're done.

Welcome back.

Have you got your shapes drawn accurately onto your piece of paper? If you have, then it's time for the second part of the task.

So this is where you need to add that 15 millimetre seam allowance to the joining edges of each piece.

So work out which pieces are going to be joined to another piece, which edge is joined, and that's where you need to add a further 15 millimetres onto the edge.

It's the same shape as the edge of the pattern piece, but a little bit extra space for you to sew.

Draw those on accurately like you did in the first task and then come back when you're done.

Welcome back.

So we should have those shapes with their 15 millimetre extra seam allowance added onto them as well in the places that it's needed.

Now it's time for the final part.

You need to very carefully cut out each of those pieces following the lines that you have drawn exactly.

So try not to change the shape and size of each piece by following your lines accurately.

So remember, these are the new lines you've drawn where you've made your shape slightly bigger to allow for that seam allowance.

So make sure you don't cut that seam allowance off.

We need that in order to give us room to sew.

Pause the video while you complete that and come back when you're done.

Welcome back.

So Sofia has been getting her pattern pieces ready.

She's made her final pattern pieces that she needs to use to make a brimmed hat.

She's got her side panel, or band, which has a seam allowance all the way around.

She's got her crown piece, which has a seam allowance all the way around and she's got her brim pattern piece, which only has a seam allowance in the centre because the outside edge of the brim is not going to be joined to anything.

Well done, Sofia, for getting your pattern pieces ready and well done if you've managed to complete that task as well.

We have come to the end of the lesson now.

We've had lots of fun today preparing our paper pattern pieces, ready to use to cut our fabric pattern pieces to make our hat products.

We've learned that designs can be measured and drawn accurately using millimetres, centimetres, or inches using a tape measure and a ruler.

We were using centimetres and millimetres in today's lesson.

A seam allowance of 15 millimetres needs to be added to our designs, to the pattern pieces, that gives us room to join those pieces together.

And pattern pieces can be made from paper to create a prototype so that we can check the measurements before we make our final pattern pieces.

Thank you for joining me for this lesson today.

I hope to see you again in another lesson in the future.

Goodbye for now.