New
New
Lesson 5 of 8
  • Year 3

Fabric patterns and seam allowance

I can plan and create fabric patterns.

Lesson 5 of 8
New
New
  • Year 3

Fabric patterns and seam allowance

I can plan and create fabric patterns.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Fabric patterns are paper shapes that are used to cut fabric for textile products.
  2. A seam is where two pieces of fabric are sewn together.
  3. Seam allowance is the extra fabric between the stitching and the edge, allowing for sewing.

Keywords

  • Fabric pattern - a paper template that shows the shapes needed to cut from fabric

  • Seam - a line of stitching that joins pieces of fabric together

  • Seam allowance - extra fabric between the stitching and the edge, allowing for room to sew

Common misconception

Fabric patterns are the same size as the product dimensions.

A seam allowance must be added to allow for joining; retaining the product dimesions.


To help you plan your year 3 design and technology lesson on: Fabric patterns and seam allowance, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

A pre-made pattern is available in the additional materials document.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Please see additional materials document for a list of resources needed in this lesson.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

Loading...

Prior knowledge starter quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these materials is commonly used to make clothes?

wood
Correct answer: cotton
paper
metal

Q2.
Which natural material comes from this animal?

An image in a quiz
cotton
silk
linen
Correct answer: wool

Q3.
Which of these fabrics is made from threads that come from a type of worm?

polyester
Correct answer: silk
wool
cotton

Q4.
Which of these fabrics is stretchy?

Correct answer: lycra
linen
denim
hessian

Q5.
Which process is used to turn threads into textiles?

sewing
dyeing
cutting
Correct answer: weaving

Q6.
What does the word 'synthetic' mean?

natural
shiny
Correct answer: man-made
stretchy

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

5 Questions

Q1.
Which pencil case is this template for?

An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz

Q2.
What is a seam allowance?

a line of stitches
a pattern piece
Correct answer: extra space allowed for joining
a template

Q3.
How big is a typical seam allowance?

15 cm
Correct answer: 15 mm
150 mm
5 cm

Q4.
Which pencil cases would fit a 180 mm pencil inside?

150 mm length
Correct answer: 190 mm length
135 mm length
Correct answer: 200 mm length

Q5.
Why do we need seams in clothing?

Correct answer: to hold fabric pieces together
to make clothes look colourful
to cut fabric into shapes
to glue fabric together