Sewing Machine and Garment Construction Process II – JSS3 Home Economics Lesson Note (Second Term)

Garment construction is the process of making clothes by using a sewing machine, shaping fabric with fullness and fitting openings and fastenings.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. State the causes and remedies of common sewing machine faults.
2. Explain what fullness is and name the ways of creating it.
3. State the uses of darts and tucks.
4. Describe gathers and pleats.
5. Name two types of openings and list types of fastenings.

What are the common sewing machine faults, causes and remedies?

A sewing machine fault is a problem that stops the machine from stitching well, and each fault has a cause and a remedy.

What is fullness?

Fullness is the extra allowance of fabric provided in a garment so that it fits the body and moves easily.

There are four ways of creating or controlling fullness: darts, tucks, gathers and pleats.

What are darts?

A dart is a tapered fold of fabric, wide at one end and narrowing to a point, stitched on the wrong side.

• Where used: at the bust, waist and shoulder of blouses, dresses and skirts.
• Shape: the stitching starts at the wide end and runs to the point.

Uses of darts

• Control fullness: they take away extra fabric where it is not needed.
• Shape the fabric: they turn flat fabric into shapes that fit the human figure.
• Improve fit: they give a good fit and shape to the finished garment.

What are tucks?

A tuck is a stitched fold made in a garment, usually formed on the right side.

Uses of tucks

• Extra width: they provide room in the garment.
• Decoration: they act as a style feature on blouses, dresses and shirts.
• Hiding a join: they cover a join in the fabric.

What are gathers?

Gathers are small, soft folds made by drawing fabric up along a line of stitches.

• Where used: children’s clothes and lightweight skirts.

How are gathers made?

1. Set the machine to the longest stitch.
2. Stitch two parallel rows along the edge to be gathered.
3. Pull the bobbin threads to draw the fabric into small folds.
4. Spread the folds evenly to fit the shorter piece.
5. Pin and stitch the gathered edge to the other piece.

What are pleats?

A pleat is a fold of material designed to give extra width to a garment.

• Where used: tailored skirts, dress skirts and shirts, to give fullness for wear.
• Knife pleat: all folds face the same direction.
• Box pleat: two folds face away from each other.
• Inverted pleat: two folds face towards each other.

What is the difference between darts and tucks?

A dart is a tapered fold that removes fullness and shapes the garment. A tuck is a stitched fold, usually of equal width, that gives width or decoration.

What are openings?

Openings are features in garments that help us put on and take off clothes, and they can also decorate the garment.

What are the types of openings?

Two common types of openings are the continuous wrap opening and the faced slit opening.

• Continuous wrap opening: a short opening that can be fastened with hook and eye, buttons and buttonholes, or press studs.
• Faced slit opening: used for front or back neck openings, and for wrist cuff openings on long sleeves that sit into a band.

What are fastenings?

Fastenings are devices attached to openings to close them.

What are the types of fastenings?

There are six common fastenings: zips, press studs, hooks and eyes or bars, buttons and loops, buttons and buttonholes, and eyelets and cords.

• Zips: two rows of teeth that lock together when the slider is pulled, as on skirts and trousers.
• Press studs: two small discs that snap together, used on light openings.
• Hooks and eyes or bars: a metal hook that catches a small loop or bar, used at the top of a zip or waistband.
• Buttons and loops: a button passes through a loop of thread or fabric.
• Buttons and buttonholes: a button passes through a stitched slit, as on shirts.
• Eyelets and cords: holes with metal rings through which a cord is laced and tied.

Evaluation

1. State two causes of the upper thread breaking and how to correct them.
2. What is fullness? Name four ways of creating it.
3. State three uses of darts.
4. Name two types of openings.
5. List four types of fastenings.

Assignment

Differentiate between darts and tucks, then state the cause and remedy of a noisy treadle and of skipping stitches.