Task A2 | R

​ esearch plan 
🔎 What? 
 
❗Why? 
 
Construct a research plan, which states and prioritizes the  You want to identify valuable sources of information to 
primary and secondary research needed to develop a solution  provide input for your project (now and later) and you want to 
to the problem.  make sure you balance your research efforts over the different 
areas of research that are needed.  

⚙ How? 
 
Adjust and extend the provided partial research plan in order to: 
● Identify​ primary and secondary sources that you could consult in order to be a knowledgeable designer in this project, 
ready to design and create. Use the following prompts: 
○ You can make observations, do measurements and experiments. 
○ You can interview (experienced) experts or other stakeholders in your project. 
○ You can survey your target audience. 
○ You can consult secondary sources. 
● Describe​ what you want to learn from each of these sources in detail. 
● Prioritize​ the importance of each part of your research (you may not have time to do it all!). 
● Research​ and find out the answers! P ​ resent​ all research notes from your research in the table below. This section can 
contain pieces of text directly copy-pasted from sources, results of surveys, photographs, transcripts of interviews etc. 

Research Plan + Research 

Research questions  What  Where could I find  Prioritization 
is the answer?  an answer?   * = Good to 
What type of  know   
source is it?  ** = Useful   
Primary or  *** = Directly 
useful   
Secondary? 
**** = Vital  
 

PROPERTIES:  ● Cotton is prized for its comfort, easy-care,  Online   *** 

[***] What properties (or  and affordability and is ideal for clothing,
characteristics) of a fabric 
determine what you can do with  ●
it?  Products
   
bedding, towels, and furnishings. ​(Cotton  Cotton Fibers and 
Fibers)  its Properties 
Characteristics of Cotton Fibers and  (secondary) 
   
○ Comfortable to wear   
○ Natural, cellulosic fiber  Fabric 
○ Absorbs water and “breathes”  Characteristics for 
○ Slow to dry  Garment 
○ Resists static electricity build-up  Manufacturing 
○ Wrinkles easily  (secondary) 
○ Can withstand heat, detergents, 
and bleach 
○ About 20% stronger when wet 
than dry 
○ Will shrink unless treated 
○ Can be damaged by mildew 
○ Can be damaged by prolonged 
exposure to sunlight ​(Fabric 
Characteristics) 

DEFINITIONS​:  F A B R I C 
 
"What Is TEXTILE? **** 
● What is the fabric?  
 
A Simple Guide to
→ Fabric is used for making things like clothes,  Different Types of
● What are ​textiles​?  sheets, curtains, and many more. It is made by 
Textiles." ​Sew
● What are ​garments​?  twisting cotton which produces the fabric 
Guide​,
↳ wool, silk, nylon, other threads 
 T E X T I L E S 
 
sewguide.com/what
 
-are-textiles/.
→ Textiles are materials that are made from tiny 
Accessed 26 Feb.
fibers that can be man-made or come from nature. 
The fiber is twisted into a yarn and then woven or  2020​.
knitted into a fabric. 
  ____________
G A R M E N T S 
 

→ A garment is a piece of clothing that is made by  DiSalvo, Melanie.

fabric or other textile materials. Some garments can  "What Are Textiles
either be knitted or woven and the fibre that is used  and Fibers?" ​Virtue
can be natural, cellulose, or synthetic. Overall a  + Vice​, 10 Oct.
garment is an item of clothing.   2018,

shopvirtueandvice.c
om/blogs/news/texti
les-101-what-are-te
xtile-fibers.
Accessed 26
Feb. 2020.  
 
_________________
_ 
 
"Fabric Definition."
Collins CObuild​,
www.collinsdictiona
ry.com/dictionary/
english/fabric.
Accessed 26 Feb.
2020.  
 
_________________
_ 
 
"What Is Garment |
Classification of
Garments." ​Clothing
Industry​,

clothingindustry.blo
gspot.com/2017/12/
garment-classificati
on.html. Accessed
26 Feb. 2020.  

MANUFACTURING  C O T T O N T E X T I L E S P R O C C E S S  "How Is Cotton ** 

● How are cotton textiles    Grown?" ​How
made?   → ​When the plant has come out, machines are  Products Are
used to remove the leaves. This is usually done  Made​,
● What are the basic  cottonaustralia.co
with chemicals.  
joining and assembly  m.au/
● After that two machines are used to 
methods​ to attach 
harvest the cotton. The machine uses  how-is-cotton-gro
pieces of fabric 
wind to pull the cotton from the plant.  wn. Accessed 4
together? 
It breaks the plant and separates trash  Feb. 2020
from the cotton using air.  
● Moisture is also important so moisture  _______________
detectors are used to make sure that 
M. Varghese,
the moisture isn’t higher than 12%. If it 
Anish. "Cotton
is then the cotton won’t be harvested  Fiber." ​Science
or stored properly.   Direct​, 2018,
● The cotton is then stored to “modules”  www.sciencedirec
getting them ready to be ginned.  t.com/
● The cotton module is cleaned, 
compressed, tagged, and stored at the  topics/materials-s
cience/cotton-fiber
gin.  
. Accessed 4 Feb.
● After that, the cotton enters module  2020.
feeders. Some gins use vacuum pipes   
 to send fibers to the cleaning   
equipment.  ________________ 
● When the cotton is cleaned, it is then  "Alternative
Methods of Fabric
sent to bales which go to factories. 
Joining." ​The
● From the bales, the cotton is sent to  Textile Education​,
spinning factories in order for them to 
be laid in thick sheets.  texeducation.wordp
● From the sheets, it will be made into  ress.com/2014/04/1
long ropes. This will be stretched and  1/alternative-metho
twisted, making it into yarn.  ds-of-fabric-joining-
1/.
● It is then sent to big spools for it to go 
Accessed 26
to the spinning machine. 
Feb. 2020.  
● The spinning machine makes it into 
 
fabric.   
● The made fabric will be washed and 
can be dyed. 
 
M E T H O D S 
 
● Fusing​ → The resin or polymer coated side 
of the fabric is spread on the underside of 
the garments fabric. It is then joined by 
applying heat and pressure. 
 

● Welding & Adhesive​ → this method isn’t 

used as much as the fabrics must have at 
least 65% thermoplastic fibre in order to 
join it. Heat is applied on the fabric to join it 
 

TECHNIQUES AND TOOLS  S E W I N G P A T T E R N  What is a pattern  *** 

FOR MAKING    (Wikipedia) 
A pattern is the template of the parts of a garment.   
● How do you draw a 
It is traced onto a fabric before cutting it out and   
sewing​ ​pattern​? What  assembling it. The pattern is usually made of paper 
are the key features of   
a good garment  1. Using a chalk, trace the seams 
pattern?  2. Spread out the pattern paper 
3. Grab the original garment and flatten it out 
● What​ materials and 
on top of the paper 
tools​ do I have  4. Trace around the perimeter of the largest 
available for making my  area 
product? (see Appendix  5. Repeat step 4 for the other smaller pieces 
A below)  6. Sketch a seam allowance 
7. Cut out the pieces 
 
T O O L S 
 
- Thread (polyester and cotton and waxed) 
- Eyelets  
- Studs 
- Rivets 
- Snap fasteners 
- Velcro (sew-on and stick on) 
- Anything you request that is approved by 
the teacher. 
- Fabric glue 
- Contact adhesive (Elmer’s multi-purpose 
spray adhesive) 
- Sewing machine (Brother JA1450NT) 
- Needles 
- Seam ripper 
- Fabric shears 
- Rotary cutter 
- Hole punch 
- Rivet/eyelet setter and die 
 CLIENT INFORMATION     
● Who could I design for?  
● What group (​target 
audience​) does this 
person represent?  
● What material 
properties or aesthetic 
factors need to be 
taken into account for 
this client? (What kind 
of colours and style do 
they like?) 
 
 

A2 Assessment 
Level  Descriptor  Typical features of student work 

0  The student does not reach a standard described by any of the descriptors below. 

1-2  The student ​states​ s​ ome​ research needed to  ❏ A limited amount of sources and information is stated which 
develop a solution to the problem, ​with  makes it difficult to find the answers to the research 
some guidance​.  questions. Some sections were incomplete. Be sure to review 
your work for completeness. 
❏ There is only one type of source used in your research. Both 
primary and secondary sources are needed. 
❏ You did not prioritize your research in your planning. 
Prioritization is important for organising your research. 

3-4  The student ​states​ the research needed to  ❏ Some sources and information are stated which makes it 
develop a solution to the problem, ​with  challenging to find the answers to the research questions. If 
some guidance.  you identify more sources, you will have a broader 
understanding of the research questions. 
❏ There is only one type of source used in your research. Both 
primary and secondary sources are needed. 
❏ You did not prioritize your research in your planning. 
Prioritization is important for organising your research. 

5-6  The student ​constructs​ a research plan,  ❏ A number of sources and information are stated. You 
which s​ tates​ and p
​ rioritizes​ the primary and  demonstrated that you can find the answers to the research 
secondary research needed to develop a  questions. Even more appropriate sources would strengthen 
solution to the problem, ​with some  your understanding. 
guidance​.  ❏ There are a few types of sources used in your research. 
Having a good variety of sources allows you to get 
information from different viewpoints. 
❏ You prioritized your research in your planning. 

7-8  The student constructs a research plan,  ❏ An effective number of sources and information are stated. 
which s​ tates​ and p
​ rioritizes​ the primary and  You demonstrated that you can find the answers to the 
secondary research needed to develop a  research questions from a number of relevant sources. 
solution to the problem i​ ndependently​.  ❏ There is an excellent variety of types of sources used in your 
research. Primary and secondary sources provide a broad 
understanding as you move forward. 
❏ You prioritized your research in your planning. This will help 
keep you organised in preparing for the next step of the 
criterion. 

   
Appendix A: Tools and Materials (primary source) 
For this project, you will be provided with the materials and tools listed below. The list is not exhaustive but gives a good idea of 
what is reasonably available. It is up to you to figure out how to use and process them. You will have to make sure you understand 
the properties of the materials and tools you choose in order to make smart design choices for your product. 
 

Fabric and materials you need to provide yourself 

● Anything you can reclaim from garments otherwise thrown away. This will not be provided. You need to bring it in from 
home. 
● Straps, buckles, buttons etc that you can reclaim from garments otherwise thrown away. 
● Do not buy fabric! 
 

Tools and materials provided by the school 

● Thread (polyester and cotton and waxed) 
● Eyelets  
● Studs 
● Rivets 
● Snap fasteners 
● Velcro (sew-on and stick on) 
● Anything you request that is approved by the teacher. 
● Fabric glue 
● Contact adhesive (Elmer’s multi-purpose spray adhesive) 
● Sewing machine (Brother JA1450NT) 
● Needles 
● Seam ripper 
● Fabric shears 
● Rotary cutter 
● Hole punch 
● Rivet/eyelet setter and die