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​:  ★ A fabric is a material that is made by  Online  ** 

● What is a ​fabric​?   braiding, knitting or weaving together  Definition of fabric 
threads such as nylon and silk so that you  “Definition of 
● What are ​textiles​? 
can make garments, curtains and sheets.  Fabric.” 
● What are ​garments​?    Collinsdictionary.Co
★ A textile is made of fabricated,  m​, HarperCollins 
 manufactured fibers or natural fibers and is  Publishers Ltd, 20 
turned into a material  Feb. 2020, 
  www.collinsdictiona
  ry.com/dictionary/en
★ A garment is any type of clothing and is  glish/fabric. 
mostly used when you talk about selling  Accessed 20 Feb. 
and manufacturing clothing.   2020. 
(Secondary) 
 
 
Online 
Definition of textile 
“What Are Textiles? 
| Study.Com.” 
Study.Com, 2020, 
study.com/academy
/lesson/what-are-te
xtiles.html. 
Accessed 20 Feb. 
2020.  ​
(Secondary) 
 
Online  
Definition of 
garment 
“Definition of 
Garment.” 
Collinsdictionary.Co
m, HarperCollins 
Publishers Ltd, 20 
Feb. 2020, 
www.collinsdiction
ary.com/dictionary/e
nglish/garment. 
Accessed 20 Feb. 
2020.  ​
(Secondary) 

MANUFACTURING  ● Cotton textile or cotton fabric are made by  Online  ** 
● How are cotton textiles  raw cotton. The raw cotton is taken apart and is  From Raw Cotton 
cleaned by removing parts of the cotton plant like  to Cotton Fabric 
made?  
the stem, seeds and the leaves of the plant. The  Toyota Industries 
● What are the basic  cotton goes through a process called carding which  Corporation. “From 
joining and assembly  separates the fibers in the cotton, the cotton is then  Raw Cotton to 
methods​ to attach  turned into parallel lines which are used to make  Cotton Fabrics | 
pieces of fabric  carded silver. Around 18-24 carded silvers are  Toyota Industries 
stretched to form a ‘web’ that is coiled into a lap  Corporation.” 
together? 
called the silver lap.   Toyota-Industries.C
  om, 2014, 
● The silver lab is stretched and combed   www.toyota-indust
even further to remove tiny fibers that carding could  ries.com/products/t
not remove. The drawn silver is so thick that it has  extile/process/. 
to be roved to make yarn, it is spun to make yarn.  Accessed 22 Feb. 
The yarn is put on bobbins into cheese or cones. The  2020.  ​
bobbins are placed into a warped machine so that  (Secondary) 
they can be the correct length and number of yarn.   
The warps are turned into beams to get ready to be  Online 
loomed. The beams get weaved into fabric and after  “How to Sew Two 
packaging, they are done.   Pieces of Fabric 
  Together: 6 
● The easiest and most basic way is to sew  Essential Tips.” 
pieces of fabric together. You can use a  AllFreeSewing.Com
sewing machine or a needle and thread to  , 26 Feb. 2019, 
sew fabric together. You have to make sure  www.allfreesewing.
there are no wrinkles and be aware of what  com/Basics-and-Tu
material the fabric is.   torials/How-to-Sew
-Two-Pieces-of-Fa
bric-Together. 
Accessed 22 Feb. 
2020.  ​
(Secondary) 
TECHNIQUES AND TOOLS  A sewing pattern is a plan or template of how the  Online  *** 
FOR MAKING  garment will be sewed . The plans are generally  Definition of 
drawn on paper.    Sewing Pattern 
● How do you draw a 
  “Definition of 
sewing​ ​pattern​? What  A good garment design is an integration of shapes,  Sewing Pattern.” 
are the key features of  colors, and textures all balanced together.   Collinsdictionary.Co
a good garment    m, HarperCollins 
pattern?    Publishers Ltd, 22 
You place the garment on a flat sheet of pattern  Feb. 2020, 
● What​ materials and 
paper, then you trace the perimeter or the edge of  www.collinsdiction
tools​ do I have  the garment. Then you add details to the trace like  ary.com/dictionary/e
available for making my  sleeves. Afterwards, do the same for the back of the  nglish/sewing-patte
product? (see Appendix  garment and don’t forget about the inlays. Final step  rn. Accessed 22 
A below)  is to cut out the pieces of the pattern.  Feb. 2020.  ​
  (Secondary) 
According to Appendix A, I can use anything from   
home. I also can use materials provided by the  Online  
school like buttons, rivets, thread, and needles. You  Garment Design 
should not buy your own fabric.   “Garment Design - 
an Overview | 
ScienceDirect 
Topics.” 
Sciencedirect.Com, 
2010, 
www.sciencedirect.
com/topics/enginee
ring/garment-desig
n. Accessed 22 Feb. 
2020.  ​
 
Online 
How to Make your 
Own Sewing 
Patterns 
wikiHow. “Make 
Your Own Sewing 
Patterns.” 
WikiHow, wikiHow, 
27 June 2014, 
www.wikihow.com/
Make-Your-Own-S
ewing-Patterns. 
Accessed 22 Feb. 
2020.  ​
(Secondary) 

CLIENT INFORMATION  Online  *** 

● Who could I design for?   Top 10 Trendy 
Dress Material to 
● What group (​target 
Wear in 2020 
audience​) does this  jeetenkushwa. “Top 
person represent?   10 Trendy Dress 
● What material  Material to Wear in 
properties or aesthetic  2020 - The Weekly 
Trends.” The 
factors need to be 
Weekly Trends, The 
taken into account for  Weekly Trends, 5 
this client? (What kind  Dec. 2019, 
of colours and style do  theweeklytrends.co
they like?)  m/top-10-trendy-dr
  ess-material-to-we
ar-in-2020/. 
Accessed 22 Feb. 
2020.  ​
(Secondary) 
 
Online 
Interior Decor 
Trends 2020: 
Trendy Materials 
“Interior Decor 
Trends 2020: 
 Trendy Materials - 
Magazine - 
Interismo Online 
Shop Global.” 
Interismo Online 
Shop Global, 2020, 
www.interismo.co
m/info/magazine/int
erior-decor-trends-
2020-trendy-materi
als. Accessed 22 
Feb. 2020.  ​
(Secondary) 
 

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