Task A4 | D

​ esign brief 
🔎 What? 
  
❗Why? 
 
Develop a design brief, which  You have to make a decision at this point in the project: What will you design and create, 
presents the analysis of relevant  for whom and why. You want your decision to be based on sufficient background 
research.  research.  

⚙ How? 
Research results summary 
● Present​ the main results of your research (from A2) in a concise list of bullet points. This must be in your own words! 
● Illustrate​ your take-aways with imagery wherever you feel this reduces the amount of writing needed. However, don’t 
add images for the sake of adding images. Cite any images that you use. 
● Cite​ (in-text) from the sources that you found your answers from. Use the proper MLA format. 

DEFINITIONS  By consulting sources, I have found out: 

● Fabric is a cloth made with cotton, silk, and synthetic cloth. (Dictionary 
Fabric) 
● A textile is a cloth that is produced through a woven fabric, knitting for 
felting. (Dictionary Textile) 
● A garment is any type of clothing. E.x. Dress, shirt, pants, skirt etc.  
(Dictionary garment​) 

MANUFACTURING  After the cotton is retrieved and packaged it is sent to a factory where they turn it into a 
textile.(How cotton is made) 
The silver lap is created by drafting carded slivers together. Then a loose form of 
string/web is generated, and rolled up making a silver lap. The silver lap is comed and 
processed until all the yarn is wound on a bobbin. This product is sent to another factory 
where the item is made. 
The yarn is continuously woven into a textile shape.  
Lastly workers sow the textile fabrics together in order to make a garment 
People usually sew two pieces of fabric together with a sewing machine or by hand. 
(From raw cotton to cotton fabrics) 
1. Align the pieces of fabric together 
2. Pin the fabrics together (remove any folds or wrinkles)   
3. If using sewing machine make sure the foot is following the side of the fabric (so 
that the stitches aren't too close to the edge)  
4. If sewing by hand you might want to draw out a line to follow when sewing. 
Remember to leave at least ¼ of an inch space between the side and the stick lines. If you 
are sewing by hand remember to double thread your needle and make a knot at the end. 
(How to Sew Fabric Together Seamlessly) 

TECHNIQUES AND  By consulting sources such as, I have found out the following information that I can use for 
TOOLS FOR MAKING  designing and creating my product: 
A pattern is the template from which the parts of a garment are traced onto fabric before 
being cut out and assembled. Patterns are usually made of paper. (​wikipedia​) 
Basic steps to making a pattern (​wikiHow​)​: 
1. Trace the seams with chalk or a fabric pen 
2. Spread out the pattern paper. 
3. Flatten the original garment on top of the paper.  
4. Trace around the perimeter of the largest area. 
5. Repeat for the back and the smaller pieces. 
6. Sketch a seam allowance. 
7. Cut out the pieces. 
I have cotton pants, a cotton shirt, sewing utensils, and material listed in 
Appendix A   
CLIENT INFORMATION  By consulting sources such as my younger sister, I have realized the following 
considerations should be taken into account when designing and creating my product: 
I will be designing a zipper pouch for my younger 10 year old sister. Daina is a 4th grade 
student at CIS who really likes cats. When I interviewed her she said that she wanted a 
zipper pouch with the color palette Grey, blue and black like so:

(​Blue Gray Color Scheme​) 

I want to make a cat themed zipper pouch since she really likes cats, and most of her 
clothes have a cat imprint on them. After looking at my Pinterest board I chose the design 
shown below, I think that if I adapt the design a bit by making the mouch a bit smaller than 
she will like it more.  

PRACTICAL SKILLS  By completing the practical skills tasks, I have learned the following skills (list & explain): 

● How to attach a ​button​ to a cloth using sewing 

● How to sew an o ​ verstitch 
● How to sew a b ​ ackstitch 
● How to sew a r​ unning stitch  
● How to sew a b ​ lanket stitch 
● How to sew a f​ inishing knot 
● How to sew a f​ rench knot  
● How to make a b ​ raid 
The skills that will be useful for my project are (list & explain why): 
● I am planning on sewing on the zipper using a back stitch.This is so that I am sure 
that the zipper is stuck on and won't come off. 
● I will be using buttons as eyes. For that I will be using the skill ‘how to attach a 
button to a cloth using sewing’ so that I can keep the button on the pouch. 
● I will also be using the back stitch to hold the two pieces of fabric together. The 
backstitch is the strongest stitch that you can do by hand. 
● I will be using the overstitch to make the cat's feet/ toes. I think that 
overstitching is a good stitch for this because I need a stitch that will go over the 
fabrik onto the other side. 
● I will be sewing the nose on with a blanket stitch. I chose the blanket stitch 
because I like how it looks and I think it'll keep the nose on securely   
● I will be using a finishing knot to end the string securely. This is so that my fabric 
doesn't separate itself and stays together.  
● I will be sewing on a braid on the back of the pouch so that it looks like the cat’s 
tail. I think this is a good idea for it is what my customer asked for. 
The skills that I still need to practice or want to learn more about are (list & explain): 
● I want to practice learning to sew a button on a cloth a bit more. I struggled on 
doing this last time and I don't want it to affect my overall product  
● Although I won't be using the French knot on my final item, I think that I should 
practice this skill more. I had trouble with it when I did it and had to rewatch the 
tutorial many times before getting it right. 
 Works cited 
● List​ any sources of information used in this section. Present in-text citations in your r​ esearch summary​ section to the 
references listed in this section. 

1. "Blue Gray Color Scheme." schemecolor-logo, 9 Feb. 2020, www.schemecolor.com/ 

blue-gray-color-scheme.php. Accessed 4 Mar. 2020.  
2. Textile School. 13 Mar. 2018, www.textileschool.com/164/ 
cotton-fibers-and-its-properties/. Accessed 4 Mar. 2020.  
3. "Fabric Characteristics for Garment Manufacturing." Clothing Industry, 2020, 
clothingindustry.blogspot.com/2017/12/fabric-characteristics-garment.html. 
Accessed 4 Mar. 2020.  
4. "Dictionary." Dictionary, www.google.com/ 
search?q=dictionary&rlz=1C5CHFA_enSG861SG862&oq=dictionary&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l7. 
3854j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#dobs=fabric. Accessed 4 Mar. 2020.  
5. How Cotton Is Processed in Factories | How It's Made. Composed by Science 
Channel, 2019.  
6. Corporation, Toyota Industries. "From Raw Cotton to Cotton Fabrics." Toyota 
Industries Corporation, 2020, www.toyota-industries.com/products/textile/ 
process/. Accessed 4 Mar. 2020.  
7. How to Sew Two Pieces of Fabric Together: 6 Essential Tips. 
www.allfreesewing.com/Basics-and-Tutorials/ 
How-to-Sew-Two-Pieces-of-Fabric-Together. Accessed 4 Mar. 2020.  
8. "How to Make Your Own Sewing Patterns." WikiHow, 12 Dec. 2019, www.wikihow.com/ 
Make-Your-Own-Sewing-Patterns. Accessed 4 Mar. 2020. 

Project commitment 
● State​ what type of product you are going to develop in your project in this unit and ​outline​ the direct practical purpose 
of this product. 
● Outline​ the bigger picture purpose of the product. 
● Describe​ the client or target audience for whom you will develop the product. 

Product and Purpose   In this project, I will create a cat shaped sustainable zipper pouch for my younger sister.   
 
The purpose of my product is to hold pencils and school stationery items. I will also be 
extending the life of an old textile for a good cause. 

Design Goal  My product will address the design problem of “textiles being quickly sent to landfills” by 
giving old textiles a new life and reusing materials that would go to waste. I think that this 
is a good way to recycle because most textiles that are thrown out can be reused, yet 
endup as pollution. 
 

Intended   My product is intended to be used by young primary students who like pets and cats. 
Target audience  Someone who needs a new pencil case and likes cats. 

Target audience representative  I would describe my client as a cat loving 4th Grade student. She asked me to make her a 
new pencil case when I did a sewing class in November, but unfortunately I didn't have 
the time. 
Her needs and wants for the product is that she wants it to follow a grey, blue and black 
color palette. She wants it to be soft and agreeable to touch, like cotton fabric. She also 
wants it to be durable and sustainable. Lastly, it would be ideal if the zipper pouch would 
look cute and cat-like. 
 

   
A4 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 some​ of the  ❏ Summary contains little credible, factual information. More evidence of 
main findings of relevant  relevant research was needed. 
research.  ❏ Sources are not cited (in​text or footnote). Review the MLA format for 
citations. 
❏ Works Cited is not complete. Use Noodletools. 
❏ The project commitment identifies the product and client in a limited way. 
More explanation of the needs & wants of the client are needed. 

3-4  The student ​outlines​ a basic  ❏ Report includes some credible, factual information about the issue. More 
design brief, which ​outlines  explanation of your findings and more varied sources was needed. 
some​ findings of relevant  ❏ Some sources are cited (intext or footnote). Review the MLA format for 
research.  citations. 
❏ Works Cited - Student attempts some sort of listing of texts but in an 
improper and incorrect way. Use Noodletools. 
❏ The project commitment describes the product and client. More 
explanation of the needs & wants of the client are needed. 

5-6  The student ​describes​ a design  ❏ Summary effectively recaps relevant and credible information about the 
brief, which ​describes​ the  issue. A greater variety of sources would prepare you for further for the 
findings of relevant research.  next stage. 
❏ Sources are cited properly (intext or footnote). 
❏ Works cited is correct. 
❏ The project commitment explains the product and client.  

7-8  The student ​develops​ a design  ❏ Report effectively synthesizes relevant and credible information about the 
brief, which ​presents​ the  issue. 
analysis​ of relevant research.  ❏ Sources are always properly cited (intext and footnote). 
❏ Works cited is correct and includes an appropriate number of texts. 
❏ The project commitment explains & justifies the product and client.