Task A2 | ​Research plan 

🔎 What? 
 
❗Why? 
 
Construct a research plan, which states and prioritizes the primary and  You want to identify valuable sources of information to provide input for 
secondary research needed to develop a solution to the problem.  your project (now and later) and you want to 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! ​Present​ 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 an  Prioritization 

is the answer?  answer?   * = Good to know 
What type of source  ** = Useful   
is it? Primary or  *** = Directly 
Secondary?  useful   
**** = Vital  
 

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

DEFINITIONS​:  ●
● What is a ​fabric​?  
● What are ​textiles​?  ●
● What are ​garments​?  ●
Fabric is a type of cloth that is made by knitting or  https://www.dictionary. *** 
weaving.  com 
Textile is a type of cloth that is made by knitting, 
weaving or felting. 
Garment is any piece of clothing. 

MANUFACTURING  ● Process of making cotton  "Stages of the Cotton  ** 

○ Extracting. ​After planting the raw cotton seeds  Manufacturing Process." 
● How are cotton textiles 
they have to wait about 3 months for the cotton to  Bizfluent​, Barbara 
made?   Bean-Mellinger, 
open with white petals that change to different 
● What are the basic ​joining  21 Nov. 2018, 
colours before they fall off. The only thing left is 
and assembly methods​ to  bizfluent.com/ 
the cotton boll inside it are the fibers and seeds. It   
steadily turns into brown, and the fiber inside the  info-8552514-stages-co
 attach pieces of fabric  boll expands and grows until the break the pod  tton-manufacturing-pr
opens to display the white cotton.   ocess.html. Accessed 24 
together? 
○ Ginning. ​There are specially designed trucks to pick  Feb. 
up the modules and take them to the cotton gin.  2020.  
These trucks are called Giant. The machines put the  ( secondary ) 
cotton into a cotton gin, that pulls apart the cotton   
fibers to remove junks ( leaves, burs, dirt and other  Raaz, Noor Ahmed. 
plant materials ). The gin’s saws and also teeth  "Alternative Methods of 
divide the fibers from the seeds, making them go in  Fabric Joining." ​Textile 
different directions. The fibers are used to make  Learner​, 
fabric and the seeds are going to be sold to   
manufacturers.  textilelearner.blogspot.
○ Purifying.​ The machines pull the bundles apart and  com/2015/07/alternati
get rid of the junk.   ve-methods-of-fabric-j
○ Reopening and Drying. ​Some pharmaceutical  oining.html. 
products ( swabs, feminine hygiene ) bleached the  Accessed 25 Feb. 
cotton. Several lumped fiber that is there will not  2020.  
change the capability of the products. Other  ( Secondary ) 
products require cotton without any clumps. For 
these products, the fiber goes through another step 
of thorough reopening and further processing. The 
machines pull the lumps apart. It also lays the 
fibers straight and side by side to dry. They form 
soft. Slivers ( untwisted ropes ) will be spun on the 
spinning machines to make different materials and 
fabrics.  
○ Finishing. ​With the coating of the wax cleaned away, 
the fibers don’t have anything to split them which 
makes them can hinder further processing. At this 
point adding a coating enables the fibers to be 
finished. These lubricating oils are pumped into the 
cakes until they reach the desired stage to finish. 
The now finished fibers are bought by different 
manufacturers to be made into different types of 
fabrics. 
● Basic methods of joining 
○ Fusing 
○ Welding 
○ Adhesive 
○ Molding 

TECHNIQUES AND TOOLS FOR MAKING  ● First, draft from your body measurement. Second, draw  What is a pattern  *** 
● How do you draw a ​sewing  in the paper. Third, draw the draft on paper. Fourth,  (Wikipedia) 
connect the points ( edge ). Fifth, plot the sleeve and   
pattern​? What are the key  "How to Draw Sewing 
neckband. Sixth, add a seam allowance and cut it out. 
features of a good garment  ● Key features ( ? )  Patterns." ​Sewing 
pattern?  ○ Pattern number. It is to identify the design of  Machine Gallery​, Shanta 
the pattern  Roy, 
● What​ materials and tools​ do I 
 
have available for making my  ○ Pattern Size 
www.sewingmachinegalle
○ Style of garment 
product? (see Appendix A  ry.com/how-to-draw-se
● The tools and materials provided by the school are  wing-patterns/. 
below)  Thread, Eyelets, Studs, Rivets, Snap fasteners, velcro,  Accessed 24 Feb. 
fabric glue, contact adhesive, sewing machine, needles,  2020.  
seam ripper, fabric shears and rotary cutter  ( Secondary ) 
   
Kay, Katrina. "Sewing 
Pattern Envelope: 11 
Things You Need to 
Know." K
​ CK​, 16 May 
2018, 
katrinakaycreations.co
m/ 
 
sewing-pattern-envelop
e-9-things-you-need-to
-know/. Accessed 24 
Feb. 2020.  
( Secondary ) 
 
"Sewing Pattern." 
Pinterest​, 
www.pinterest.com/pin/
215328425914268781/?l
p=true. 
Accessed 25 Feb. 
 2020. 
( Image )   

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​ ​some​ research needed to develop a  ❏ A limited amount of sources and information is stated which makes it 
solution to the problem, ​with some guidance​.  difficult to find the answers to the research 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 develop a  ❏ Some sources and information are stated which makes it challenging to find 
solution to the problem, ​with some guidance.  the answers to the research questions. If 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, which ​states  ❏ A number of sources and information are stated. You demonstrated that you 
and ​prioritizes​ the primary and secondary research  can find the answers to the research questions. Even more appropriate 
needed to develop a solution to the problem, ​with some  sources would strengthen 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, which ​states  ❏ An effective number of sources and information are stated. You 
and ​prioritizes​ the primary and secondary research  demonstrated that you can find the answers to the research questions from 
needed to develop a solution to the problem  a number of relevant sources. 
independently​.  ❏ 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