Fashion & Textile TechnologyQ&A by dot point

Overview of the course assessment: the externally marked question paper and the practical assignment (planning, making and evaluating a detailed fashion or textile item), how they combine for the A to D grade, and how to prepare for each.

The factors that affect fashion and textile choice (function and purpose, the user and lifestyle, occasion, cost and budget, fashion and trends, comfort and fit, climate and season, care and durability, culture and beliefs, and ethical, environmental and sustainability concerns) and how a designer takes them into account when developing an item.

Evaluating a finished fashion or textile item: testing and judging it against the brief and specification, assessing fit, quality of construction, aesthetics and suitability, and suggesting realistic improvements.

Fashion and textile trends and the item-development process: responding to a brief, gathering inspiration and trends, generating and developing design ideas, and planning the making of a detailed fashion or textile item that reflects current trends.

Construction techniques for finishing and shaping an item: hems, fastenings (zips, buttons and buttonholes, hook-and-loop, press studs), edge finishes (facings, bias binding), and shaping methods (darts, gathering and easing) and how to choose each to suit the item.

Working with a commercial sewing pattern: reading the pattern envelope and instruction sheet, understanding pattern markings (grainline, notches, darts, fold line, cutting lines), and laying out and cutting pattern pieces correctly on the grain.

Seams and seam finishes (plain/open seam, French seam, flat-felled seam, and edge finishes such as overlocking, zigzag and pinking) and how to select a seam and finish that suits the fabric and the item.

The equipment and tools used to make a fashion or textile item (sewing machine, overlocker, iron, hand-sewing tools, shears, tape measure and marking tools) and how to select and use each correctly and safely.

The care of textiles: the international care-labelling symbols (washing, bleaching, drying, ironing and professional/dry cleaning) and how a fabric's fibre content determines the correct care to avoid damage such as shrinking, stretching, colour loss or scorching.

Methods of fabric construction (woven, knitted, felted and bonded/non-woven) and how each construction method affects the properties of the resulting fabric.

Finishes and treatments applied to fabrics (waterproof/water-repellent, flame-resistant, crease-resistant, stain-resistant/Teflon, antibacterial, brushing and shrink-resistant) and how a finish changes a fabric's properties to suit a particular fashion or textile item.

Natural fibres (cotton, linen, wool and silk): their plant or animal source, their characteristic properties, and how those properties make each fibre suitable for particular fashion or textile items.

Synthetic and regenerated fibres (polyester, nylon/polyamide, acrylic and viscose): how they are made, their characteristic properties, and how those properties suit particular fashion or textile items.

The range of textile properties (absorbency, warmth, durability/strength, elasticity, crease resistance, drape, breathability, flammability and cost) and how to select a suitable textile by matching its properties to the requirements of a fashion or textile item.