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Year 10 - Art and design

Machine stitching

Textile Design

Unit Summary

This is a teacher led unit which introduces to pupils to the skills within their endorsements. Through a series of workshop activities, students experiment with a range of materials and techniques. They develop a range of studies exploring mark making media, print and mixed media.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to create a thread drawing by using a sewing machine to draw with freehand stitching.

Key Notes

  • Artists use sewing machines to draw with thread, creating expressive portraits by layering line, tone, and texture.
  • Understand how to set up and control a sewing machine for freehand stitching, using the correct tool and techniques.
  • Experiment with thread, colour, and layering to develop stitched, thread drawings in response to a project theme

Vocabulary To Learn

  • freehand: a sewing machine attachment that lets you move the fabric freely to draw with thread
  • sewing machine: a tool that stitches fabric together using thread
  • thread: a long, thin strand of fibre used for sewing. It connects pieces of fabric together or can be used decoratively to draw or create texture.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • You can only use a sewing machine for straight lines or joining fabric.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain the lesson in two key points.

Artists use sewing machines to draw with thread, creating expressive portraits by layering line, tone, and texture. Understand how to set up and control a sewing machine for freehand stitching, using the correct tool and techniques.

2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'freehand'

a sewing machine attachment that lets you move the fabric freely to draw with thread.

3. Correct this common mistake.

Mistake: You can only use a sewing machine for straight lines or joining fabric. Correction: With a freehand arm, you can move the fabric in any direction to draw curves, lines, and patterns with thread. Artists use this to stitch portraits, text, and textures, guiding the fabric by hand like drawing with a pencil.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 10 Art and design guide library.