Project
Materials

Sewing Stuffed Creatures

WHAT WILL YOU MAKE?

Do you have mismatched socks lying around? Don’t throw them out! Sew them into a stuffed creature of your very own. But how do you turn a square of fabric or an old sock into a cute stuffed animal? Using the design process! First, you’ll brainstorm ideas and sketch a plan. Next, you’ll create your design. Once you’ve made the first prototype, you’ll probably find things you want to modify. Iterate on your design to make it better!

In this maker activity, you will use the design process to design a stuffed creature that has the following criteria:
– Is made out of fabric
– Has a head and body with at least one appendage (like an arm, leg, tail, or wing)
– Is decorated to give it some personality

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?

Do you have mismatched socks lying around? Don’t throw them out! Sew them into a stuffed creature of your very own. But how do you turn a square of fabric or an old sock into a cute stuffed animal? Using the design process! First, you’ll brainstorm ideas and sketch a plan. Next, you’ll create your design. Once you’ve made the first prototype, you’ll probably find things you want to modify. Iterate on your design to make it better!

In this maker activity, you will use the design process to design a stuffed creature that has the following criteria:
– Is made out of fabric
– Has a head and body with at least one appendage (like an arm, leg, tail, or wing)
– Is decorated to give it some personality

STEPS

STEP 1

Step 1: BRAINSTORM & PLAN
Come up with as many ideas as you can! Look over all the materials you have available and think about how you can use them in your design. Choose one idea that best fits the design criteria. Sketch your idea on a piece of paper and label the materials that you will use. - Does your creature have legs? Wings? How will you make those shapes? - Are you including eyes? What will you use to make them? Buttons? Fabric?

STEP 2

Step 2: PROTOTYPE
Create a prototype of the creature you designed! You can prototype different parts of your creature then sew them all together. For example, you might start with two big legs but then decide to make them thinner or shorter or make five of them! Sewing Tips: - Big stitches are quick but can come apart. Tight stitches can pull the fabric together. Experiment to find what works for your design. - If you turn your sock inside out before sewing it together, you won’t see the stitches.

STEP 3

Step 3: TEST
When cutting and sewing your creature, you might find things that didn’t quite work the way you wanted. Record your observations: - What worked well in your design? - What do you want to change?

STEP 4

Step 4: ITERATE
Based on your observations, adjust your design to brainstorm, plan, build, and test a new prototype! - What new ideas do you want to try?

SEE IT IN ACTION

WHAT'S NEXT?

Reflect. After you complete the challenge, reflect on your experience:
– What problems did you have in your design and how did you use your creativity to solve them?

Materials:

  • Planning Supplies:
  • paper
  • pencil
  • markers
  • crayons
  • Base material:
  • fabric - use old socks or other worn-out clothing
  • Tools:
  • scissors
  • needle and thread
  • hot glue gun and glue sticks
  • Stuffing:
  • fiber fill
  • paper
  • fabric
  • Decorations:
  • buttons
  • beads
  • googly eyes
  • fabric
  • yarn
  • markers
  • paint
  • pom poms

See More Projects in these topics:

Arts & Crafts Fabrication Fiber Arts

See More Projects from these themes:

Art/Craft Studio Carnival/Theme Park Farm
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Please Note

Your safety is your own responsibility, including proper use of equipment and safety gear, and determining whether you have adequate skill and experience. Power tools, electricity, and other resources used for these projects are dangerous, unless used properly and with adequate precautions, including safety gear and adult supervision. Some illustrative photos do not depict safety precautions or equipment, in order to show the project steps more clearly. Use of the instructions and suggestions found in Maker Camp is at your own risk. Make Community, LLC, disclaims all responsibility for any resulting damage, injury, or expense.

Maker Camp Project Standards

Based on NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards)

National Core Arts Standards

The National Core Arts Standards are a process that guides educators in providing a unified quality arts education for students in Pre-K through high school. These standards provide goals for Dance, Media Arts, Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts with cross-cutting anchors in Creating, Performing, Responding, and Connecting through art. The Anchor Standards include:
  1. Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
  2. Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
  3. Refine and complete artistic work.
  4. Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation.
  5. Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation.
  6. Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work.
  7. Perceive and analyze artistic work.
  8. Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.
  9. Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work.
  10. Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.
  11. Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding.
Please visit the website for specific details on how each anchor applies to each discipline.

CCSS (Common Core State Standards)

The Common Core is a set of high-quality academic standards in mathematics and English language arts/literacy (ELA).

Geometry

  • Grades K-2
    • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.1 Describe objects in the environment using names of shapes, and describe the relative positions of these objects using terms such as above, below, beside, in front of, behind, and next to.
    • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.2 Correctly name shapes regardless of their orientations or overall size.
    • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.3 Identify shapes as two-dimensional (lying in a plane, "flat") or three-dimensional ("solid").
    • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.B.5 Model shapes in the world by building shapes from components (e.g., sticks and clay balls) and drawing shapes.
    • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.B.6 Compose simple shapes to form larger shapes.
    • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.G.A.1 Distinguish between defining attributes (e.g., triangles are closed and three-sided) versus non-defining attributes (e.g., color, orientation, overall size); build and draw shapes to possess defining attributes.
    • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.G.A.2 Compose two-dimensional shapes (rectangles, squares, trapezoids, triangles, half-circles, and quarter-circles) or three-dimensional shapes (cubes, right rectangular prisms, right circular cones, and right circular cylinders) to create a composite shape, and compose new shapes from the composite shape.
  • Grades 3-5
    • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.G.A.3 Recognize a line of symmetry for a two-dimensional figure as a line across the figure such that the figure can be folded along the line into matching parts. Identify line-symmetric figures and draw lines of symmetry.
  • Middle School
    • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.G.A.4 Represent three-dimensional figures using nets made up of rectangles and triangles, and use the nets to find the surface area of these figures. Apply these techniques in the context of solving real-world and mathematical problems.
    • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.G.A.1 Solve problems involving scale drawings of geometric figures, including computing actual lengths and areas from a scale drawing and reproducing a scale drawing at a different scale.
    • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.G.A.2 Draw (freehand, with ruler and protractor, and with technology) geometric shapes with given conditions. Focus on constructing triangles from three measures of angles or sides, noticing when the conditions determine a unique triangle, more than one triangle, or no triangle.
    • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.G.A.3 Describe the two-dimensional figures that result from slicing three-dimensional figures, as in plane sections of right rectangular prisms and right rectangular pyramids.
    • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.8.G.A.1 Verify experimentally the properties of rotations, reflections, and translations.
    • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.8.G.A.3 Describe the effect of dilations, translations, rotations, and reflections on two-dimensional figures using coordinates.
    • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.8.G.A.4 Understand that a two-dimensional figure is similar to another if the second can be obtained from the first by a sequence of rotations, reflections, translations, and dilations; given two similar two-dimensional figures, describe a sequence that exhibits the similarity between them.

National Core Arts Standards

The National Core Arts Standards are a process that guides educators in providing a unified quality arts education for students in Pre-K through high school. Also see Standards with cross-cutting anchors in Creating, Performing, Responding, and Connecting through art for Visual Arts.

NGSS K-2 Engineering Design

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards.
  • K-2-ETS1-1. Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool.
  • K-2-ETS1-2. Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem.
  • K-2-ETS1-3. Analyze data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same problem to compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each performs.
For additional information on using content standards with our projects please visit the Maker Camp Playbook.

NGSS 3-5.Engineering Design

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards.
  • 3-5-ETS1-1. Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
  • 3-5-ETS1-2. Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
  • 3-5-ETS1-3. Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.
For additional information on using content standards with our projects please visit the Maker Camp Playbook.

NGSS MS.Engineering Design

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards.
  • MS-ETS1-1. Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
  • MS-ETS1-2. Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
  • MS-ETS1-3. Analyze data from tests to determine similarities and differences among several design solutions to identify the best characteristics of each that can be combined into a new solution to better meet the criteria for success.
  • MS-ETS1-4. Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.
For additional information on using content standards with our projects please visit the Maker Camp Playbook.

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