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Elements and Performance Criteria

  1. Determine job requirements
  2. Prepare to use sewing machine
  3. Use sewing machine
  4. Assess quality of sewn work

Range Statement

This field allows for different work environments and conditions that may affect performance. Essential operating conditions that may be present (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) are included.

Workplace procedures include one or more of the following:

requirements prescribed by legislation, awards, agreements and conditions of employment

SOPs

work instructions

PPE

oral, written and visual communication

quality practices, including responsibility for maintenance of own work quality and contribution to quality improvement of team or section output

housekeeping

tasks related to environmental protection, waste disposal, pollution control and recycling

WHS practices

Australian Standards include:

the relevant industry or Australian Standards that are current at the time this unit is being undertaken

Machines include one or more of the following:

domestic sewing machine

commercial sewing machine

plain lockstitch sewing machine

overlocker

Materials include one or more of the following:

fabric

thread

zips

buttons

trims

Fabrics include one or more of the following

stable woven and knitted fabrics, such as cotton drill, calico, double knit, rugby knit and poplin

denim, single knits, tricot and gabardine

Components include three or more of the following:

sleeves

waistbands (straight or shaped)

collars

cuffs

plackets

facings (neck and armhole)

binds

zips (dress, skirt, trouser and invisible)

buttons and buttonholes

pockets (cut away, patch and in seam)

Set-up includes the following:

correct thread

needle size and type: a variety of size and types, such as standard and ball point

tension setting

attachments

Identify poor machine performance includes:

identifying worn or damaged parts, and reporting or replacing according to manufacturer specifications

identifying tension faults

identifying poor thread performance or incorrect thread selection

identifying incorrect foot or needle for sewing

identifying impact of poor machine performance on sewing

checking and replacing worn or damaged needles and attachments (feet)

Actions to respond to faults or poor quality include one or more of the following:

correcting and re-doing work

discarding and recycling fabric and starting again

adjusting machine settings, threading, tension, foot and needle

revising choice of fabric, thread or stitching

seeking advice or further training

Sewing operations include one or more of the following:

aligning and sewing straight seams

joining flat pieces of stable fabric together

top stitch, edge stitch, open seams, closed seams and lapped seams

sewing techniques where the positioning, feeding and handling of work pieces involves discretionary changes, contouring or critical stopping points or involving the special handling skills required to accommodate fabric variations

gathering, easing, tucking and stitching curves

hems (double fold, rolled, blind and stitched hem)

darts and pleats

Performance Evidence

Evidence required to demonstrate competence in this unit must be relevant to and satisfy the requirements of the elements and performance criteria, and include:

reading and following work instructions, standard operating procedures (SOPs), safe work practices

applying relevant standards

checking work against specifications and preparing machine and materials

demonstrating sewing techniques on a domestic or commercial machine

using at least two (2) different fabrics, to sew at least three (3) samples of the following operations:

aligning and sewing straight seams

joining flat pieces of stable fabric together

top stitch, edge stitch, open seams, closed seams and lapped seams

demonstrating sewing techniques using one (1) or more fabrics, to sew at least three (3) different components, and include three (3) of the following operations:

gathering, easing, tucking and stitching curves

hems (double fold, rolled, blind and stitched hem)

darts and pleats

doing routine maintenance on identified sewing machine

inspecting completed work to check it complies with workplace procedures and quality, and identifying and correcting faults

recording results of quality inspection and storing work ready for next stage.

Knowledge Evidence

Evidence must be provided that demonstrates knowledge of:

safe work practices and procedures and use of personal protective equipment (PPE)

relevant Australian Standards

sewing operations, such as:

aligning and sewing straight seams

joining flat pieces of stable fabric together

top stitch, edge stitch, open seams, closed seams and lapped seams

sewing techniques where the positioning, feeding and handling of work pieces involves discretionary changes, contouring or critical stopping points or involving the special handling skills required to accommodate fabric variations

gathering, easing, tucking and stitching curves

hems (double fold, rolled, blind and stitched hem)

darts and pleats

techniques in using and maintaining identified sewing machine

characteristics of fabrics:

stable woven and knitted fabrics and threads, such as cotton drill, calico, double knit, rugby knit and poplin

denim, single knits, tricot and gabardine

materials, including:

fabric

buttons

zippers

trims

quality standards and practices

workplace procedures

recording and reporting practices.