Application
This unit of competency covers the skills and knowledge required to use a sewing machine to align and sew pattern pieces and sew components.
The unit of competency applies to aligning and sewing straight seams, joining flat pieces of stable fabric together, sewing components and stitching hems, using basic stitching.
Work is conducted according to defined procedures and would not be applied in a large scale production environment.
No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.
Elements and Performance Criteria
Elements describe the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. | ||
1 | Determine job requirements | 1.1 | Follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) |
1.2 | Comply with work health and safety (WHS) requirements at all times | ||
1.3 | Use appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) in accordance with SOPs | ||
1.4 | Identify job requirements from specifications, drawings, job sheets or work instructions | ||
2 | Prepare to use sewing machine | 2.1 | Determine materials and machining requirements and develop plan for sewing operations |
2.2 | Clean, check, set up and adjust machine according to specifications for work | ||
2.3 | Identify poor machine performance and adjust, as required | ||
2.4 | Check and lay out fabric pieces in sequence according to production operations | ||
3 | Use sewing machine | 3.1 | Sew pieces according to pattern requirements and quality standards |
3.2 | Use machine according to requirements for efficient work | ||
3.3 | Perform a range of sewing operations to align and sew pattern pieces and sew components. | ||
3.4 | Control machine and handle work according to type of operations, fabrics and product type | ||
4 | Assess quality of sewn work | 4.1 | Inspect sewn work against specifications, workplace procedures and quality standards |
4.2 | Identify any faults or pieces that do not meet quality standards and take appropriate action | ||
4.3 | Record results of quality inspection and store work ready for next operation | ||
Evidence of Performance
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.
Evidence of Knowledge
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.
Assessment Conditions
Assessors must:
satisfy the assessor competency requirements that are in place at the time of the assessment, as set by the VET regulator
have vocational competency in using a domestic or commercial sewing machine for fashion design, at least to the level being assessed, with relevant industry knowledge and experience.
Assessment should occur in operational workplace situations. Where this is not possible, or where personal safety or environmental damage are limiting factors, assessment must occur in a sufficiently rigorous simulated environment reflecting realistic operational workplace conditions. This must cover all aspects of workplace performance, including environment, task skills, task management skills, contingency management skills and job role environment skills.
Assessment processes and techniques must be appropriate to the language, literacy and numeracy requirements of the work being performed and the needs of the candidate.
Conditions for assessment must include access to all tools, equipment, materials and documentation required, including relevant workplace procedures, product and manufacturing specifications associated with this unit.
Foundation Skills
This section describes those required skills (language, literacy and numeracy) that are essential to performance.
Foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.
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 |
Sectors
Not applicable
Competency Field
Fashion design and technology