Design thinking and mind mapping
As an avid op-shopper I am constantly surprised at the quantity of clothing that is donated- especially women's fashion items. Addressing the impact of fast fashion was my initial idea to explore a design cycle. Reflecting on my understanding of design thinking and the design cycle, I've learned that it's a creative process that helps us solve problems in a structured way. Design thinking involves identifying problems, researching solutions, making things, and then testing them to see if they work. Design thinking is not just about coming up with ideas, but also about listening to others, trying different things, and learning from mistakes.
Making something useful using old clothes which can not be donated due to staining/excessive wear/damage etc and which would otherwise be destined for landfill.
Example materials/items
- t-shirts
- denim
- lace curtains
- tablecloths
- tea towels
- worn out work shirts and pants
These materials are generally hard wearing, some are cotton (a natural fibre), some may not be, such as clothing from fast fashion retailers.
Following the 'HIVE' procedure by NSW Department of Education (2023) for creating a driving questions I have set the scope and context for the design challenge:
"How can I repurpose discarded fast fashion into useful items for the home".
Prototype
I had some old t-shirt scraps, I cut them about 2.5cm wide in a spiral so I had one long strip of fabric. I then plaited into a long plait, rolled up and hand stitched it together making a spiral coaster. I tried to machine stitch initially but the fabric was too thick (even using a denim needle) so tried a needle and thread and it worked well and it wasn't too difficult to push a needle through by hand. Improvements could be made to style of stitching and colour of fabric for aesthetic purposes but as far as functionality goes, it is a sturdy coaster. It could be made bigger to to become a heat mat for pots or decorative mats or under pot plants/vases to protect delicate surfaces.
Consideration to types of material used should be undertaken as polyester fabrics will not be suitable for using under anything hot as the fabric may scorch or melt under high temperatures. The fabrics I used where cotton/denim drill and knit so will be fine to use under hot objects. I had thought of using old baling twine as this is also a source of waste especially on agricultural enterprises but it does deteriorate and not suitable for under hot objects either.
Curriculum links
Highlighted below is the curriculum links for band level 1-2.
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Curriculum
Links
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Achievement
standard: Years 1 and 2
Learning Area Achievement Standard
By the end of Year 2 students describe the purpose
of familiar products, services and environments, including digital systems.
They represent and process data in different ways and follow and describe
basic algorithms involving a sequence of steps and branching to show how
simple digital solutions meet a need for known users. For each of the 2
prescribed technologies contexts they identify the features and uses of
technologies and create designed solutions. Students select design ideas
based on their personal preferences. They access and use the basic features
of common digital tools to create, locate and share content, and collaborate
and communicate design ideas using models and drawings. Students safely
produce designed or digital solutions and recognise that digital tools may
store their personal data online.
Subject Achievement Standard
By the end of Year 2 students describe the purpose
of familiar products, services and environments. For each of the 2 prescribed
technologies contexts they describe the features and uses of technologies and
create designed solutions. Students select design ideas based on their
personal preferences. They communicate design ideas using models and drawings
and follow sequenced steps to safely produce designed solutions.
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Knowledge
and understanding
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Processes
and production skills
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Technologies and society
identify how
familiar products, services and environments are designed and produced by
people to meet personal or local community needs and sustainability AC9TDE2K01
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Generating and Designing
generate and communicate design
ideas through describing, drawing or modelling, including using digital
tools
AC9TDE2P01
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Technologies context: Engineering principals and systems;
materials and technologies specialisations
explore how technologies including materials affect
movement in products AC9TDE2K02
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Producing and implementing
use
materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques to safely make
designed solutions AC9TDE2P02
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Technologies context: food and fibre production; food
specialisations
explore how
plants and animals are grown for food, clothing and shelter
AC9TDE2K03
explore how food can be selected and prepared for
healthy eating
AC9TDE2K04
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Evaluating
evaluate the
success of design ideas and solutions based on personal preferences and
including sustainability
AC9TDE2P03
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Collaborating and managing
sequence
steps for making designed solutions cooperatively
AC9TDE2P04
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From ACARA. (2023). Design and Technologies – Years 1 and 2. Australian Curriculum. https://v9.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/learning-areas/design-and-technologies/year-2?view=quick&detailed-content-descriptions=0&hide-ccp=0&hide-gc=0&side-by-side=1&strands-start-index=0&subjects-start-index=0
Ethics, sustainability and safety
Repurposing old T-shirts into mug coasters by weaving and stitching is a sustainable and ethical practice with numerous benefits for both the environment and society. By repurposing old T-shirts into functional coasters, textile waste is minimised and also reduces the environmental impact of traditional disposal methods, such as landfilling. Repurposing textile fabrics conserves valuable resources that would otherwise be used in the production of new materials, such as water, power usage during the manufacturing and distributions processes.
From an ethical standpoint, repurposing old T-shirts into coasters promotes responsible consumption. It creates awareness about the lifecycle of products and encourages consumers to reconsider the value of items that may otherwise be considered disposable.
Risk assessment
At the planning stage, an Education Queensland Curriculum Activity Risk Assessment (“CARA”) process should be completed to ensure the safe delivery of learning experiences (Queensland Government , 2018). The textiles themselves would be considered a low risk however the manipulation of the textiles, that is the tools used in the learning experience could potentially need risk mitigation due to some process such us cutting, sewing etc having the potential to cause harm. Explicit teaching of how to safely use tools and materials should be undertaken with students, demonstrations/modelling and maintaining a high level of supervision.
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