About

Textiles are fabrics made from woven thread such as cotton, wool, or synthetics (plastics). Textiles are used to make clothes, bed linen, towels, curtains, table cloths, and many other things. We have a lot of textiles in our homes, and some might be old or unwanted. Old or unwanted textiles can be turned into something new and useful, which is called recycling. For example, scraps of textiles can be sewn together into a quilt; or, an old curtain can be turned into a dress. There are many possibilities.
 

Your task

Design something made from recycled textiles that you have found at home. First, get your parents’ permission to use any old or unwanted textiles for this project. Think of a useful thing that you can make out of textiles. Make your recycled textile object and test it. Work on this project in a small team with a group of your classmates.
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Follow the design steps

To design something well, do it step-by-step and use the methods from the Design Thinking for Schools website. There are four design steps. The first step is LEARN. To design something, you must first learn about it. There is much to learn on any topic, and it is always interesting. Learning will help you to understand the thing that you are designing, so you can do a good job. The second step is DRAW. Try to think of as many different ideas as you can while you draw them with pencil on paper. Keep drawing until you have some ideas that you really like. Improve your ideas and combine them into a single excellent idea. Drawing is easy and fun. Enjoy it! The third step is MAKE. Make the thing that you are designing to show your teacher and classmates. You can only tell if your idea works by making it. Improve your idea while you are making it. Making something with your hands is fun too! The fourth step is TRY. Once you have made something, you should try it to see if it works or not. You can also let someone else try it to see what they think. When you try, you will often find ways to improve your design idea. That will make you a better designer.
 

​​​​​​​Note for teachers

Read the guide for teachers on Safety for the MAKE Step for Level II to safely supervise this design task.