Math in Sewing Final Project
For the final math project we had freedom to curate our own project with a partner. You could create anything as long as it showed a demonstration of math knowledge from this year. Andrea and I decided to sew pajama pants to demonstrate our math skills taken from sophomore year. Sewing is one of our passions and connecting it to schoolwork was enjoyable.
In our math class we learned about geometry, surface area and volume. Surface area applies to our pants because it is the total fabric that was used.
Geometry is a branch of math in which it focuses on the properties and relations of lines, shapes, points, surfaces and solids. It can be broken down simply or taken to extreme complication in higher levels of mathematics. Geometry is extremely vital in learning math concepts because it is the basis for many types of problems and equations. Understanding simple geometry can be beneficial for as you advance as a mathematician and grow to new levels.
Surface area is a portion of geometry, it is the sum of all areas of all the faces on a 3D object. This could be a cube, prism, or even a sphere. Calculating surface area can be found by finding the length, width and height of the object.
Volume is also a very important aspect of geometry and math in general. It can be defined as the amount of space an object or substance takes up. It can be found by multiplying length by width by height.
Brainstorming process:
Andrea and I did some research on how to make the perfect and most precise pant pattern from scratch.
We had a brainstorming session with a couple of our classmates to see how we could improve our idea and incorporate more math. Cooper gave us the suggestion to get a fabric with a geometrical pattern or to measure the angles on the pants.
Will gave the great idea to measure before and after we sew the pants to find the average amount that sewing took off.
We loved these ideas because it was such a great way to use our math skills in a real life useful scenario. Especially because this relates to our passion of fashion and sewing, so overall it worked out perfectly.
Our measurements: all of these measurements are used to make the pattern to our pants.
Waist: 24 inches
Hips: 35.5 inches
Hip Height: 8 inches
Crotch to ankle: 27 inches
Knee hight: 23 inches
Andrea’s waist to ankle: 38 inches
Sienna’s waist to ankle: 43 inches
Math experiment: measured each leg of the pants before and after sewing.
Before sewing: After sewing:
Waist: 20 ½ inches Waist: 20
Crotch: 26 inches Crotch: 22 ½
Boot: 18 ¼ inches Boot: 16 ½
Difference/Original = the amount reduced
20.5 - 20 = .5 / 20.5 = .0243 = 2.43%
26 - 22.5 = 3.5 / 26 = 0.134 = 13.4%
18.25 - 16.5 = 1.75 / 18.25 = 0.095 = 9.5%
Process:
We went to the fabric store and each purchased 1 ¼ yards of jersey fabric.
On Sunday we got together and started drawing our pattern with our measurements. Andrea and I are practically the same measurements beside in height, so we just used my measurements and added extra length to her pants.
Geometry is a branch of math in which it focuses on the properties and relations of lines, shapes, points, surfaces and solids. It can be broken down simply or taken to extreme complication in higher levels of mathematics. Geometry is extremely vital in learning math concepts because it is the basis for many types of problems and equations. Understanding simple geometry can be beneficial for as you advance as a mathematician and grow to new levels.
Surface area is a portion of geometry, it is the sum of all areas of all the faces on a 3D object. This could be a cube, prism, or even a sphere. Calculating surface area can be found by finding the length, width and height of the object.
Volume is also a very important aspect of geometry and math in general. It can be defined as the amount of space an object or substance takes up. It can be found by multiplying length by width by height.
Brainstorming process:
Andrea and I did some research on how to make the perfect and most precise pant pattern from scratch.
We had a brainstorming session with a couple of our classmates to see how we could improve our idea and incorporate more math. Cooper gave us the suggestion to get a fabric with a geometrical pattern or to measure the angles on the pants.
Will gave the great idea to measure before and after we sew the pants to find the average amount that sewing took off.
We loved these ideas because it was such a great way to use our math skills in a real life useful scenario. Especially because this relates to our passion of fashion and sewing, so overall it worked out perfectly.
Our measurements: all of these measurements are used to make the pattern to our pants.
Waist: 24 inches
Hips: 35.5 inches
Hip Height: 8 inches
Crotch to ankle: 27 inches
Knee hight: 23 inches
Andrea’s waist to ankle: 38 inches
Sienna’s waist to ankle: 43 inches
Math experiment: measured each leg of the pants before and after sewing.
Before sewing: After sewing:
Waist: 20 ½ inches Waist: 20
Crotch: 26 inches Crotch: 22 ½
Boot: 18 ¼ inches Boot: 16 ½
Difference/Original = the amount reduced
20.5 - 20 = .5 / 20.5 = .0243 = 2.43%
26 - 22.5 = 3.5 / 26 = 0.134 = 13.4%
18.25 - 16.5 = 1.75 / 18.25 = 0.095 = 9.5%
Process:
We went to the fabric store and each purchased 1 ¼ yards of jersey fabric.
On Sunday we got together and started drawing our pattern with our measurements. Andrea and I are practically the same measurements beside in height, so we just used my measurements and added extra length to her pants.