Product Design

Year 7 Product Design - Crazy Creatures

For their first product for 2026, Year 7 Product Design students were given the following Design Brief:

In support of the IKEA ‘Design a soft toy’ competition, you have been asked to design and create your own crazy creature as a soft toy.  The toy must be original with lots of character and personality.  Your ‘softy’ will be mostly made from recycled fabric. You may also use a range of different patterned, plain or even vintage fabrics. Consider colour and fabric combinations, facial expression, clothing and accessories for your softy, using upcycled fabrics, socks, gloves, curtains, etc. You could use appliqué, embroidery, buttons and beads to add detail to your softy. 

Student Reflections

In this project, I designed and created my crazy creature by using a range of production processes including pattern making, pinning, cutting, stitching, construction and embellishment. Throughout this project, I developed my creativity as well as my practical sewing and design skills. I especially enjoyed turning my original ideas into a final product and experimenting with different colours, fabrics and decorative details. One of my strengths during this task was my creativity and effort. I carefully followed my design plan and worked consistently to complete each stage of the project to the best of my ability. I am particularly proud of the overall appearance of my creature and the unique embellishments that helped make it stand out. During the process, I also learnt the importance of patience, accuracy and time management. Although there were some challenges, such as keeping stitches straight and making small details neat, was able to improve my skills through practice and problem-solving. If I were to complete this project again, I would spend more time refining the smaller details and improving the precision of my stitching. Overall, I am very proud of my final product, and I believe this project helped me become more confident and independent in my design and sewing abilities.

Sumin Ahn 7C1

During the production of my crazy creature, I am proud of several aspects of my work. First, I successfully designed a cute and simple concept that appeals directly to my target audience of young children. Second, I carefully accounted for the stretch properties of the polar fleece during pinning and used precise hidden stitching by sewing my pieces inside out to keep the outer appearance clean and secure. Finally, my detailed embellishments were completed with tight, close stitches that ensure the stuffing remains safely inside. If I were to do this again, in future projects, I need to focus on better structural planning and symmetry.  I can achieve this by scaling up the smaller pieces, providing more seam allowance in the narrow areas like the arms to avoid a wonky look, and taking extra care to align facial features symmetrically while properly hiding my finishing knots inside the toy. Felicity Lai 7C1 

Jo Jepsen 

Technology Domain Leader