NSSCO Fashion and Fabrics 6153 common mistakes
NSSCO Fashion and Fabrics 6153 · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Using the trade names 'polyester' and 'nylon' interchangeably when asked to classify a fibre, and stating that both are made from the same raw material without naming it.
Candidates memorise fibre lists by brand or common usage rather than by chemical family, and both are synthetic so they seem identical under exam pressure.
What to do instead
Build a one-page fibre table that gives each fibre's generic name, source (natural, regenerated, synthetic), and the specific polymer or raw material (polyester from PET-type polymer; nylon/polyamide from diamines and diacids). Practise sorting ten fabric samples into the table and writing the raw material for each from memory.
Describing a woven fabric as having 'loops' or a knitted fabric as having 'warp and weft', and failing to link the construction to stretch, fraying or drape.
Candidates learn weave and knit diagrams separately from fabric behaviour, so the construction term is recalled without its consequence.
What to do instead
For each of plain, twill, satin, single knit and rib, write three sentences: how the yarns interlace or interloop, how the fabric behaves (fraying, stretch direction, drape, shine), and one garment it suits. Test yourself by naming the construction from a photo or sample and justifying the garment choice.
Confusing 'absorbency', 'wicking' and 'breathability' when explaining why cotton is comfortable in heat and polyester is not.
The three terms are used loosely in everyday speech, and candidates repeat the loose usage instead of the technical definitions.
What to do instead
Define each precisely: absorbency is how much moisture a fibre takes into itself; wicking is how it moves moisture along the fibre surface to evaporate; breathability is how easily air and vapour pass through the fabric. Then write a short comparison of cotton and polyester against all three definitions, and practise exam-style questions that ask for the property, the mechanism and the wearer effect in that order.
Reading a care label and listing the symbols without translating them into a laundering instruction, or recommending a treatment that contradicts the label (for example hot iron on elastane).
Candidates memorise symbol shapes but not the temperature, agitation or drying limits behind them, and skip the step of checking the fibre before recommending care.
What to do instead
Make a symbol-to-instruction chart with the actual limits written in words (for example 'machine wash 40 °C, mild cycle' or 'do not tumble dry'). For five common fibres, write the care routine the label would imply and one reason for each restriction. Practise answering 'state the care and give a reason' as a two-part answer.
Taking body measurements over clothing, holding the tape slack, or measuring the body where the pattern expects an ease allowance, then choosing a pattern size from the bust alone.
Candidates rush the measuring step and do not know that pattern sizes are based on body measurements plus a design ease already built in.
What to do instead
Rehearse the measurement routine on a partner: tape snug but not tight, over underwear or light clothing, horizontal at bust, waist and hip, with the waist taken at the natural indentation. Record all three circumferences, compare each against the pattern size chart, and choose the size that matches the bust, then plan the adjustment for waist and hip rather than picking a compromise size.
Adjusting a pattern by slashing and spreading without adding seam allowance or trueing the seam lines, so the altered piece no longer matches its neighbour.
Candidates focus on the width change and forget that an altered edge must still sew to the piece it joins at the same length and shape.
What to do instead
Adopt a fixed routine: mark the adjustment line, slash, spread the required amount, add seam allowance if the slash crossed the stitching line, then walk the altered seam against its partner piece and true any mismatch with a curved ruler. Do one full bust adjustment and one hip adjustment on scrap pattern paper and check the seam lengths before cutting fabric.
Laying out pattern pieces without checking grainline, nap or one-way design, or cutting with the fabric folded unevenly so left and right pieces differ.
Candidates prioritise fitting all pieces onto the fabric over correct alignment, and do not check that the fold is straight and the selvedges level.
What to do instead
Before pinning, square the fabric ends, align selvedges, and confirm the fold lies flat. Place all pieces with grainline parallel to the selvedge, using a set square or the pattern's grainline arrow measured at both ends. For nap or one-way prints, lay every piece in the same direction and mark 'top' on each. Cut with long, smooth shears strokes, keeping the fabric flat on the table.
Sewing a seam and pressing it open with a back-and-forth ironing motion, or pressing before testing the stitch on a scrap, causing stretched seams and shine on the right side.
Candidates treat pressing as an afterthought and confuse it with ironing, and skip the scrap test because it seems like wasted time.
What to do instead
Learn the distinction: pressing is a lift-and-place motion with heat and moisture, ironing is sliding. Always stitch a scrap of the same fabric and stitch length first, check tension and puckering, then sew the seam. Press the seam flat as stitched, then open over a seam roll, using a press cloth on delicate or synthetic fabrics to prevent shine.
Ignoring machine maintenance until a fault appears: never cleaning lint from the bobbin case, never oiling according to the manual, and using the wrong needle for the fabric.
Candidates see maintenance as a separate theory topic and do not connect skipped cleaning, blunt needles and incorrect needle size to skipped stitches, thread breakage and puckering.
What to do instead
Keep a maintenance log with dates for lint removal, oiling and needle changes. Learn a needle chart by fabric weight (fine sharp for lightweight wovens, universal for medium wovens, ballpoint for knits, denim needle for heavy twill) and match needle size to thread. When a fault occurs, follow a set sequence: rethread, check bobbin, change needle, adjust tension, then test on a scrap.
Answering a colour-scheme question by naming colours only (for example 'red, yellow and blue') without identifying the scheme or explaining its visual effect.
Candidates describe what they see rather than applying the vocabulary of colour theory, and do not link the scheme to mood, figure or occasion.
What to do instead
Learn the scheme names with a worked example each: monochromatic, analogous, complementary, split-complementary, triadic. For each, write one sentence on the effect it creates and one garment context where it works, then practise identifying schemes from descriptions of outfits and justifying the choice in terms of occasion and wearer.
Treating sustainability as a single point ('recycling is good') instead of tracing a fibre or garment through its life cycle, and omitting health and safety hazards in the workshop.
Candidates learn sustainability and safety as slogan lists, so answers lack the specific stage, hazard or control measure the question rewards.
What to do instead
For cotton, polyester and viscose, write a four-stage life cycle (raw material, production, use, disposal) naming one environmental impact at each stage. Separately list workshop hazards (rotary cutter, machine needle, iron, pins, fabric dust) with a specific control for each. Practise questions that ask for both the impact and a realistic mitigation.
Calculating the cost of a garment from fabric price alone, or forgetting to convert between metric and imperial units when estimating fabric quantity.
Candidates cost the visible material and overlook the hidden components, and unit conversion is done hastily under time pressure.
What to do instead
Use a costing template with fixed rows: fabric (quantity × price per metre), pattern, thread, notions, trims, overhead, labour, then selling price with a stated mark-up. Always show the unit conversion as a separate line (for example 1 yard = 0.9144 m) and round up fabric quantity to the next purchase unit. Work through three full costing examples with different garment types.
Presenting a practical project portfolio as a pile of samples with no dated record of decisions, and being unable to explain why a fabric, seam or finish was chosen.
Candidates see the portfolio as a display of finished work rather than evidence of the design and making process, so they do not record trials, faults or revisions.
What to do instead
Structure the portfolio in fixed sections: brief and inspiration, fabric and notion trials with reasons, pattern and fitting record, construction samples with the seam and finish chosen, faults found and how they were corrected, cost sheet, and final evaluation against the brief. Date every entry and write one sentence of justification per decision so the reasoning can be defended in a viva.