Learning Sewing Techniques Through an Inquiry

This study examines an inquiry method used in teaching sewing techniques to textile teacher students. The first-year students (N=26) received an open-ended clothing design task and they were expected to engage in an autonomous learning process. The result of the study demonstrates a shift from belief mode to design mode in studying sewing techniques. The students approached design mode in different ways, and the simplest way was based on a single insight of a design solution. In more complex approaches, the students built a unique construction detail through a source-oriented or model-oriented inquiry.