Manual Dexterity Required for Clothing Repairs: Assessing the Influence of Thread Fineness on Evaluation Outcomes

Abstract

In pursuit of a sustainable society, there is a renewed scholarly interest in traditional garment repair techniques. As individuals progress through different stages of development, does their manual dexterity enhance enough to enable them to mend clothes effectively? In Japan, sewing skills are incorporated into the "Home Economics" curriculum in educational institutions. Nonetheless, there are ongoing concerns regarding insufficient proficiency in these skills, which are attributed to a reduction in instructional hours and limited practical opportunities in daily life. This study explores the current state of manual dexterity in hand sewing and assesses the influence of thread fineness on evaluation outcomes. The study evaluated hand-sewn samples produced by 142 junior high school students, who utilized two types of cotton threads with varying fineness: #20(Ne7) and #30(Ne10), with the latter being more commonly employed. The results indicated no significant difficulties in performing basic stitches. However, concerning the presence of loops in the starting knot, the probability of loop formation was significantly lower for #20 than for #30. The odds ratio with #20 as the reference was 2.5 (95%CI:1.3–4.9). This finding was attributed to #30 being more prone to bending than #20 because of the moment of inertia of the area, leading to the formation of twists and tangles at various points along the thread. Based on the results obtained, it was considered desirable to adopt #20 or thicker thread as the practice thread for a starting knot.

Keywords: Manual Dexterity, Sewing Skills, Thread Size, Sustainability, Clothing

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1008000