Cosplay Garments by SEN students
Re-engaging young people
by devising personalised projects appropriate to their individual interests was an
incredibly rewarding experience. As each student's skill base grew their sense
of self-worth also blossomed. Sewing sessions became much needed therapeutic
input into these young people's lives.
Prior to my PGCE I was the
Textiles Teacher at Brantwood Specialist School, Ruskin Mill Trust in Sheffield for two years.
As part of the Ruskin Mill Trust the school takes a holistic approach to learning and there is an emphasis on improving young people’s sense of self worth and wellbeing by first focusing on learning through physical activities and hands on craft. The complex young people that I taught had struggled in their previous educational settings. Almost all had an Autism diagnosis and raised levels of anxiety. Some had experienced adverse early life experiences (Trauma) and several students had pathological demand avoidance (PDA).
Each of my students had their own very specific needs because of; their complex profiles. Building trust and good working relationships was my first step.
Many of the students were extremely disengaged as a result of their previous experiences of educational settings and so just getting them to be comfortable enough to come to and also to stay in their sessions took time.
The school is Steiner inspired and for that reason many of the students were already quite familiar with the wet felt-making process. I had originally been employed as Textiles Teacher as a result of my wet feltmaking skills in particular however, once the students realised that I had strong garment making skills they then started to ask to do projects which would use those skills.
Textile Projects Included: making cosplay costumes, appliquéd football flags, personalised sportswear, dressing-up superhero costumes, working with leather, candle making and sculpting with wax, dyeing and hand spinning sheep’s fleece and making matchstick sculptures.
Wet-Felting projects included: large wallhangings, puppets, cushions and two very accomplished hat projects (one a Top-Hat and the other a Fedora).
This page is a showcase
of the machine sewn garments made by Young People while I was their teacher at Brantwood Special School.
But although the students’ work and my teaching impressed OFSTED I believe that the main achievement was the growth of each the student's self-worth and positive outlook on their own futures.
In 2019 I was a temporary Teacher at Becton School; Sheffield Children’s Hospital Site.
A special First Machine Sewn project by a young lady in the Respiratory ward can be read about here.
![]()
As part of the Ruskin Mill Trust the school takes a holistic approach to learning and there is an emphasis on improving young people’s sense of self worth and wellbeing by first focusing on learning through physical activities and hands on craft. The complex young people that I taught had struggled in their previous educational settings. Almost all had an Autism diagnosis and raised levels of anxiety. Some had experienced adverse early life experiences (Trauma) and several students had pathological demand avoidance (PDA).
Each of my students had their own very specific needs because of; their complex profiles. Building trust and good working relationships was my first step.
Many of the students were extremely disengaged as a result of their previous experiences of educational settings and so just getting them to be comfortable enough to come to and also to stay in their sessions took time.
The school is Steiner inspired and for that reason many of the students were already quite familiar with the wet felt-making process. I had originally been employed as Textiles Teacher as a result of my wet feltmaking skills in particular however, once the students realised that I had strong garment making skills they then started to ask to do projects which would use those skills.
Textile Projects Included: making cosplay costumes, appliquéd football flags, personalised sportswear, dressing-up superhero costumes, working with leather, candle making and sculpting with wax, dyeing and hand spinning sheep’s fleece and making matchstick sculptures.
Wet-Felting projects included: large wallhangings, puppets, cushions and two very accomplished hat projects (one a Top-Hat and the other a Fedora).
This page is a showcase
of the machine sewn garments made by Young People while I was their teacher at Brantwood Special School.
But although the students’ work and my teaching impressed OFSTED I believe that the main achievement was the growth of each the student's self-worth and positive outlook on their own futures.
In 2019 I was a temporary Teacher at Becton School; Sheffield Children’s Hospital Site.
A special First Machine Sewn project by a young lady in the Respiratory ward can be read about here.
S’s own to-do task list. She was highly motivated to complete her Black Butler costume
S’s sewing machine skills developed quickly and she progressed to later sharing her skills by teaching her peers how to thread their own sewing machines.
S’s completed Black Butler Cosplay costume in pride of place in the textiles classroom.
Not surprisingly S wore her costume to the next Cosplay convention
Source image for student S’s Black Butler cosplay costume
"Progress in practical subjects
including textiles, felt-making, and art based activities is at times
exceptional. This is due to the high-quality teaching, the
high expectations adults have of the pupils and the wide range of
resources available so pupils can freely explore their ideas and interests.”
OFSTED report 2016
T’s completed fairytale princess costume. She drew her own original design at the start.
Sewing these many rows of shirring showed real motivation. T was a student who needed lots of movement to be able to focus. My classroom was a dynamic learning and making environment.
Source image for student S’s Naruto cosplay costume
Completed Naruto Cosplay costume being proudly modelled.
R was very inspired by the formal men’s wear worn by his favourite musician. He made several items of clothing and wore them both when he was in and out of school
R did not skimp in the tailoring details in this formal lined waistcoat.
A hoodie made in stretch sportswear fabrich; that was an achievement in itself. However, this hoodie also had the Assassins Creed emblem machine appliqued on. This student went on to sew several more sports wear items and also football inspired bedding items.
Elizabeth Midford from the Black Butler anime series. This was the very first sewing project that S wanted to make. She was not someone to settle for a simpler first project!
S’s very first sewing project- a Cosplay costume for the character Elizabeth Midord (Black Butler). We even used fabric from S’s mum’s wedding dress to make the underskirt.
J’s pink and black leather snapback- a really memorable project
Sewing leather was ambitous. But J was motivated and achieved a great finished result.
Machine embroidered pigeon on the pocket of an apron. This student was inspired by a song called ‘Feed the Pigeons’ that had gone viral online. Staying on task and focussing to complete this project was a huge achievement for J. He later wore the apron when he made cups of tea for the school staff.