How to decorate a product

Decorating a product

When a product has been made, decorations can be added to make it more appealing.

These are called finishing techniques.

To make the product look more colourful and interesting, these decorations can be painted on, sewn on with stitches or stuck on with glue.

Decorations that are attached to a product, like feathers or beads, are called embellishments.

The type of embellishments used should link to the design brief and what the user needs and wants.

A design brief is a document that tells us:

For example, if the user likes the colour blue, then blue embellishments, like blue sequins or pom poms, could be added to the product.

There are lots of finishing techniques that can be used to decorate a product.

They can be used on their own or together, as long as whatever is chosen fits with the design of the product.

Remember, you must always ask an adult to help you when using scissors, glue, needles or staples.

You can see some examples of finishing techniques in this slideshow.

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Beads
Beads come in lots of different shapes, sizes and colours. They can be sewn onto the product or stuck on with strong glue. Make sure you ask an adult to help and wear gloves when using strong glue.
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Paint
Paint can be used to add detail and colour to products. Special fabric paint can be used, which is permanent and won’t wash off. Paint can be added with tools, such as a paint brush or a sponge. Ask an adult to check that the paints are non-toxic and always wash your hands after painting.
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Sequins
Sequins come in lots of colours, shapes and sizes. They are often shiny or glittery, making them a great choice for making a product look special. Sequins can be sewn onto fabric or glued on with PVA glue.
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Feathers
Feathers are a great way of adding softer decoration to a product. Craft feathers should be used rather than real ones from a bird. These come in lots of bright colours. Some feathers are long like a real bird’s feather and some are tiny. Feathers can be attached to the product with glue, tape or staples.
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Card, paper and stickers
Coloured paper and card can be cut and shaped into the size that is needed for the product. This can then be attached to the product with tape, glue or staples. Coloured stickers come in lots of different designs. Some are even shaped like googly eyes! They can be stuck straight onto the product because they are sticky on one side.

Appealing	Appealing means that something looks nice or interesting.
Finishing techniques	Ways of decorating a product once it has been made.
Embellishment	Embellishments are items, such as sequins, beads and feathers, that are stuck onto a product to decorate it.
Design brief	A document or plan that contains a short description of what to design, why and for whom.

Have a go at decorating your own sock puppet with this activity.

Which embellishments will you choose?