NCERT Textbook: Clothes-How Things are Made | Our Wondrous World Class 5 - New NCERT PDF Download

 Page 1


Patterns with Threads
Look closely around you. Do you see birds building 
nests or spiders spinning webs? Nature is full of 
hidden artists — animals, birds and insects who 
weave, stitch, design, and even glue things together.
What do you see in the picture below?
Did you know we have a hidden artist around us 
who has been weaving long before humans ever did?
Clothes — How Things are Made
8
Chapter 8.indd   131 Chapter 8.indd   131 10-Jul-25   6:18:10 PM 10-Jul-25   6:18:10 PM
Page 2


Patterns with Threads
Look closely around you. Do you see birds building 
nests or spiders spinning webs? Nature is full of 
hidden artists — animals, birds and insects who 
weave, stitch, design, and even glue things together.
What do you see in the picture below?
Did you know we have a hidden artist around us 
who has been weaving long before humans ever did?
Clothes — How Things are Made
8
Chapter 8.indd   131 Chapter 8.indd   131 10-Jul-25   6:18:10 PM 10-Jul-25   6:18:10 PM
Our Wondrous World
132
The Indian handloom sector employs over 45 lakh people, especially 
women and rural artisans, making it one of the largest cottage 
industries in the world.
The male baya weaver is a weaverbird, who builds 
beautiful hanging nests from grass. They weave the 
strands over and under to make the nest strong. 
The nest is shaped like a pouch and hangs from the 
branches of a tree. The expert weaverbird weaves 
very fine nests, while the young ones who are just 
learning make rather rough ones.
Weaving combines strips or threads of a material 
into a patterned fabric like cloth. One set of thread 
is placed vertically and the other goes horizontally. 
When these threads are carefully crossed over and 
under each other, they form a unified fabric such as 
a mat, a basket or many other things.
For a long time, people have been weaving many 
kinds of natural materials into mats, baskets or 
sheets from coconut fibre or palm reeds, bamboo, 
grass, jute and cotton or silk. 
Chapter 8.indd   132 Chapter 8.indd   132 10-Jul-25   6:18:11 PM 10-Jul-25   6:18:11 PM
Page 3


Patterns with Threads
Look closely around you. Do you see birds building 
nests or spiders spinning webs? Nature is full of 
hidden artists — animals, birds and insects who 
weave, stitch, design, and even glue things together.
What do you see in the picture below?
Did you know we have a hidden artist around us 
who has been weaving long before humans ever did?
Clothes — How Things are Made
8
Chapter 8.indd   131 Chapter 8.indd   131 10-Jul-25   6:18:10 PM 10-Jul-25   6:18:10 PM
Our Wondrous World
132
The Indian handloom sector employs over 45 lakh people, especially 
women and rural artisans, making it one of the largest cottage 
industries in the world.
The male baya weaver is a weaverbird, who builds 
beautiful hanging nests from grass. They weave the 
strands over and under to make the nest strong. 
The nest is shaped like a pouch and hangs from the 
branches of a tree. The expert weaverbird weaves 
very fine nests, while the young ones who are just 
learning make rather rough ones.
Weaving combines strips or threads of a material 
into a patterned fabric like cloth. One set of thread 
is placed vertically and the other goes horizontally. 
When these threads are carefully crossed over and 
under each other, they form a unified fabric such as 
a mat, a basket or many other things.
For a long time, people have been weaving many 
kinds of natural materials into mats, baskets or 
sheets from coconut fibre or palm reeds, bamboo, 
grass, jute and cotton or silk. 
Chapter 8.indd   132 Chapter 8.indd   132 10-Jul-25   6:18:11 PM 10-Jul-25   6:18:11 PM
133
Clothes — How Things are Made
Discuss
Have you seen products woven out of natural material at 
home or elsewhere? What are they?
Activity 1
1. Take 5 – 6 strips of blue paper and tape them at the 
top of a surface. 
2. Take another set of yellow paper strips and weave 
them through — over, under, over, under.
3. Keep repeating until you get a mat.
4. Can you use this method to make a basket?
Try using materials other than paper, such as strings, 
ropes, ribbons or reeds.
Indian muslin was so fine that it was known as ‘woven air’ and a whole 
saree could pass through a ring.
Chapter 8.indd   133 Chapter 8.indd   133 10-Jul-25   6:18:12 PM 10-Jul-25   6:18:12 PM
Page 4


Patterns with Threads
Look closely around you. Do you see birds building 
nests or spiders spinning webs? Nature is full of 
hidden artists — animals, birds and insects who 
weave, stitch, design, and even glue things together.
What do you see in the picture below?
Did you know we have a hidden artist around us 
who has been weaving long before humans ever did?
Clothes — How Things are Made
8
Chapter 8.indd   131 Chapter 8.indd   131 10-Jul-25   6:18:10 PM 10-Jul-25   6:18:10 PM
Our Wondrous World
132
The Indian handloom sector employs over 45 lakh people, especially 
women and rural artisans, making it one of the largest cottage 
industries in the world.
The male baya weaver is a weaverbird, who builds 
beautiful hanging nests from grass. They weave the 
strands over and under to make the nest strong. 
The nest is shaped like a pouch and hangs from the 
branches of a tree. The expert weaverbird weaves 
very fine nests, while the young ones who are just 
learning make rather rough ones.
Weaving combines strips or threads of a material 
into a patterned fabric like cloth. One set of thread 
is placed vertically and the other goes horizontally. 
When these threads are carefully crossed over and 
under each other, they form a unified fabric such as 
a mat, a basket or many other things.
For a long time, people have been weaving many 
kinds of natural materials into mats, baskets or 
sheets from coconut fibre or palm reeds, bamboo, 
grass, jute and cotton or silk. 
Chapter 8.indd   132 Chapter 8.indd   132 10-Jul-25   6:18:11 PM 10-Jul-25   6:18:11 PM
133
Clothes — How Things are Made
Discuss
Have you seen products woven out of natural material at 
home or elsewhere? What are they?
Activity 1
1. Take 5 – 6 strips of blue paper and tape them at the 
top of a surface. 
2. Take another set of yellow paper strips and weave 
them through — over, under, over, under.
3. Keep repeating until you get a mat.
4. Can you use this method to make a basket?
Try using materials other than paper, such as strings, 
ropes, ribbons or reeds.
Indian muslin was so fine that it was known as ‘woven air’ and a whole 
saree could pass through a ring.
Chapter 8.indd   133 Chapter 8.indd   133 10-Jul-25   6:18:12 PM 10-Jul-25   6:18:12 PM
Our Wondrous World
134
What can you find in your classroom that is 
woven? If we weave with threads instead of 
paper strips, it becomes cloth.
Activity 2
Look at a piece of cloth through a 
magnifying glass or by using zoom 
on a mobile phone camera. It could 
be a shirt or something you are 
wearing. Can you see the amazing 
criss-cross pattern?
Traditions of Weaving
People in India knew how 
to weave even 4,000 years 
ago! Traditional weaving 
is done by hand on an 
instrument called loom. 
The cloth made this way is 
called the handloom fabric. 
India has some of the best 
handloom weavers, who 
are experts at their craft.
There are many handloom traditions in India, each with 
its unique technique and pattern like Kanjeevaram from 
Tamil Nadu, Pashmina from Kashmir, and Ikat from Odisha 
and Gujarat.
Do you know?
Chapter 8.indd   134 Chapter 8.indd   134 10-Jul-25   6:18:13 PM 10-Jul-25   6:18:13 PM
Page 5


Patterns with Threads
Look closely around you. Do you see birds building 
nests or spiders spinning webs? Nature is full of 
hidden artists — animals, birds and insects who 
weave, stitch, design, and even glue things together.
What do you see in the picture below?
Did you know we have a hidden artist around us 
who has been weaving long before humans ever did?
Clothes — How Things are Made
8
Chapter 8.indd   131 Chapter 8.indd   131 10-Jul-25   6:18:10 PM 10-Jul-25   6:18:10 PM
Our Wondrous World
132
The Indian handloom sector employs over 45 lakh people, especially 
women and rural artisans, making it one of the largest cottage 
industries in the world.
The male baya weaver is a weaverbird, who builds 
beautiful hanging nests from grass. They weave the 
strands over and under to make the nest strong. 
The nest is shaped like a pouch and hangs from the 
branches of a tree. The expert weaverbird weaves 
very fine nests, while the young ones who are just 
learning make rather rough ones.
Weaving combines strips or threads of a material 
into a patterned fabric like cloth. One set of thread 
is placed vertically and the other goes horizontally. 
When these threads are carefully crossed over and 
under each other, they form a unified fabric such as 
a mat, a basket or many other things.
For a long time, people have been weaving many 
kinds of natural materials into mats, baskets or 
sheets from coconut fibre or palm reeds, bamboo, 
grass, jute and cotton or silk. 
Chapter 8.indd   132 Chapter 8.indd   132 10-Jul-25   6:18:11 PM 10-Jul-25   6:18:11 PM
133
Clothes — How Things are Made
Discuss
Have you seen products woven out of natural material at 
home or elsewhere? What are they?
Activity 1
1. Take 5 – 6 strips of blue paper and tape them at the 
top of a surface. 
2. Take another set of yellow paper strips and weave 
them through — over, under, over, under.
3. Keep repeating until you get a mat.
4. Can you use this method to make a basket?
Try using materials other than paper, such as strings, 
ropes, ribbons or reeds.
Indian muslin was so fine that it was known as ‘woven air’ and a whole 
saree could pass through a ring.
Chapter 8.indd   133 Chapter 8.indd   133 10-Jul-25   6:18:12 PM 10-Jul-25   6:18:12 PM
Our Wondrous World
134
What can you find in your classroom that is 
woven? If we weave with threads instead of 
paper strips, it becomes cloth.
Activity 2
Look at a piece of cloth through a 
magnifying glass or by using zoom 
on a mobile phone camera. It could 
be a shirt or something you are 
wearing. Can you see the amazing 
criss-cross pattern?
Traditions of Weaving
People in India knew how 
to weave even 4,000 years 
ago! Traditional weaving 
is done by hand on an 
instrument called loom. 
The cloth made this way is 
called the handloom fabric. 
India has some of the best 
handloom weavers, who 
are experts at their craft.
There are many handloom traditions in India, each with 
its unique technique and pattern like Kanjeevaram from 
Tamil Nadu, Pashmina from Kashmir, and Ikat from Odisha 
and Gujarat.
Do you know?
Chapter 8.indd   134 Chapter 8.indd   134 10-Jul-25   6:18:13 PM 10-Jul-25   6:18:13 PM
135
Clothes — How Things are Made
Weaving is not just about making clothes. It also 
provides work to many families, and keeps our 
traditional skills and designs alive. That is why 
weaving is so special for India — both for its culture 
and for the people who depend on it for their livelihood.
Textile mills use modern machines to spin thread 
and weave cloth in large quantities.
Thread
We have seen how threads can be woven together to 
form a cloth. But how are threads made?
Activity 3
• Take a ball of cotton and gently 
pull it out to make a strand.
• Now, try twisting the strand 
slowly with your fingers. Notice 
how it becomes stronger as you 
pull it in a spin.
• Take a pencil. Now, wind your 
cotton strand onto your pencil, 
by twisting and adding more 
cotton to your ball.
India was the first country to cultivate and use cotton to make 
clothes, revolutionising textiles worldwide.
Chapter 8.indd   135 Chapter 8.indd   135 10-Jul-25   6:18:14 PM 10-Jul-25   6:18:14 PM