Sewing for the Apparel Industry

571 Pages·2013·81.66 MB·English

by  Claire B. Shaeffer

Pearson New International Edition

Sewing for the Apparel Industry
Claire Shaeffer
Second Edition
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ISBN 10: 1-292-03946-9
ISBN 13: 978-1-292-03946-6
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ISBN 10: 1-292-03946-9
ISBN 10: 1-269-37450-8
ISBN 13: 978-1-292-03946-6
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P E A R S O N C U S T O M L I B R AR Y
Table of Contents
1. Overview of Apparel Production
Claire Shaeffer 1
2. Quick-Start Tutorial
Claire Shaeffer 19
3. Orientation: The Lockstitch Machine
Claire Shaeffer 35
4. Basic Skills: The Lockstitch Machine
Claire Shaeffer 55
5. Other Industrial Equipment
Claire Shaeffer 79
6. Basic Production Skills
Claire Shaeffer 101
7. Seams: Types, Classifications, and Basic Plain Seams
Claire Shaeffer 113
8. More Plain Seams
Claire Shaeffer 135
9. Seam and Hem Finishes
Claire Shaeffer 149
10. Self-Finished Seams
Claire Shaeffer 161
11. Hems
Claire Shaeffer 169
12. Darts
Claire Shaeffer 189
13. Facings
Claire Shaeffer 201
I
222233333444444445246801347013477990959311373393757151
14. Plackets
Claire Shaeffer 229
15. Support Materials
Claire Shaeffer 245
16. The Production Process
Claire Shaeffer 269
17. Bands, Cuffs, and Waistbands
Claire Shaeffer 283
18. Sleeves
Claire Shaeffer 301
19. Closures
Claire Shaeffer 311
20. Zippers
Claire Shaeffer 333
21. Collars
Claire Shaeffer 347
22. Pockets
Claire Shaeffer 373
23. Bias and Bias Application
Claire Shaeffer 403
24. Linings and Backings
Claire Shaeffer 419
25. Knit Types and Seams
Claire Shaeffer 433
26. Hems and Edge Finishes
Claire Shaeffer 447
27. Appendix: Saftey Rules
Claire Shaeffer 475
28. Appendix: Forms
Claire Shaeffer 477
29. Appendix: Using Measuring Tools
Claire Shaeffer 491
30. Appendix: Comparison of Commonly Used Fibers
Claire Shaeffer 495
31. Appendix: Hand Sewing Basics
Claire Shaeffer 501
II
555555555112233455133915559
32. Appendix: Pressing Tools and Techniques
Claire Shaeffer 511
33. Appendix: ASTM Schematics of Seams and Stitches
Claire Shaeffer 513
34. Appendix: Troubleshooting Stitching and Pressing Defects
Claire Shaeffer 523
35. Appendix: Basic Tools and Supplies
Claire Shaeffer 529
36. Appendix: Burn Test as a Fiber Identification Aid
Claire Shaeffer 531
37. Appendix: Pattern Numbers and Shapes
Claire Shaeffer 535
38. Glossary
Claire Shaeffer 545
39. Bibliography
Claire Shaeffer 555
Index 559
III
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Overview to
Apparel Production
Apparel manufacturing firmsare just as diverse as the designs they pro- Chapter Objectives
duce.They can be large or small,have one employee or thousands, After completing this chapter,
you will be able to:
and produce high-end high-fashion or budget everyday garments.
They can have one machine or hundreds,produce one-offsor thou- • Describe the organizational
sands,and manufacture all goods in houseor use outside contractors. structure of an apparel
manufacturer.
They can have one plant or dozens,manufacture in America or off-
• Identify and define job
shore,and produce garments for men,women,or children.They can opportunities in apparel
be diversified or specialists and may produce only for a particular store manufacturing.
• Identify and describe the
or large chain,for many wholesalers,or for one exclusive boutique.
three processes in
Clearly no two firms are exactly alike,but all focus on providing the manufacturing.
target customerwith apparel that meets his or her expectations for • Describe the interaction
among the design,
performance,quality,and value.
production,and
Apparel manufacturing is composed of three processes: design, merchandising departments.
production,and merchandising.The design department develops • Evaluate fit on the sample
garment.
ideas into styles,the production departmentproduces or manufac-
• Identify the machines most
tures the garments,and the merchandising departmentpromotes
commonly used in the needle
and sells them. trades.
• Identify the six stitch
classifications.
From Chapter 1 of Sewing for the Apparel Industry, Second Edition. Claire Shaeffer. Copyright © 2013 by Pearson Education,
Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall. All rights reserved.
1
OVERVIEW TO APPAREL PRODUCTION
THE DESIGN PROCESS
The design process begins in the design department,
whose primary purpose is to develop a successful
product. This complex process requires a thorough
knowledge of what will sell and what can be manu-
factured at a profit, as well as the ability to create new
and interesting styles.
Product Development
Product development takes place in the design stu-
dio. Generally the design studiois a room or group
of rooms with tables for patternmaking and cutting
and machines for making sample garments.
The designeris responsible for all aspects of the
design process. In a small firm, he or she may actually
do all the work. In larger firms, a staff of designers,
assistant designers, samplemakers, patternmakers,
and graders, each with specific skills and responsibil-
ities, share the work under the supervision of a head
designer. Many firms have no design department or
operate with skeleton staffs that rely on freelance
designers or stylists for designs and design-related
services.
Product development, or the creation of new
styles, involves a variety of specific operations:
developingdesignideas,selectingfabricsthatare
available and appropriately priced, making the
first pattern, making a sample garment or
prototype,evaluatingandrefiningthefitandde- FIGURE 1 A croquis by Ila Erickson.
sign, computing the cost, making a production
Courtesy of Ila Erickson
pattern,makingduplicates,andgradingthepro-
duction pattern.
such style features as sleeves, cuffs, collar type and
From Idea to First Pattern shape, yokes, and pockets; and such design details
as belts and epaulets, fastenings, and trims. It may
The designer begins with a thorough knowledge of
also include notes on construction methods.
thefirm’stargetmarket,itstargetcustomer,hisorher
The first patterns for most designs are made using
buying habits, and hundreds of ideas and sketches
the firm’s slopers or body shapes. The slopers are
from many sources. Design ideas fall into three
basic patterns for blouses, shirts, pants, skirts, dresses,
categories: (1) modifications or new fabrications of
and jackets that reflect current fashion styles. They
successfulstylesfromthecurrentorpreviousseason
have a specific fit and silhouette and have been used
and adaptations of current trends; (2) knockoffs or
successfully in the past. If the design is entirely differ-
copiesofmoreexpensive,high-fashiondesigns;and
ent, a new sloper is developed from the basic block
(3)original,trend-settingdesigns.
or foundation pattern or from another sloper. The
Most designers make a croquis or sketch, as
basic block follows the natural line of the target cus-
shown in Figure1, to describe the design and clar-
tomer’s body shape.
ify the concept. If the designer is making the first
pattern or working closely with the patternmaker,
the croquis may have little detail. If the croquis will
The Sample Garment
be turned over to an assistant, first patternmaker,
or freelance patternmaker, it will be more detailed Once the new pattern is made, it is used to cut a
and very accurate. It will clearly represent the de- sample or trial garment. In some workrooms the
signer’s ideas for the silhouette, seams, and darts; sample garment is cut by the assistant designer or
2
OVERVIEW TO APPAREL PRODUCTION
patternmaker; in others, by the samplemaker. If the 2. The goals are different. Because the sample
design is completely new, it is cut from muslin. If it will be used as a guide for making the
is a new version of a previously successful style, the production pattern, it must be as close to
sample garment is often cut from a sample cutof a perfect as possible. To achieve this goal, the
material being considered for production. samplemaker frequently uses basting aids and
Generallythepatternpiecesareplacedonthefab- more underpressingthan would be cost-
ric and secured with weights. Then chalk or a well- effective in final production.
sharpenedpencilisusedtotracethepatternontothe
3. The skills are different. The samplemaker can
fabric.Althoughthesamplecanbecutwithoutchalk-
perform many operations successfully but is
ingtheoutline,carelesscuttingatthisstagecandamage
rarely as fast or as proficient as factory operators
theoriginalpatternaswellasthesampleitself.
who perform only one or two operations.
Next, a skilled seamstress or samplemaker, who
requires no instructions or assistance, assembles the After the sample garment is completed, it is first
garment. The samplemaker is responsible for sewing tested on a dress form and then fitted on a live or fit
the entire garment precisely and for advising the model, whose measurements correspond to those
design team if the pattern pieces do not fit together for the firm’s sample size. The sample is evaluated
properly. for fit, silhouette, and design; then it is corrected or
The samplemaker must have extensive knowl- modified until the design is perfected.
edge of industry methods for mass production, even When a new silhouette is being developed, this
though he or she often modifies them in the sample process may be repeated several times before the
room. Here are some reasons for such modifications: design is approved because of the need to determine
the exact dimensions of the production pattern for
1. The sample room is rarely equipped with
the selected material.
special attachments or automated machines.
BOX 1 Evaluating the Fit
Fit is as important to the success of the product
as the design. The purpose of a fitting is to check
the size, balance, ease, style lines, and
Warp
silhouette.
According to Ruth Glock and Grace Kunz
(Apparel Manufacturing: Sewn Product Analysis, 4th
ed., p. 175), balanceand easeare the
fundamental components of establishing the fit
Selvage
of a basic block or sloper.
Grain
The graindetermines the balance. Grain
describes the fabric threads. All woven fabrics
have at least two sets: the warpthreads, which
Weft or
run lengthwise, and the weftor fillingthreads,
which run crosswise. The warp threads are put Filling
on the loomat the outset, and the filling
Fabric grain.
threads interlace with them. When the fabric is
on-grain, all warp threads are parallel to each
other, and the filling threads are parallel to each
other and at right angles to the warp threads. If The warp threads are stronger and have less
they are not, the fabric is off-grainand should be stretch than the filling threads. Most fabrics
avoided. drape better when the warp is perpendicular to
the floor.
NOTE: Fabrics that are off-grain cannot be straightened per- The lengthwise grainshould be
manently if they have any kind of permanent finish, perpendicular to the floor at the center front
and most do. and back; on the sleeve, it should be
3