Needle cuƫng

• Needle cuƫng is the breaking of yarns in the

fabric as the needle enters the seam.
• Holes and needle cut is a commonly faced
problem during garment manufacturing. Specially
the garments with knit/jersey fabric, lightweight
fabrics, a combinaƟon of lightweight/jersey fabric
with heavy woven fabric are exposed to a higher
UNIT – 3 risk of geƫng needle cut or holes during the
producƟon process.
• How to avoid needle cuts –
• Check for any sharp edges on the plate, feed dog
and pressure foot.
• Needle plate should be selected according to
needle point.
• Remove all sharp edges that might snag the fabric
as it is being sewn.
• Use minimum pressure on pressure foot so that
fibres in fabric are allowed to shiŌ as the needle
penetrates the seam.

Sewability of fabric Strength ProperƟes of apparel

• Sewability of fabric is the characterisƟc property of a fabric which allows it to be • The strength properƟes of apparel have been considered the
seamed at the full limit of high-speed sewing machinery, without the mechanical most obvious indicaƟon of the service life of apparel. The
degradaƟon of fabric. strength of fabric or garment indicates its ability to resist
mechanical damage due to the stress of normal wear and
• The strength of the woven fabric is considerably reduced by the seaming operaƟon
laundering.
which intern reduces the overall life of a garment.
ProperƟes of Apparel strength –
• Cuƫng, fusing of yarns in fabric by a sewing needle are the reasons behind the loss
in fabric strength as well as poor seam appearance. 1. Fabric strength - Fabric strength can be divided into three
different areas i.e. resistance to tensile force, resistance to
• Fabric sewability is one of the top ten quality problems in the garment industry.
tearing force, and resistance to bursƟng force. In the case of
• Sewability Test woven fabric resistance to tensile force and tearing force is
• Sewability of fabric (The degree of its resistance to needle damage) can be assessed measured but in the case of kniƩed fabric resistance to
by determining: bursƟng force is measured to assess the fabric strength.
1.The proporƟon of fabric yarns cut by the needle (Needle Cuƫng). 2. Seam Strength - Seam failure of a garment can happen due
to the failure of the sewing thread leaving the fabric intact or
2.Loss in fabric strength caused by needle damage. fabric rupture leaving the seam intact or both breaking at a
Ɵme.

• Seam strength is tested in almost the same manner as fabric breaking and bursƟng Dry Cleaning
strength. The strength of a seam or sƟtching should be equal to or slightly less than • Drycleaning is very similar to regular home laundering, but a liquid solvent is used to clean
the fabric strength. The elements which have a great impact on the strength of a our clothes instead of water and detergent.
seam or sƟtching are:
• The solvent contains liƩle or no water, hence the term "dry cleaning".
• SƟtch Type
• Drycleaners use very large and technically advanced computer-controlled dry cleaning
• Thread strength machines. Our clothes do get wet, but the liquid solvent used evaporates much more quickly
• SƟtch per inch (SPI) than water. Since solvent is used instead of water, it is not drained and disposed of as a
• Thread tension washing machine does with soiled water.
• Seam Type • The solvent is re-circulated through filters throughout the enƟre cleaning cycle to remove
impuriƟes loosened during the cleaning process. Then the solvent is disƟlled to be crystal
• Seam efficiency of the fabric clear and totally purified before it is used again.
3. Resistance to yarn slippage: • Drycleaning has two disƟnct advantages over cleaning with water or "wet" cleaning: Water
• Seam Failure may also occur due to displacement of yarns present in the cut area of swells the fibres. It is this swelling acƟon which causes shrinkage and dye fading in many
fabric aŌer seam line or sƟtch line due to stress on the seam or joint of the apparel. garments.
• Drycleaning solvents are much more superior to water in the removal of oily or greasy
residues which are the base component of many stains.
 Dry Cleaning Process
• 52':/2+￦*8?￦952<+4:9￦2/1+￦'3?2￦')+:':+￦'8+￦'662/+*￦:5￦8+35<+￦5/
(584+￦9:'/49￦=./2+￦454￳<52':/2+￦+8￦).2585+:.?2+4+￦￦￮ ￯￦ • Step 1: IdenƟficaƟon and InspecƟon
When we leave garments for cleaning they are inspected and idenƟfied with a tag which
952<+4:9￦'8+￦;9+*￦54￦6'/4:￦'4*￦<'84/9.￦9:'/49￴￦ stays with the garment unƟl it is returned to us.
• ':+8￦952;(2+￦9:'/49￦9;).￦'9￦6+896/8':/54￦'8+￦965::+*￦=/:.￦ • Step 2: Spoƫng and stain removal
Trained drycleaner skillfully removes spots and stains in conjuncƟon with a number of
+3;29/,?/4-￦'-+4:9￦￮=':+8￦'4*￦952<+4:￦3/>+*￦:5-+:.+8￯￴￦ specialized soluƟons.
• 53+￦68+￳965::+89￦'8+￦*/-+9:/<+￦'-+4:9￴￦.+?￦'8+￦3/>:;8+9￦5,￦ • Step 3: SorƟng
Garments are sorted for cleaning by category and colour with consideraƟon being given to
+4@?3+9￦)'6'(2+￦5,￦*/-+9:/4-￦,55*￦9:'/49￴￦ the manufacturers recommended care label instrucƟons.
• 8+￳965::+89￦'8+￦'662/+*￦;9/4-￦'￦965::/4-￦-;4￦￮￦8/).2585+:.?2+4 • Step 4: Drycleaning
Garments are then drycleaned using a special internaƟonally standard clear soluƟon which
+8).2585+:.?2+4+￲￦)+:54+￦￯￦￦=./).￦;9+9￦)5368+99+*￦'/8￦'4*￦ removes dirt and grease safely from the most delicate and sensiƟve fabrics.
.+269￦968'?￦:.+￦952<+4:￦54￦:5￦:.+￦9:'/4￦58￦.+'</2?￦95/2+*￦'8+'￴￦ • Step 5: Drying
Garments are dried using temperatures appropriate to the type of garment and in
• 6+)/'2￦965::/4-￦:'(2+9￦'8+￦+7;/66+*￦=/:.￦9:+'3￦-;49￲￦ conjuncƟon with any recommendaƟon from the manufacturer's care label instrucƟons.
)5368+99+9￦'/8￦'4*￦965:￦8+35<'2￦).+3/)'29￴￦22￦).+3/)'29￦;9+* • Step 6: Pressing and Finishing
'8+￦8+35<+*￴ Garments are pressed to give those crisp clear pleats and creases that signify a drycleaned
garment. Garments are steam formed to restore body and shape and remove wrinkles.
• Step 7: Final inspecƟon and packaging
Garments are given a final inspecƟon and prepared for collecƟon.

Care Labeling of Apparel All kinds of symbols can be found on a label. But, there are five basic ones that
go in care instrucƟons of labels and they are as follows:
1. Washing: The adjacent symbol shows the general washing instrucƟons.
• Care label means a permanent label or tag, containing regular care informaƟon and Some labels also use a picture of an actual washing machine to show
instrucƟons, that is aƩached or affixed in such a manner that it will not become machine wash. Dots are used to indicate temperature. A single dot
separated from the product and will remain legible during the useful life of the represents 30C. Two dots indicate 40C, with the addiƟon of each dot, the
temperature increases by 10C.
product.
• Labels in clothes and other texƟle arƟcles play a huge role in the buying decision of a 2. Bleaching: A triangle is the symbol for bleaching. A big 'x' over the triangle
means no bleaching. And when the triangle encompasses two diagonal lines,
consumer. For some, the convenience of dry cleaning might be a reason to pick up a then it indicates the garment must be washed with non-chlorine bleach only.
certain garment, while some might prefer machine wash for economic reasons. Hence,
consumers look beyond the aestheƟcs and fabric of a product. The aŌer-use and 3. Drying: A normal drying symbol is a circle enclosed in a square. The dot in
the symbol indicates the temperature. Some garments also include hang dry
maintenance are vital to push their decision forward or backward to buy. instrucƟons on the label.
• The care labeling standards applies to everyone who is a part of the manufacturing 4. Ironing: Different kinds of fabrics require ironing at different temperatures.
process i.e. suppliers, importers, distributors, retailers, and producers of the products. The dots in the ironing symbol indicate the intensity of the heat of the iron.
Although every country follows its own set of standards and mandatory rules of care
5. Dry Cleaning: A simple circle is the dry cleaning symbol, the circle with a P
labeling, there are a few set of pre-requisites that apply to most of them. The care suggests dry clean with any solvent except trichloroethylene, and the circle
labels need to be permanently aƩached to the product and must be legible. It must be with a big cross indicates no dry clean.
able to put up with the procedures menƟoned thereby. Only symbols are not enough,
instrucƟons also need to go with labels.

Care Label symbols Garment InspecƟon Steps

• In garments Industry, inspecƟon is generally conducted in three steps:
• Raw material InspecƟon
• In Process InspecƟon
• Final InspecƟon
Raw Material inspecƟon
In garments industry, raw material means mainly the fabrics, sewing thread, zipper or chain,
interlining etc.
Fabric InspecƟon
Fabric, a garment's primary material, is essenƟal throughout producƟon. Whether the texƟles
are sourced domesƟcally or internaƟonally, it is important to do a complete quality
assessment before purchasing to save Ɵme and money on subpar goods. The risk of
permanent damage is considerable if the materials are of low grade. When the fabrics are
delivered to the plant, certain producers inspect them.
 A quality inspector should check various maƩers according to the buyer’s instrucƟon in Raw material
Examining sewing Thread for defects inspecƟon stage of garments. Those are-
• Sewing producƟon and quality are affected indirectly by the frequent breaking of sewing • Yarn defects such as thick and thin,
threads. • Kniƫng defects,
• Fabric construcƟon,
• The needles of a sewing machine move the thread at a rate of 140 to 165 kilometers per
• Fabric GSM
hour while the machine works.
• Fabrics shade matching,
• FricƟon between threads and various parts of machinery and fabrics may impair thread • Fabric holes,
strength by as much as 32 percent. • Fabric defects,
Chain • Sewing thread,
• Zipper,
• One inoperable chain or zipper is an example of a vital clothing component. It's important to
• Fabric soŌness,
anƟcipate these challenges in order to prevent zipper malfuncƟons.
• Fabric width,
• Dimension • VerƟcal stripes,
• Uniform color • Horizontal stripes,
• Fabric shrinkage,
• Slider
• DefecƟve prinƟng,
• Lock • DefecƟve embroidery,
• DefecƟve buƩons,
• Dirt and stains in the fabric.

In-Process InspecƟon Fabric Cuƫng

The process of inspecƟon of the various parts of a garment before joining is called in-process • The most important precondiƟon for making of high quality garments is the cuƫng
inspecƟon. In garments industry, inspecƟon is done in each secƟon starƟng from spreading to of fabrics in high quality. So the factors related to fabric cuƫng should be inspected
finishing. The main objecƟve of in-process inspecƟon is to idenƟfy the defects in the primary carefully. As for example, whether the dimension of the paƩerns and the cut fabrics
stages of various secƟons and to adopt the necessary steps to recƟfy the defects. Because, the
defects detected as earlier, its recƟficaƟon cost will be lesser. In order to control the quality of are exactly same or not should be inspected.
garments, the measures that can be adopted in the steps of garments making, are discussed Fabric Sewing
below in steps:
• In garment manufacturing industries, the most specious and the most important
Marker Making secƟon is the fabric sewing secƟon. The jobs of each sewing machine operator of
• If mistakes or defects occurred in marker making, the quality of garments will be lower. So all this secƟon should be regularly inspected, and specially, it is to be specified that up
the maƩers involved in marker making, should be inspected properly. As for example, need to what level of faults in each job is acceptable, and always arrangements should be
to examine whether the labeling or code numbers have been placed properly in each of the made for idenƟfying the defects through inspecƟon, and to adopt measures for
paƩerns drawn in the marker. recƟficaƟons, and to control the defects.
Fabric Spreading Pressing or Finishing
• The defects during spreading of the fabrics, for which the quality of garments may be lower, • The main objecƟve of pressing or finishing is to make arrangement so that garments
should be taken care at the Ɵme of spreading of fabrics. As for example, during spreading, look good, because, in most of the cases a customer takes the buying decision of the
fabric should be spread as per the length and width of the marker and the edges of fabric garment based on whether it looks good or not though buying of a garment also
both in the direcƟons of length and in width have to be aligned. Otherwise, the wastage of
the fabric will increase. depends on its price, quality, standard etc. For this reason, pressing or finishing is
very much important.

A quality inspector should ensure different maƩers according to the buyer’s instrucƟon in A quality inspector should check different issues according to the buyer’s
the producƟon stage of garments. Those are - instrucƟon in the finishing stage of garments. Those are-
• Placket length,
• Collars & Cuffs matching, • Armhole • Poor Ironing,
• Sewing threads matching, • Arm Opening, • Dirt & Stains,
• cuƫng paƩerns, • Sleeve length, • Back Board,
• sƟtching, • Rib or Collar width, • Collar Stay,
• Hemming width, • BuƩerfly,
• Absence of sƟtching,
• Neck width,
• Needle holes & marks, • Neck Board,
• Neck opening,
• Unbalanced sleeve edge, • Carton,
• Incorrect side shape,
• Unbalanced placket, • Broken & Missing sƟtch, • Drawcord,
• Open seam, • BoƩom hem bowing, • Size strip,
• Uneven neck shape, • Pocket flasher,
• Puckering,
• Cuƫng shapes, • Hangtag,
• Garment length,
• SƟtching defects, • Photo-in-lay,
• Shoulder length, • Measurements, • Price Ɵcket,
• Body width, • BuƩons
• Polybag,
• Shoulder length, • Trims and Accessories
• Tissue paper.
• Placket width, • Labels
Final InspecƟon
• In the final inspecƟon, mainly the whole inspecƟon of garments is done, because, before
this stage, there is no opportunity to do inspecƟon of a complete garment. This final
inspecƟon is very much important from the buyers end. In this final inspecƟon, mainly the
size of the garments, form fiƫng, and the defects of the garments are inspected.
A quality inspector should confirm various maƩers according to the buyer’s instrucƟon in the
final inspecƟon stage of garments. Those are-
• Shade variaƟon from one part to another part of garments,
• Garments measurement with the allowance from buyers provided measurement chart,
• Collar and sleeves balanced,
• Pockets correct, Thank You !
• Absence of fabric faults and stains,
• Appearance correct,
• PaƩerns matching,
• Absence of miss sƟtching,
• Seams finished correctly,
• Accessories correctly applied and working,
• Correct labeling.