t shirt operation breakdown TECH PACK

5 Shoulder Seams Budget garments may only be seamed, while better garments have the shoulders taped or elastic applied.. 504 SSa Superimposed 6 Neckline Bound Seam Neckline Bound seam

Operation Breakdown

of a T-shirt

Paper:

Garment Manufacturing Technology

Faculty:

Ms Garima Srivastava

Submitted by:

Akansha Choudhary | MFM, Sem 1, 03 Anurodh Agnihotri | MFM, Sem 1, 05 Arnav Paitandy | MFM, Sem 1, 06 Natasha Dhawan | MFM, Sem 1, 16 National Institute of Fashion technology, Mumbai

November, 2008

T-shirts are multi-functional garment worn by all age groups as innerwear and outerwear They are simply constructed garments that consist of a front and a back, sleeves and a neckline A few styles may also have pockets Many styles are now considered unisex

Fashion maybe reflected in oversize styling, deep armhole, cutoff lengths and fitted body Seasonal changes in T-shirts maybe reflected in sleeve length, color and fabric weight Reversible T-T-shirts may be made with two layers

of fabric Plain T-shirts are often referred to as Blanks for the imprint market Printed T-shirt, which appeal to both males and females, provide humor, ideas or interests They provide identity through screen printed or heat transfer applications of lettering, logos and licensed designs Designs provide intrinsic appeal beyond the intrinsic value of the garment

SIZING AND FIT

T-shirts are produced in al size ranges Infant and toddler shirts are sized by month and weight Youth and adult sizes are small, medium, big, extra large and so on T-shirt fit is concerned with length and circumference of a garment body, cut of sleeves and neckline shape and depth Sleeve fit is often determined by styling Set-in sleeves which fit close to the body require room for movement and arm expansion

Necklines of T-shirts should lay flat against the body regardless of styling, depth of the neck band or method of assembly During application, neckband is stretched slightly to fit neck edges One of the causes for poor neckline fit is banding the stretches but never recovers This maybe due to, incorrect stitch selection or too many stitches per inch

Product testing and complete product specifications can help prevent poor fit Differences in body proportions must be accommodated in the styling and fit of garments

Example of a T-shirt size chart:

Garment Manufacturing Technology 3

MATERIALS

Fabrics used for T-shirts are primarily 100% cotton or cotton /polyester blends All cotton is generally used in producing better quality garments, though yarn type, fabrication and fabric finished also affect quality Fiber length and alignment affect durability and appearance Ring-spun yarns provide long-range performance Heavier fabrics are often 100 percent cotton and require more yarn which leads to increase in costs Trims used

on T-shirts consist of neckbands, cuffs, bindings; screen printed designs, embroidery, etc

Trims maybe matching or contrasting Tubular neckbands do not require seaming and are often used for better turtlenecks and crew necks Other trims used are braids,

stripes and bindings Trims must be compatible with other

materials, garment performance care and use

Tape maybe used on back necklines, to stabilize and enclose

the seams and improve durability and performance Narrow

twill tape or stable strips maybe sewn in shoulder seams to

prevent breaking of the stitch line Elastic application

ensures recovery of stretched seams Threads of many types

are used in sewing T – shirt Budget shirts are stitched with

white thread, while top-stitching is usually done with

color-matched threads

SPREADING AND CUTTING

Tubular knit fabric, which is frequently used in adult

T-Shirts, creates some challenges in preproduction that are

different than products being spread and cut from flat

goods Closed markers are usually used to cut tubular goods

to be able to utilize the full width of the fabric Tubular

goods may be cut with an open marker but primarily for

children’s clothing Fabric may be knife cut or die cut If it is

die cut, lengths of the fabric cut to the lengths of the die

must be cross or section from the new fabric Sections or

blocks of knife are stacked until they meet the specified ply

height and the spread is moved to the die cutter

Better T-shirt will have a tubular goods turns ¼ turn before cross cutting and stacking This will transfer the crease lines from sides of the spread to the centre This moves the fold from what would be centre front and center back to the underarm area.turning the fabric although automated, provides a less distorted surface for centre front Die cutting usually causes less distortion problems in the cutting process

COMPONENTS AND ASSEMBLY OF A T-SHIRT

Final T-shirt

Garment Manufacturing Technology 5

Garment Operation Breakdown List Form Date: 28 November 2008

Style Number: _ Sketch:

Description: T-shirt Casual wear Knitted

fabric

1 Seams

Most T-shirt seams are superimposed seams, stitched with overedge

stitch This stitch/seam combination produces a narrow, finished seam

with good stretch and flexibility if properly executed Knitted fabrics do

not need a wide seam allowance for good performance However,

seaming of knit fabrics needs to be monitored to prevent yarn

severance Broken yarn caused by faulty needles or the wrong needles

type may allow runs to start at seams

504 Superimposed

2 Sleeve

Because of automation and ease in handling, sleeves are often finished

prior to setting into T-shirts Automated seaming allows sleeves to be

carried by conveyer to the sewing head for hemming For tubular

shirts, sleeves are seamed before setting For other cut and sewn

T-shirts, the sleeve is set into the garment and the sleeves and the side

seam are closed in one operation

Edge treatments, weather band or hems, are easiest to apply while

sleeves are flat Bands may be applied as binding (BSb) or as

superimposed seam (SSa)

504 Superimposed

3 Hemline

Hems must be stretchy, flat and wide enough to avoid rolling when the

fabric is stretched A narrow hem on a jersey is likely to curl when

tension is applied to the edge of the garment Stitch tension should be

loose and the stitches not visible on the right side Hems may be the

first operation on a t-shirt or the last depending how the production

line is set up

Garment Manufacturing Technology 7

4 Patch Pockets

Patch pockets are found on some outwear T-shirts Pocket hems of

better t-shirts have filler or interlining in the pocket hem to retain

shape and prevent stretching Support material is fed in as hems are

stitched to the pocket Automatic pocket setters may be used to attach

pocket to shirt fronts With automation, an operator places a pocket

and shirt and shirt front and engages the machine The machine aligns

and stitches the pocket If pockets are applied, it may be one of the first

operations because it is easier to manipulate a flat open piece

5 Shoulder Seams

Budget garments may only be seamed, while better garments have the

shoulders taped or elastic applied This approach may be closed before

the neckbone is applied

504 SSa Superimposed

6 Neckline

Bound Seam Neckline

Bound seam neckline applications stitched with a cover stitch are fast

and easy to apply They may be used to finish neckline of crew necks,

scoops, tanks and so on Bound seams are flat except where joined at

shoulder(s), and provide a neat topstitch appearance Neckbands, when

applied as bound seams, are strips of rib knit fed off rolls through

tensioning devices and folders When neckbands are applied and the

shoulder seams(s) closed, the neckline is completed

Neckbands may be applied separately to the neckline back and front or

to the neckline after one shoulder seam is closed Closure of the

shoulder seam(s) after trim is applied leaves exposed seam(s) at the

neckline edge This method is fast, minimizes handling, amd is widely

used on budget and moderate shirts

406 Bsb

Tubular Neckband

Neckbands in tubular form require both shoulder seams to be closed

before application Tubular neckbands may be cut from appropriately

sized tubular knits or cut and sewn from piece goods Tubular

neckbands are folded with wrong sides together, positioned on top of

the neckline in a superimposed seam, and attaching tubular neckbands

to necklines with closed shoulder seams requiring manual application

Sewing operators fold, stretch, and align neckbands and shirt necklines

while sewing them together

504 SSa Superimposed

7 Taping of Shoulder and Neckline

Superimposed neckline seam, are often taped, cover stitched or

topstitched to improve comfort, aesthetic appeal, and durability

Unfinished super imposed seam at the neckline may not remain flat

during wear or may not stretch and not cover More durable T-shirts

are taped continuously around the back neckline and shoulder seam to

flatten the seams, maintain shape, and provide hanger appeal

Continuous taping reinforces the junction of shoulder and neckline

seams, which is subject to high stress Only back neckline seams may be

taped when neckbands are applied with both shoulder seams open

This gives the appearance of a better-quality shirt when only the back

neck is stabilized Topstitching may also be used on better-quality

garments in areas where the neckline is not taped

406 SSf, SSag, LSbn

Superimposed

8 Label Stitching

Label setting is often combined with neckline with neckline seaming

Most T-shirts have neckline labels to provide information and appeal

while some shirts have a second label sewn to the outside lower front

in a separate operation This is intended to add fashion appeal and

differentiation to some types of shirts

9 Optional Features

Some T-shirts will have trim or screen prints added for decorative

purposes Special T-shirts for infants have larger openings at the head

The shoulder seams are left open near the neck, and buttons or other

fasteners are attached

10 Finishing Operations

T-shirts are inspected for flaws in the fabric, stitching, and thread

High-quality T-shirts may be pressed through steam tunnels before they are

packaged Packaging depends on the type of T-shirt and the intended

distribution outlet

11 Quality Control

Most of the operations in manufacturing clothing are regulated by

federal and inter-national guidelines Manufacturers may also set

guidelines for the company There are standards that apply specifically

to the T-shirt industry, which include proper sizing and fit, appropriate

needles and seams, types of stitches, and the number of stitches per

inch Stitches must be loose enough to allow the garment to stretch

without breaking the seam Hems must be flat and wide enough to

prevent curling T-shirts must also be inspected for proper application

of neck-lines, which should rest flat against the body The neckline

should also recover properly after being slightly stretched

Garment Manufacturing Technology 9

BOTTLENECK OPERATION

We have identified the stitching of the neckline of the T-shirt as a major bottleneck operation This is a still a manual and time consuming process There are many variations of attaching the neckline and each of these methods effect the appearance, quality and cost of t-shirts

Attaching the neckline is a very time consuming process and leads to accumulation of WIP This can be avoided

by employing 2 operators instead of one for attaching neckbands It will add to the cost but there will be a certain cost benefit advantage