With the graphic t-shirt trend at its peak, there has never been a more favorable moment to design garments that serve as catalysts for conversations. Imagine someone complimenting your t-shirt and inquiring, “Where did you find such a cool design?”
Now, let’s explore the process of manufacturing the ideal, top-quality tee and ensure that you have all four items listed on this checklist:
Technical sketches
Fashion flats are basically the initial visual reference your manufacturer will see before sewing your garment. They should show all of your design details such as desired fit, finishings, and stitching.
Usually, technical fashion sketches are created in Adobe Illustrator. However, you don’t always need to create flat sketches from scratch. Use a vector editor like Repsketch, so you can select from a variety of templates created by professional technical designers. Simply select your template, change design details according to your liking, share online or download and add to your tech pack.
Fabric choice
A quality t-shirt must be aesthetically pleasing as well as practical. This mostly depends on the type of fabric used. Cotton is considered one of the best fabrics for T-shirt manufacturing since it is soft and breathable. Synthetic fibers, on the other hand, are smooth and have low water absorbency, but may not be comfortable for everyday wear. To have the most suitable T-shirt, remember to consider the function that you want, then choose the kind of fabric accordingly.
Construction quality
Ensuring high construction quality for a garment is a multifaceted endeavor. It encompasses various elements, including precise seam placement, preventing stitching imperfections, addressing waving and puckering concerns, proper garment pressing, and achieving impeccable finished edges.
Positioning of the seams
Proper seam positioning is vital for both the look and fit of a t-shirt. When trying on a t-shirt, the shoulder and side seams should remain in place without dropping or shifting forward. It is important to examine the seams to ensure they are straight.
Seam shifting not only detracts from the visual appeal but also causes discomfort for the wearer, especially in fitted tee styles. Skilled sewers can identify and address these issues through pattern modification.
Stitching flaws
Skipped stitches often occur with jersey fabric in T-shirt production. The elastic knit behaves like a trampoline, causing the needle to partially cave in rather than pass through directly. This characteristic leads to stitch formations failing and loose threads floating on the fabric’s surface. Non-aligned underarm and side seams, along with incorrect stitch per inch (SPI), can also result in significant quality problems and an unappealing appearance.
Waving
We want smooth fabric and ribbing on our t-shirts, not waves. The wavy appearance indicates over-stretching during sewing. Close examination of the knits reveals tiny crosswise loops, which can be pulled and widened by excessive force, potentially caused by machinery or operation errors.
Puckering
The fabric around the seams of a t-shirt should be smooth and free from unexpected gathering. Puckering occurs when excessive stitch tension pushes the fabric inward. This not only creates an undesirable appearance but also makes the stitches prone to breaking with regular wear.
Finished edges
Frayed edges after the first wash indicate a poorly made t-shirt. To prevent this, make sure all raw edges are adequately covered and the seams are overlocked.
A high-quality t-shirt will have a clean, even, and smooth finish on the inside as well. Ideally, when you turn the t-shirt inside out, there should be minimal difference from the right side in terms of appearance.
Pressing
To avoid common production errors, various techniques can be employed. One temporary solution is pressing, which can address issues like uneven shoulder lengths, inaccurate size measurements, and distorted fabric, especially with stretch jerseys. When using pressing, be attentive to potential loop deformations that may require further sample inspection.
Measurements
To create an exact sample, the manufacturer requires the Measurement Specs provided by the designer. The Measurement Spec Sheet contains the approximate measurements of the garment when it is laid flat.
Accurate measurements specs
One crucial step in controlling quality is to confirm that all measurements align with the specifications provided in the tech pack. The tech pack should outline the permissible error allowances (tolerances) that allow measurements to vary within a specific range. When reviewing the samples, it is vital to ensure that all measurements fall within this acceptable range.
Ensuring efficient sampling
As simple as a t-shirt may sound, an inspection of it is far more complicated than imagined. A simple way to avoid the errors highlighted above is by using a precise tech pack. With exact measurements and the correct sizing system and fabric identification, fashion designers can save time and money.
T-shirts are popular and become a universally owned item loved for their versatility, comfort, and affordability. By carefully preparing our 4 crucial things above, you can make your T-shirt items more quality. You can also get through the T-shirt collection from Meet Hank for more colorful and unique designs to diversify your wardrobe now!
