Comments on: Getting a quote for cutting

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:18:31 +0000

How do I find someone to cut and sew for me to send to boutiques. Sorry for sounding so dumb but I need help

I wrote a book on how to do all of this, The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Sewn Product Manufacturing, upper left hand side of the page. The blog is a free service but it doesn’t replace the book. Also, if you have it, you may qualify to join our forum to get direct referrals from members.

I realize this may be a disappointment but if you think about it, just as you hope to earn a profit from my advice, it’s only fair I’m compensated for having provided it . Look at it this way, if I didn’t make a living, I would have gone out of business and the blog wouldn’t exist. It is analogous to getting the best price with a provider but if they don’t earn a profit, they go out of business and aren’t able to do work for you in the future. The same holds for stores buying from you. If they demand too low a price and you decide to take it, you go under.

By: ray

ray — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:50:23 +0000

I am wanting to get some garments sewn by contractors. They are not complicated but I have never done this before. The garments basically have one piece sleeves with cuffs/hems-cuffed hem around bottom of top and shirt style collar. Does not require lining. How do I find someone to cut and sew for me to send to boutiques. Sorry for sounding so dumb but I need help…thx so much

By: deerskin

deerskin — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 04:48:37 +0000

Re: So Cal real estate prices.
Even outlying areas like Hemet–about 100 miles this side of LA are not cheap. On the other side of the mountains on Hwy 10 prices are crazy–3000 sq ft house- $500,000+ Okay this is not NYC prices but i mean . . .
So much of So Cal has been developed also, when i lived there as a child, near Hemet, you could drive from my town-Banning to LA and pass lots of vacant land between towns. Now–not so–houses, houses, houses, strip malls, industry etc. every where.

By: christy fisher

christy fisher — Thu, 19 Jan 2006 18:30:55 +0000

Irv:
“downtown” is one of the operative words as far as $$$…also California , in general, has ridiculous real estate prices (that’s why many people are moving from SoCal into the Phoenix area)..and one of the MAIN reasons I decided to move my operations to the “sticks”.
We have 900 sq. ft and pay .80 per square foot ..and that INCLUDES all utilities (heat, electric, water..etc). We have an elevator and a public restroom, so it is like having an urban space without the expense..
I used to deal with the Fall River area (there are still a few oldtimers in operation there)..
I think eventually you will see contractors going to places like Hemet (California) or farm areas where there are some large and comparatively inexpensive buildings in California.
Downtown is (and the nearby outlying area are just too high a price.

By: Big Irv

Big Irv — Thu, 19 Jan 2006 17:52:07 +0000

Thomas,
Did you know of the suit making industry in Montreal ? I hear some good things about their capabilities. You have great website. Nice looking product.
Big Irv

By: thomas

thomas — Thu, 19 Jan 2006 15:45:46 +0000

Irv,

Thanks for your help and direction.

Also, when I say “pieces”, I mean pattern pieces — now I know the right term. thanks,

Also — all the jacket and trouser makers I know of in New York have their own tables — but none are in Manhattan — all are in brooklyn or queens

By: Big Irv

Big Irv — Thu, 19 Jan 2006 15:25:36 +0000

No doubt, the longer the cutting table, the more efficient your cutting operation should be. I have been in garment factories around the world, including London England , and why is it all these factories see fit to have an inhouse cutting capabilties ? We are not talking about prime “downtown ” office space here. Perhaps someone with commercial real estate knowledge can give us the real scoop on square footage rates for industrial zoned properties. Companies looking to make garments through normal contractor channels should have the convenience of inhouse cutting. Look at Fall River, Massachusetts. At one time, the most populous garment manufacturing district outside NYC. No off site cutting happening there.
Clothing companies should demand to have their cutting done alongside the cut and sew operation.

By: MW

MW — Thu, 19 Jan 2006 05:17:38 +0000

And the idea of cutting at another location is so foreign to me as a contractor, I don’t know how you guys do it.

In California, where space is at a premium, it’s very common. To get an efficient cutting operation, you need a very long table and some sewing contractors just can’t justify the space for the table AND all that fabric.

By: Big Irv

Big Irv — Thu, 19 Jan 2006 01:33:33 +0000

I don’t make suits, but I make outerwear pieces that can be complex in both cutting and sewing. You essentially break it down into 3 parts. Cut, sew, and trim/package. We factor in the self, insulation, lining,fusings, pocketing etc…Costs can mount if only doing 40 pieces, but a average cutting price for an insulated jacket with 10-14 pattern pieces can run $2.50-4.00 depending on the type of insulation .
Something simple like a sweatshirt or yoga pants,
.40-.50 cents, in my circle.( average 300 pcs).
I don’t understand contractors that can’t or won’t cut a client’s fabric. Space is one thing, but lacking the “know how”, is simply baffling. It’s like going to a coffee shop, and having to go next door for your muffin. I hope you see my point. I understand why NYC concerns cut in one area of the garment district, and sew in another, but Orange County ? This cutting in another location just adds time and money and sometimes, confusion . Not good.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Thu, 19 Jan 2006 00:31:13 +0000

SB — that’s most helpful.

you know, they *told* me suits were complicated — but I didn’t believe . . .