Fashion Incubator » Sewing http://www.fashion-incubator.com How to start a clothing line or run the one you have, better. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:36:44 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Sewing Equipment Tradeshow -TexProcess April 24-26 http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/sewing-equipment-tradeshow-texprocess-april-24-26/ http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/sewing-equipment-tradeshow-texprocess-april-24-26/#comments Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:34:11 +0000 Kathleen Fasanella http://www.fashion-incubator.com/?p=10751 texprocess_logoIf you're new to these parts, yours truly and many F-I members have been meeting at a sewing equipment trade show called SPESA. SPESA is no more; it was purchased by Messe Frankfurt (yay!) who have renamed it Texprocess. Catchy, no? Okay so it's not. It is still the happening place to be come April 24-26, 2012 in Atlanta GA USA. If you're not sure if this show is for you, there is a lot of coverage of this show on Fashion-Incubator. I think it is good to attend even if you don't intend to buy equipment because it will give you a better idea of the kinds of equipment needed to sew your products. There are also ancillary products of use such as software, dress forms etc. Furthermore, it should be a priority to attend because this show is only held every other year. Many of us have had the show on our calender for two years so I don't remember to mention it. Hopefully it's not too late for you to make plans to attend. If you are going, please let us know so we can plan activities, hotel accommodations etc. If you're not a forum member*, we will wait for 30 minutes after the show closes each day in the foyer at the top of the escalator. I realize that sounds ambiguous but you will find it. And you'll know it's us because we will be milling around, talking in twos and threes and have some kind of distinguishing feature on our badges. As dress is business casual, we won't be wearing suits (hardly anyone does these days except salesmen and even many of them don't). In 2010, we had holographic star stickers.]]> http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/sewing-equipment-tradeshow-texprocess-april-24-26/feed/ 12 You need to start manufacturing yourself. Period. http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/you-need-to-start-manufacturing-yourself-period/ http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/you-need-to-start-manufacturing-yourself-period/#comments Thu, 29 Dec 2011 01:33:14 +0000 Kathleen Fasanella http://www.fashion-incubator.com/?p=10612 Double-digit unemployment? These firms can't find workers bolsters my all too frequent lament that we are critically short on domestic production resources and with no improvement in sight. Here's an excerpt:
When local fashion firm Pinup Girl Clothing tried to ramp up production of its vintage-inspired apparel recently it hit a snag: It couldn’t find anyone to do the work. The company spent a year trying to add 12 people to its 32-person manufacturing team in downtown Los Angeles. As the search dragged on, Pinup Girl fell two months back in its production schedule.
Do read the entry, call it confirmation bias but this is nothing new. I've been talking about critical labor shortages in US sewing factories for years. Years. I feel vindicated that someone in the media has finally heard but not enough have. For example, anyone who complains that sewing contractors don't make it easy to find them, hasn't been listening. It's not a buyer's market and hasn't been for a very long time (they mostly don't need for you to find them). Anyway, the media is hip to the worker shortage problem in the apparel industry so let's hope new entrants to the business figure it out quickly too. As I've said more times than I can count, those who will succeed over the next ten years are those who will develop their own in house sewing operation. And I know well that statement will alienate a lot of people but it's the truth. You don't have to open a big honking facility; it's amazing what one or two stitchers can put out.]]> http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/you-need-to-start-manufacturing-yourself-period/feed/ 49 I don’t know how to sew napkins and tablecloths http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/i-dont-know-how-to-sew-napkins-and-tablecloths/ http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/i-dont-know-how-to-sew-napkins-and-tablecloths/#comments Fri, 23 Dec 2011 17:43:25 +0000 Kathleen Fasanella http://www.fashion-incubator.com/?p=10595 tableclothsThere are plenty of things I've never sewn but I don't worry too much about it. I figure it out one way or another since so much of one's repertoire applies from one project to another. I'm guessing most of you feel the same way. I have to say though, I have been defeated by this project -namely linen tablecloths and napkins. I do not know how to sew these. I got through it okay but there is no way these are sewn in the factory the way I did mine -because that's how I gauge successful completion of a project -that it looks as good or better than expensive RTW. For the longer seams, a hemmer is required -unless you've been sewing 1/4" hems so long you can turn them better by hand. There are people like that. The long edges on my products look fine. It is the starting and stopping at each corner I had problems with. I think they look terrible. I wanted them for the holiday. I console myself that the only person who'd notice would be my mother in law but she wouldn't be so graceless as to mention it.]]> http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/i-dont-know-how-to-sew-napkins-and-tablecloths/feed/ 26 Everyone should do things my way http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/everyone-should-do-things-my-way/ http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/everyone-should-do-things-my-way/#comments Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:07:02 +0000 Kathleen Fasanella http://www.fashion-incubator.com/?p=10357 my way. It is not because I think I'm right. It is not because I think I know the best way to do things. It is not because I think I know the only way to do things. It is not because I think other people's opinions do not matter. It is not because I think others don't know anything. It is not because I think others are incompetent. People are missing the point. It is a paradox. If you can get everyone to do the same thing the same way, it creates the opportunity for creativity and problem solving. Isn't that what you want? Freedom to do it your way -which is presumably better? If everyone has been doing things in competing ways all this time and it hasn't produced consistent results for everyone, how will continuing to do that improve anything? Follow me:]]> http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/everyone-should-do-things-my-way/feed/ 10 A tale -and tutorial- of three collars pt.2 http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/a-tale-and-tutorial-of-three-collars-pt-2/ http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/a-tale-and-tutorial-of-three-collars-pt-2/#comments Mon, 03 Oct 2011 21:24:01 +0000 Kathleen Fasanella http://www.fashion-incubator.com/?p=10140 the first entry. First up is Sarra who asks:
A home sewing book I have suggests cutting the under collar 1/8″ or so smaller lengthwise than the upper collar and then stretching it to fit the upper collar while sewing, so that once it is sewn it will curve inward, i.e., around the neck. Is this a good idea, or an example of poor pattern drafting?
If you think about it, taking out a bit at center back of the under collar is a variation of method #1. The only difference is that you're taking out of the center of the (under) collar rather than the ends. As to whether it is a good practice, sometimes it is your only option. By way of example is Renee's comment:]]> http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/a-tale-and-tutorial-of-three-collars-pt-2/feed/ 10 A tale -and tutorial- of three collars http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/a-tale-and-tutorial-of-three-collars/ http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/a-tale-and-tutorial-of-three-collars/#comments Fri, 30 Sep 2011 22:28:20 +0000 Kathleen Fasanella http://www.fashion-incubator.com/?p=10115
  • Why ignoring this advice can make you a target for a knock off.
  • Why home patterns will not work in production.
  • How the pattern governs product quality and prevents sewing mistakes.
  • Why pattern makers and sewing contractors ask you questions that make you paranoid.
    • By way of introduction to today's post is Deconstructing a sewing class:
    [One example of a planning workaround] was the instruction on how to press collars so the seam would fall to the underside. The way Leslie showed how to do it was what a presser would do in a lower value product. A contemporary or better quality product would have the turn of cloth feature built into the pattern and executed by stitchers before it got anywhere near the pressers. My point is this: a work around is defined by workers having to bail out a failure in a process upstream from them. Since the collar example is so easily defined, I will write an entry about this to explain more fully.
    To open, we need to discuss collar pattern drafting. I've made it simple so non-sewers can follow along. No pattern or sewing experience is needed. In school and in books, we are taught to do whatever shaping by whatever means to come up with our collar's shape. The type and shape is immaterial for this example so our collar is represented by this rectangle. control_collar_draft]]>     http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/a-tale-and-tutorial-of-three-collars/feed/ 26     Deconstructing a sewing class http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/deconstructing-a-sewing-class/ http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/deconstructing-a-sewing-class/#comments Tue, 13 Sep 2011 21:41:55 +0000 Kathleen Fasanella http://www.fashion-incubator.com/?p=10022 mentioned on Saturday that I was taking a class for home sewers for research purposes. My idea being, one can forget what people don't know. Gaining insight to what people don't know can only help me explain better to anyone regardless of skill. Continuing with where I left off (see the comments to the previous entry), our instructor (Leslie) started with a list of what she called the seven deadly sins of a home-made garment. I'm not going to list those specifically because that's how she derives income but suffice to say I agree for the most part. Leslie's list of sins spanned three categories. 1. Design 2. Pattern 3. Execution Note: she didn't sort them like this, this is how I analyzed the various types of sewing sins she identified. The list in this context -spanning design through execution- was a bit unexpected in the context of my role as a product development person. On our end, the three areas are mostly separate with accountability for each clearly defined -not one person in charge of it. Leslie's format differed because home stitchers are whole garment makers from project inception and planning, through execution (and of course, they're also fitting to the individual rather than a fit profile) so it stands to reason the sins wouldn't be separated by function or the separate individuals who do those jobs. Here's one example I would categorize as design: what Leslie described as badly designed bust darts (falling within a prescribed circumference range). In many cases, this can be a design element; there are reasons a designer may want X effect and it is mostly not appropriate for a pattern maker to question design elements with a designer (can get you in hot water) unless it's a new designer (DE) who actively solicits one's help.]]> http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/deconstructing-a-sewing-class/feed/ 52 Why you should start your own sewing factory pt.2 http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/why-you-should-start-your-own-sewing-factory-pt-2/ http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/why-you-should-start-your-own-sewing-factory-pt-2/#comments Mon, 01 Aug 2011 23:17:42 +0000 Kathleen Fasanella http://www.fashion-incubator.com/?p=9702 Psychologists say that one of the most stressful things a person can endure is to be responsible for something over which they have no control. I would say that is the perfect description of using a sewing contractor and it’s the worst part. You think all your problems are solved, but you are just trading one set of problems for another, and this time you are in the passenger seat. Your contractor ships late? Your customers don’t care about your excuses. They want their product. It’s YOUR fault. Your contractor does crappy work? Your customers will hold YOU accountable. And what can you do? The buck stops with you. It has to. You have to accept that you are responsible. I have spent more time growing ulcers and pacing the floor and applying pressure to my sewing contractor, and negotiating that relationship than I have done anything else. Well that, and fixing products that they didn’t quite manage to make correctly. The above is a quote I pulled from series written by an entrepreneur who has started her own sewing factory. She's a single mom with four young children, one of them disabled. The first three entries explain how she went from using contractors to setting up her own in house sewing operation -and why. Part four is a list of things she did that I feel optimized her success. I used to assess a line's viability with the idea that sales were the weak link but not anymore. These days it's production. Being that it's a seller's market on the services side and feeling as I do about developing domestic operations, I've only been working with people who either have their sewing (and are looking to improve it) or who are willing to develop their own sewing operation. The only long term sustainable way to grow a company will be to produce it oneself. The situation is worse when you consider changes in retailing. Retailers are increasingly less willing to commit to long term purchase orders -which you need if using a contractor- they want immediates. Price is only one facet of the sales equation. They'll pay a little more if they can buy smaller lots closer to season with the potential to reorder. You can only serve that up if you're sewing it in your own place. The biggest increase in manufacturing interest I see is coming from retailers. Of course just as many discard the idea once they realize it's not as simple as they thought but that they've thought of it should concern you.]]> http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/why-you-should-start-your-own-sewing-factory-pt-2/feed/ 11 Beginner’s guide to sewing with industrial machines pt.3 http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/beginner%e2%80%99s-guide-to-sewing-with-industrial-machines-pt-3/ http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/beginner%e2%80%99s-guide-to-sewing-with-industrial-machines-pt-3/#comments Tue, 14 Jun 2011 00:13:26 +0000 Kathleen Fasanella http://www.fashion-incubator.com/?p=9592 pt.1 and pt.2) with a mention of getting electrical service to the machines. If you just have a machine or two, the space is relatively small in that you can locate machines close to outlets, this isn't much of a problem. However, if you have a larger open room, electrical service delivery becomes a bit trickier. For this example I'll use my shop. electrical_service_to_sewing_machines_smEven though my space is small as these things go (less than 3,000 sq ft.), I don't have the option of locating machines next to outlets. In the short term one can use extension cords but that can get you into trouble with the authorities if yours is a commercial venture. Even if it's just you, electrical cords are unsightly and unsafe. You have two basic options; both involve drop down electrical service from overhead. You may not have known that but most of the electrical service in a sewing facility comes from overhead. It makes things much neater and safer. Mr. Fashion-Incubator installed pedestals. From the circuit overhead, he installed junction boxes and then electrical outlets closer to the point of delivery (larger image). We also used the outlets to wire in the overhead lighting for those machines. This type of service is good if you are settled and won't need to shift machines around. Oh and if you're wondering, the brown fabric are covers for the machines and thread stands (again thanks to Stu who sent me the fabric!). It is so dusty in the southwest, I need to do that. You should probably do it too.]]> http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/beginner%e2%80%99s-guide-to-sewing-with-industrial-machines-pt-3/feed/ 2 Beginner’s guide to sewing with industrial machines pt.2 http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/beginner%e2%80%99s-guide-to-sewing-with-industrial-machines-pt-2/ http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/beginner%e2%80%99s-guide-to-sewing-with-industrial-machines-pt-2/#comments Wed, 08 Jun 2011 22:32:34 +0000 Kathleen Fasanella http://www.fashion-incubator.com/?p=9552 yesterday's promising start, you'll probably be disappointed today except for maybe one of my prize sewing secrets that I will tell you about. I did some follow up to see if there was existing video on the web on how to manage sewing on an industrial -why duplicate efforts? The first source (which had been mentioned on the forum already) was Esther's sleeve setting tutorial. Esther uses a home machine (photographed step by step) but it's no different on an industrial. Another source I found was a quilting video showing the joining of a convex and concave curve, again on a home machine but there are minimal differences to industrial sewing. Caveats on the video are that she is sewing two tight curves so her hands are relatively close to the plate. This is the same for similar curves on an industrial. If sewing longer curves or straight lines, your hands would be farther from the throat plate. The skinny: You use your left hand to manage the top layer of fabric; the right hand to handle the lower layer. You do not use both hands to hold (down) the two layers or your fingers to hold the two edges together -much less pins. You should not be using your hands to push the material into the throat plate; a good machine will feed it evenly. Each layer should be managed independently and separately of the other. You only worry about the seam lines being aligned until just before it goes under the needle.]]> http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/beginner%e2%80%99s-guide-to-sewing-with-industrial-machines-pt-2/feed/ 24