Garment Making

Garment making is one of the basic content of fashion designing. Proficiency in the art of sewing is an essential pre-requisite in the garment construction. Therefore, it is necessary to know the techniques of sewing for producing attractive garments with good fit. Garment making is thus a technical accomplishment that requires knowledge of fabric, principles of clothing construction and skills involved in it; and thus we would hereafter refer it as garment engineering. The art of garment engineering depends on the ability to select the correct fabric, colour, design and accessories to suit an individual occasion. A garment that is made, will be attractive if it fits well and proper attention is paid to its finer details. 

However, before one actually starts constructing a garment there are some important considerations that ought to be made; such as the significance of body shape, pattern selection and fabric and trim application for various classifications of garments. Below listed are the steps that together constitute engineering a garment successfully; that will not only appeal aesthetically but will be functional success as well.

• Body Shapes - All bodies are shaped differently. However, there are six categories that they fall into, based on the outline of the figure between the shoulder - waist - hips. Depending on the shape of the body, one might carry more weight on a certain area. The choice of the design of the garment and the pattern detailing is largely influenced by this shape of the body or the silhouette. 

Body Silhouettes or shapes

• Body Measurements - Human development is the process of growing to maturity. Though growth and development occur simultaneously, they are biological processes. Measuring the person for who you are about to construct a garment is the first, and one of the most important, jobs in the process of making a garment, whatever the design and period. It is important to realise that when you are taking measurements you are looking for two things: the structure and the shape of the body. The most foolproof method of taking correct measurements is the use of obvious bones in the skeleton. Yet another method is to refer to standard charts available. 

8 Head theory of body measurements

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  Fabric fundamentals - The designing perfect, the measurements taken to precision but yet the garment construction can go all wrong if the fabric chosen is not suitable for the design, body type or the pattern detailing chosen. Fabric fundamentals would need to consider the fibre composition - natural (cotton, wool, silk etc) or man-made (rayon, polyester, nylon etc) or a blend of the two (terry-cott, terry-wool etc), fabric construction - woven (twill weave, satin etc) or knit (jersey, rib etc) or other construction methods or what is commonly referred to as non-woven (netting, braiding, laminates etc), fabric finishes - the various treatments given to the fabric before, during and after construction designed to alter their appearance and performance (functional - wash-and-wear or decorative - printing) 

Patterns 

• Pattern Construction - Pattern designing is an extensive subject which cover principles of construction and techniques in a wider sense rather than style detail in a narrow sense. Pattern designing is both a science and an art. A study of the fundamental principles and methods provides the essential basis of scientific data which every cutter must possess. Fashions always change, but the principles of garment cutting remain the same. With the hep of these principles, hundreds of new styles and designs can be created according to the changes in fashion. The three main methods of pattern making that are used in the industry today include:- a) Pattern drafting - is a design process that involving taking measures (directly or through charts) adding ease to them and thereafter transferring them to the pattern paper. The finished pattern is cut out of the paper and placed on the fabric as a guide to cut the pattern piece. b) Pattern Draping - is a design process that involves pinning and marking pieces of fabric that have been placed on a body form, or a human body, in to the desired shape. c) Flat Pattern Making - is a design process in which a base bloc is used to create a pattern of a new style using pattern making techniques for contouring, adding fullness etc.
• Pattern Grading, Marker Making, Spreading & Cutting - Patterns initially are made in only one size. In order to produce clothing that fits various body types and sizes, the pattern pieces must be increased or decreased geometrically to create a complete range of sizes. The process of resizing the initial pattern is called "grading." Grading a pattern is really scaling a pattern up or down in order to adjust it for multiple sizes. Patterns can be graded by slashing and spreading, by track method or with the help of computer software's. Marker making is one of the most important task of the garment manufacturing industry. Accurate marker making helps to reduce fabric wastage which ultimately reduces the cost of making the garment. Markers are classified based on the number of garments combined in it and more over the direction in which these garments face. 

  

  Garment Marker

  The next step in garment engineering is spreading of the fabric to form a lay. The objective of spreading is to place a number of plies of fabric that the production planning process has dictated, to the length of the marker planned, colours required, correctly aligned as to the lengths & width & without tension. Fabric cutting is an important step for manufacturing of garments. Industrial cutting is done using various cutting machines that are equipped with sharp knifes that can slice through the layers of fabrics in the lay without disturbing their arrangement.   

  

  Fabric cutting with cutting machine 

  A successful cutting operation requires that the patterns are cut 100% accurately to precision, there are to scorched edges due to over heating of the machine blade, the cutting should be consistent and with neat/ un-frayed edges, all notches should be accurately placed, there should be adequate support to the lay, and should that be a chance of the fabric layers fusing to each other appropriate precautionary measures should be adopted.