3. Natural Fibres - Cotton
Advantages
ƒ Works great for overdyeing
ƒ Can withstand heat
Disadvantages
ƒ Low tenacity
ƒ If you need strength, you must increase the thread thickness
ƒ Does not sew well on high speed sewing machines
ƒ Price
Application
ƒ Garment Overdyeing
ƒ Feminine Products
ƒ Tea Bag String
4. Synthetic Fibres - Spun Polyester
Man-made fibre manufactured to replicate the
feel of 100% cotton.
Advantages
ƒ low shrinkage ideal for polyester blends
ƒ resistant to sunlight and chemicals
ƒ economical alternative for lightweight
fabrics
Applications
ƒ Blouses, skirts and casual shirts
ƒ T- shirts with interlock weave
ƒ Children's apparels
ƒ Sleepwear and Medium-range fleece
ƒ Non-lustre logo embroidery
5. Synthetic Fibres - Corespun
Corespun threads combine the physical
properties of a synthetic polyester filament
(strength, elongation, low shrinkage) with the
aesthetic properties of a staple cotton or
polyester wrap (softness, appearance, heat
protection).
Corespun threads have the potential to increase
machine productivity by up to 20% over staple spun
polyester.
Advantages
ƒ High seam strength
ƒ High speed multi-directional sewing
ƒ Helps to contain and eliminate many
puckering problems
Applications
ƒ All Apparel
(Lingerie to jeans)
ƒ Furniture
ƒ Home Furnishings
6. Core threads are made by wrapping a staple
polyester or cotton wrapper around a
continuous filament bundle of polyester fibers
during spin-ning, and then plying these yarns
into a sewing thread.
Core threads for the toughest sewing
applications from sewing fine blouses that are
susceptible to seam puckering ... to denim
products that will be stone-washed or sand
blasted.
Brands:
D-Core - cotton wrapped polyester core
Perma Core - polyester wrapped polyester core
Wrapper
40%
Core
60%
7. Benefits:
• 40 to 50% stronger than spun polyester threads the same size
• Superior Sewability on both manual and automatic machines with minimum
interruptions - fewer restitched seams
• Allows the use of smaller diameter threads to minimize Seam Puckering or
Needle cutting
• Reduced Open-Seams and Seam Failures
• Higher initial price compared to spun polyester
8. Singles Yarn
2 Ply
Wrapper
40%
Core
60%
CORE
SPUN
Un-twist the thread and
separate out a singles yarn.
Un-twist the singles yarn. If
the thread falls apart, it is a
Spun thread construction.
If the thread will not fall apart
but maintains its strength,
then it is a Corespun thread
construction.
9. Continuous filament – Textured
Texturing is the process where continuous filament
fibres are entangled by various mechanical methods
which impart softness and bulk.
Market Terminology
ƒ Fluff thread
ƒ Bulky thread
ƒ Wooly thread
Applications
ƒ Active wear
ƒ Lingerie, tee shirts, underwear
ƒ Fleece wear
ƒ Over lock and Coverseams
11. Applications by Substrate
Corespun
ƒ Cotton wrapped polyester core used for sewing jeans, chinos, etc.
ƒ Polyester wrapped polyester core used for sewing everything from intimate apparel to
jeans.
Spun Polyester made from 100% polyester staple fibres also used for most apparel applications.
Textured Polyester used primarily for overedge and coverstitch operations.
Air Entangled Polyester is made from 100% continuous polyester filaments that have been
entangled using high pressure air. Generally not a plied construction.Used in some jeans serging
operations.
Continuous Filament Nylon or Polyester used for sewing leather goods, footwear,upholstered
furniture, sporting goods, luggage, etc.
12. There is NOT One Perfect Thread for All Seaming Operations …
There is NOT One Perfect Thread for All Seaming Operations …
However There Is A Perfect Thread for A Specific Sewing
Application!
However There Is A Perfect Thread for A Specific Sewing
Application!
“For every sewing requirement!”
15. Yarn Count
Systems
Fixed weight
Fixed length
Number English Number metric Denier Tex Decitex
Higher the number the finer the thread. Higher the number the coarser the thread.
Cotton counts:
Ne 60/2
Ne 50/2
Ne 40/2
Ne 20/4
Metric counts:
Nm 80/2
Nm 20/3
Denier:
120d/2
150d
200d
300d
Tex:
18
24
40
105
270
D’tex:
50
70
100
400
Cotton Count - number of 840 hanks in 1 pound
Metric - number of hanks in 1,000 metres/kilograms
Denier - grams per 9,000 metres
Tex - grams per 1,000 metres
Decitex (D;tex) - grams per 10,000 metres
16. Two plied thread where 20 is the count of single
yarn & /2 stands for number of ply.
20 X 840 yds = 16800 yds/lb
The yarns become finer as the count number increases
22. Quality Fabric
Quality Trim
Quality Vendors
Quality Garment Construction Methods
23.
24.
25.
26. EXCESSIVE RESTITCHED SEAMS -
EXCESSIVE RESTITCHED SEAMS -
• Sewn products with excessive restitched
seams on topstitching are NOT first quality
merchandise!
• Restitched seams come from sewing
interruptions on the production floor caused
by thread breaks or skipped stitches.
AE High Performance Threads … Will
• Sewn products with excessive restitched
seams on topstitching are NOT first quality
merchandise!
• Restitched seams come from sewing
interruptions on the production floor caused
by thread breaks or skipped stitches.
AE High Performance Threads … Will
Make the Difference!
Make the Difference!
27. Automatic Pocket Set
(Excessive Restitched Seams due
Automatic Pocket Set
(Excessive Restitched Seams due
to Thread Breaks)
to Thread Breaks)
30. EXCESSIVE BROKEN STITCHES -
EXCESSIVE BROKEN STITCHES -
• Many sourcing companies or manufacturers
spend anywhere from $.50 to $3.00 US per
garment to give them a distressed
appearance or a soft feel after laundering.
• Many sourcing companies or manufacturers
spend anywhere from $.50 to $3.00 US per
garment to give them a distressed
appearance or a soft feel after laundering.
Choosing the Right Thread …
Choosing the Right Thread …
Can Make a Difference!
Can Make a Difference!
31.
32.
33. EXCESSIVE SKIPPED STITCHES
EXCESSIVE SKIPPED STITCHES
• Here are examples of garments pulled of the shelf, or return
from the consumer, with skipped stitches. Skipping can be the
result of Poor Loop Formation.
• Here are examples of garments pulled of the shelf, or return
from the consumer, with skipped stitches. Skipping can be the
result of Poor Loop Formation.
AE High Performance Threads …
AE High Performance Threads …
Will Make the Difference!
Will Make the Difference!
34. EXCESSIVE SKIPPED STITCHES ON KNITS
EXCESSIVE SKIPPED STITCHES ON KNITS
AE High Performance Threads …
AE High Performance Threads …
Will Make the Difference!
Will Make the Difference!
35. EXCESSIVE NEEDLE CUTTING ON KNITS
EXCESSIVE NEEDLE CUTTING ON KNITS
• A very common problem on knits is having excessive needle holes along
the stitch line.We call this Needle Cutting.
• Using very small needles with a ball point will definitely minimize needle
cutting, but …. smaller needles require smaller thread sizes. Using a low
tenacity weak thread can result in excessive Open Seams.
• A very common problem on knits is having excessive needle holes along
the stitch line.We call this Needle Cutting.
• Using very small needles with a ball point will definitely minimize needle
cutting, but …. smaller needles require smaller thread sizes. Using a low
tenacity weak thread can result in excessive Open Seams.
AE High Performance Threads …
AE High Performance Threads …
Will Make the Difference!
Will Make the Difference!
36. EXCESSIVE SEAM PUCKERING
EXCESSIVE SEAM PUCKERING
• A common problem on many woven products is excessive SEAM PUCKERING
… where the seam does not lay flat and look right. You can sometime remove
the puckering temporarily with a hot iron. However, in most cases the puckering
usually comes back!
• A common problem on many woven products is excessive SEAM PUCKERING
… where the seam does not lay flat and look right. You can sometime remove
the puckering temporarily with a hot iron. However, in most cases the puckering
usually comes back!
AE High Performance Threads …
AE High Performance Threads …
Will Make the Difference!
Will Make the Difference!
37.
38. Spun Polyester
T-40 3.3 lbs
Poly-wrapped Polyester Core
T-40 4.5 lbs
Using a higher tenacity thread can help:
• Reduce thread breakage and restitched seams
• Reduce seam failures
• Allow the use of a smaller diameter thread
39. Perma
Core
Spun
Poly
T-30 (120)
They may look the They may look the same i ns tahem seea min. the seam.
PERMA CORE SPUN POLY
They may look the same on the cone.
Tex Size:
Strength:
Avg. single-end break (lbs.)
T-30 (120)
3.8 2.2
Same
72% Diff
Seam Strength:
301 Lockstitch @ 8 spi (lbs.) 44 32 38% Diff
41. Seam Performance
High Elongation Good
Elastic Recovery
Sewability
Low Elongation or High
Initial Modulus
Elongation can also have a tremendous
impact on Sewability Seam Performance
42.
43.
44. Properties of good thread
Required strength
Low shrinkage
Optimum elongation
Proper lubrication
Balanced twist level
High resistance to abrasion
45. TThhrreeaadd BBuurrnn OOuutt
Why thread burns ?
Needle temperature - 360ºc (max)
Melting point of polyester - 200ºc to 250ºc
Check lists
Correct size of sewing thread
Needle selection
Machine threading
Sewing tension
46. When a thread break occurs
The operator repairs the break BUT, she/he may also:
Walk away from the machine for a break
• Take time out to complain about the breakages
• Take time trying a different cone of thread
• Take time trying to resolve the thread breakage's by trying a new needle
• Waste time playing with the thread tensions
All of these things cost production time and increase of operator frustration and
fatigue
frustrated operators + increased fatigue + reduced morale
=
lower quality garments and lower production levels
47. Time lost due to thread breaks
50 lockstitch machines
2 thread breaks per hour
Minimum 30 secs to re-thread re-sew after each break
Therefore in 8 hours day, 8 minutes lost per m/c.
How many individual pieces can be STITCHED in 8 minutes?
6 hours 40 minutes time lost per day
with only 50 lockstitch machine
48. LLuubbrriiccaattiioonn
Prevents thread burn out
Cools the needle during sewing
Reduces wear tear of machine parts
Increases seam strength
Produce a regular low amount of friction.
Protect the thread from frictional needle heat damage.
Allow even off-winding in the supply package.
Be non-staining.
49. Twist direction
Twist is defined as the number of turns inserted per meter (TPM) of
yarn or thread produced.
If the twist is too low, the yarns may fray and break.
If too high, it can cause snarling or looping resulting in thread
breakage.
S twist is also known as
anti-clockwise or Right twist
Z twist is also known as
clockwise or Left twist
50.
51. Seam Engineering
A garment is made up using a series of different seams.
Therefore, a thread should be chosen for specific seams to ensure
maximum benefits.
Seam appearance
ƒ Is the seam attractive, consistent, and neat?
Seam strength
ƒ Have the correct seam type and thread selections
been made for the item being sewn?
Seam stretch
ƒ Does the seam allow stretch especially in high
elongation fabrics viz : knits, lycra blends
Seam durability
ƒ Do the properties of the seam, thread, and fabric
lend themselve to the desired length of use for the
item sewn?
52. Seams
A seam consists of a series of stitches or stitch types used to
join two or more plies of material together.
A seam is loadbearing and should be similar in physical
properties to the material being sewn.
53. Seam Strength
Seam Type
ƒ A lap felled seam is the strongest of all seam types because the fabric is
lapped upon itself and shares the stress load along with the thread.
However, the lap felled seam makes a bulky seam.
ƒ A butt seam is designed to maintain a flat profile, but in this type seam
the thread bears the entire load of stress in the seam.
Stitch Type
ƒ The lockstitch is the most common stitch used, but the most easily
damaged.
ƒ Chain and overedge stitches offer more extensibility, which leads to more
resistance to stress.
Stitch Density
ƒ Seam strength is usually proportional to stitch density.
ƒ Increasing stitches per inch gives a stronger seam up to a point.
Sometimes it is more economical to use a stronger thread.
54. Seam Strength
Critical factors :
Thread strength
Stitch type
Stitch rating
Seam type
Fabric type
Needle size point
Seam strength = SPI X STS X 1.5 - lockstitch
SPI X STS X 1.7 - chainstitch
e.g.
for a seam with a density of 16 spi a thread with a 1100 gms STS
seam strength for lockstitch = 16 X 1100 X 1.5 = 26,400 gms.
= 26. 4 kgs
seam strength for chainstitch = 16 X 1100 X 1.7 = 29,920 gms.
= 29. 9 kgs
The seam is sewn at right
angles to the direction of load.
55. Seam Stretch
Several factors influence seam stretch:
Stitch type (lockstitch, chainstitch, or zig zag
of either for a bra strap)
Stitches per inch
Thread type (elongation characteristics)
Fabric type (stretchability)
Seam stretch is expressed as a % .
56. Seam Durability
Defined as the ability of a seam to withstand
abrasion during :
during the sewing process
at the time of washing
day to day wear tear of a garment
Durability factor for various substrates :
Rayon : 1
Cotton : 3
SSP : 12
Core spun : 30
CF Nylon : 150
57. Factors of seam durability
• Thread finish
• Thread abrasion resistance
• Stitch type
• Stitch balance tightness
• Seam type
• Fabric properties
58. Seam security
The security of a seam depends chiefly upon the stitch type and its susceptibility
to become unraveled.
The stitch must be well set to the material to prevent snagging that can cause
rupture of the thread and unravelling of certain stitch types.
Several factors influence seam security:
Stitch type (it must not be universal)
Stitches per inch
Thread type (must not be too lively)
Seam type (what stresses?)
Fabric type (what stresses?)
59. Seam appearance
The appearance of a seam is generally governed by the proper relatonship
of the following:
Thread - size and type (decorative, etc.)
Stitches per inch - top stitching?
Seam type
Fabric texture and weight
61. Tension Pucker
Caused by high thread tension during sewing.
More pronounced when synthetic threads are used.
These threads on account of high stretch properties
elongate more during sewing.
After sewing the threads recover from the stretched
state pulling the fabric with it.
Remedy:
Thread tensions have to be kept as low
as possible.
62. Feed Pucker
Encountered when sewing very fine fabrics.
The plies of fabric tend to slip over each other
resulting in uneven feed leading to pucker.
Remedy :
Opting for advanced types of feed
systems like compound or unison feed.
Puller feed is more cost effective.
63. Shrinkage Pucker
Wash pucker - during the wash process the thread in the
seam shrinks, pulling the fabric with it. More so when using
cotton threads.
Ironing pucker - normally happens when synthetic threads
are used. The heat destabilizes the molecular structure of the
thread causing it to contract.
Remedy
Choosing threads with low shrinkage properties.
64. Inherent Pucker
Normally seen when sewing densely woven materials.
This occurs because the needle forcibly displaces the
warp weft ends of the dense weave to a significant
extent.
These displaced ends are pushed upwards to the
surface of the fabric and appear as pucker.
This is also know as 'STRUCTURAL JAMMING'
Remedy
Opting for finer needles threads
Opt for a chain stitch in place of a lock
stitch
Reduce stitch density
Biased stitching
65.
66. Fabric Flagging
A machine related issue
the throat plate aperture enlarges due to wear tear
while sewing the needle pushes the fabric through the
aperture before penetrating the fabric
this can also happen when the needle size (thickness) is
changed and if the throat plate is not changed accordingly.
Remedy
throat plates must be changed at regular intervals
after checking for wear tear
throat plates must be changed in accordance with the
needle size even if there are no signs of wear tear.
Needle Size - 8/60 9/65 10/70 12/80 14/90 16100
Throat plate - Nm 100 120 120 140 160 160
aperture size
67.
68. Increased Inspection
Rejections of work
Excessive Repairs
Missed Shipping Dates
Lost Sales
I paid $$$ for this Brand-name
I paid $$$ for this Brand-name
Shirt and after three
Shirt and after three
launderings, the seams are
launderings, the seams are
falling apart!
falling apart!
CONSUMER
70. Using any thread regardless of the impact it
has on your final quality.
Not buying from a thread company that can
provide full-service support when you need it.
Potential loss of credibility with your
customers by having excessive quality issues.
71.
72. Unquality Costs that you should consider:
More thread breaks and restitched seams
Higher overhead costs - more machines required
Longer In-process times - penalties due to Shipment Delays
Charge-backs from Retailer
Potential Claims due to needle fragments
More thread breaks and restitched seams
Higher overhead costs - more machines required
Longer In-process times - penalties due to Shipment Delays
Charge-backs from Retailer
Potential Claims due to needle fragments
73.
74.
75. Ideal Low
Garment Mtrs./Garment Thread Combo Priced Spun Difference
Blouse 111 $.05 $.03 $.02
Bra 57 $.02 $.01 $.01
Dress 128 $.04 $.02 $.02
Dress Shirt – LS 120 $.07 $.03 $.04
Jean 228 $.20 $.15 $.05
Knit Brief 62 $.02 $.01 $.01
Knit Polo Shirt 153 $.05 $.03 $.02
Knit Tee Shirt 57 $.02 $.01 $.01
Panty 56 $.02 $.01 $.01
Suit Coat 160 $.05 $.03 $.02
Sweat Shirt 255 $.09 $.05 $.04
Woven Slack 173 $.10 $.06 $.04
Work Pants 217 $.17 $.07 $.10
* Thread Price Information in U.S. $ for comparative purposes only. For actual thread prices, contact
your AE Sales Representative
76. Thread only makes up a small
percent of the COST of the garment ....
but shares 50% of the responsibility
for the seam!
77. Lets say, A E thread costs $0.75/cone of 2500 mtrs. (60/3)
Lets assume 100 m thread is required to make one shirt
Cost/ Shirt: $0.03
Cheaper thread costs $0.60/cone of 2500mts (60/3)
Cost per shirt: $0.024
Notional saving by using cheaper thread?
0.03 - 0.024 = $0.006/shirt
So, if you stitch 1000 shirts/day in your factory, that is $6.00
SAVED per day
or is it?
NO, you do not save by using cheaper thread.
78. • Thread breakage -low lube, strength, low tenacity
• Skipped stitches - inconsistent lube, unbalanced twist
• Needle breakage - knots
• Rejects - stitching faults, seam faults
• Lost production
Costs at sewing increase when inferior quality threads are used.
82. Most companies have experienced that using
QUALITY THREADS with Minimum Yarn
Imperfections and Consistent Physical
Characteristics …
... Will Make A Difference in producing
quality product !
