#60 Sewing Efficiently: How to Save Time and Stay Organized
We’re back on track this week! Last week we did a little side step and I showed you some throw back photos from my trip to Shanghai a few years back. If you’d like to see some photos of the sewing factory I visited and get a behind the scenes look, watch this!
This week’s video is all about what is referred to in the industry as “the order of operations”. The order of operations is essentially a set of garment assembly instructions. It is the step-by-step process of putting a specific garment together in the most efficient way possible.
In the fashion industry these sewing instructions aren’t written out in detail like they are in the home sewing industry. If they are written down at all they will look like a short bullet list of tasks, similar to how you might write a to do list.
Sewing factories divide the garment assembly process into bulk tasks. The workers who are most skilled at that particular task can then complete it quickly and efficiently.
A simplified version looks like this: Cutting, Bundling, Sewing, Finishing
Cutting is the process of laying out the fabric and cutting out the pattern. In the industry the fabric is laid out in a single layer with many layers stacked on top of each other so that hundreds of garments can be cut at the same time. Obviously you don’t need to cut several of the same garment but you can create cutting efficiency by doing all of you’re cutting for several projects in one session.
Bundling is the next step in the process. This is the point where each of the cut pieces are ticketed and bundled to prepare them for the sewing process. The ticketing organizes the pieces into batches so that the garment can move from one sewing station to the other in an organized way.
Bundling is what I call “prepping the pieces”. If you’ve ever sewn one of my patterns you’ll find that the first step is called "sewing prep". This walks you through the pre-sewing steps for that particular garment. These include transferring all of your pattern markings, applying interfacings and pre-folding and pressing fold lines and hemlines.
When this pre-sewing work is done before you start the sewing process the sewing naturally goes a lot more quickly because you don’t have to interrupt the sewing process to do other tasks. Once again, you can prep your pieces for several projects at one time so that when you’re ready to sew, it really is a sewing day!
Once all your pieces are prepped, the sewing process can begin. This is where the order of operations really comes into play. As I said, factories don’t use sewing instructions like we do because they have already been trained in the construction technique they will be doing. Actually, quite a few sewing pattern companies also assume this of you, so it’s a good idea to learn the general order of work for each garment type.
The important thing to remember about the order of operations is that you want to keep the garment flat for as long as possible. This makes each of the sewing processes easier to manipulate and complete on a machine. It also ensures that each section of the garment is handled less which keep the garment fresh and clean. When you have this in mind you’ll see that all garments are generally constructed in the same order.
- Darts/Tucks/Pleats
- Style lines: princess seams, yoke seams
- Pockets
- Zippers
- Shoulder Seams
- Side Seams and Inseams
- Waistbands/Facings for Skirts/Pants
- Collars
- Sleeves
- Hems
- Closures-Buttons/Button Holes
Of course there are exceptions to this list, but this is a good general guideline. Watch the video to see how the order of operations flows in the In-House Patterns Ellen pant so you can see more clearly how this works.
All My Best,
Alexandra
