Working flowchart of cutting room in garment

industry
Received the fabric from dyeing finishing
↓
Received the cutting ratio from apparel merchandiser
↓
Make the cutting quantity plan
↓
Lay planning
↓
Marker making
↓
Make marker ratio
↓
Decide the quantity of fabric spreading
↓
Fix the number of lay per cutting
↓
Take the fabric from store
↓
Check the fabric
↓
Fabric spreading
↓
Marker setting on lay
↓
Fabric cutting
↓
Numbering
↓
Cutting quality check
↓
Storing & Bundling
↓
Bundles are sending to sewing section for bulk production
Function of cutting department with process
sequence:
Received the fabric from dyeing finishing:
When merchandiser confirm about the work order sheet, then cutting section received
the required fabric from the dyeing section.

Received the cutting ratio from merchandiser:

Merchandiser sends a cutting ratio for every style of garment to do this job smoothly.

Make the cutting quantity plan:

Cutting manager should make the perfect cutting quantity plan.

Lay planning:
Before fabric spreading, cutting manager and in-charge make a plan about fabric lay.

Marker making:
To finish the accurate cutting process, marker making must be needed for each style of
garment.

Make marker ratio:

In this stage marker maker prepare a marker ratio to complete this cutting process.

Decide the quantity of fabric spreading:

Before spreading, cutting in charge take the decision, how many fabrics spreading are
required?

Fix the number of lay per cutting:

They also fixed the number of lies which are appropriate for each cutting.

Take the fabric from store:

For cut the every style of garment, cutting in charge receive the fabric from store.

Check the fabric:

Cutting supervisor inspect the fabric faults like, fabric holes, color shading, and any
other defects on fabric.

Fabric spreading:
In this stage, fabrics are spread on cutting table according to correct lay height and ply
tension.
Marker setting on lay:
When fabric spreading completely done, then the different size and styles of marker set
on the top layer of the fabric lay.

Fabric cutting:
Finally fabric cutting is done here.

Numbering:
When the cutting process is finish then numbered the every style of fabric parts to avoid
the mixing.

Cutting quality check:

In this stage check the all cutting fabrics quality.

Storing & Bundling:

Fabric cutting parts are storing and bundling here according to color, size and style.

Bundles are sending to sewing section for bulk production:

Finally all bundles are sending to the sewing section for completing bulk production.

8 Hidden Elements To Revamp Your Cutting Room

By Mausmi Ambastha Last updated Aug 4, 2017

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7 min read
Cutting room is a very important section in any garment manufacturing facility which has a major
impact on the overall production. The cutting room controls the utilization of fabric which makes up
to 70% of the total manufacturing cost. Thus, the small steps towards wastage reduction and
savings can have a huge effect on the efficiency and profitability for an organization.

Cutting is the first operation of garment manufacturing and it lays the foundation of quality of the
garment to be made. Any carelessness can affect the quality of a garment. Hence, we need to
ensure the smooth flow of all the processes taking place in the cutting room and utilize the
resources accurately and with precision.

Let us take a quick look at the 8 things, which if taken into consideration can deliver amazing results
for a factory.
1. Correct use of Spreading Paper:

Uses of Spreading Paper:

1. Easy separation of cut lay into bundles in the case of shade variations during fabric
spreading.
2. In the case of synthetic fibers, the spreading paper is used between the plies to avoid fusion
between fabric and cutting blade.
3. To create vacuum among the spread plies for even and easy cutting.

Where can we improve?

 The right use of spreading paper can help us in the better cutting of the lays(fabric). The
spreading paper should be chosen according to the nature of the fabric and its thickness.
Let’s understand this with an example.

Most of the times, factories use one kind of spreading paper for the cutting of all kinds of fabrics.
But, this might create problems in cutting.

Let us suppose we have a sheer fabric, say Chiffon. In this case, if we use a hard or thick spreading
paper then the chances are that the cutting quality would lack precision and accuracy because the
hard paper could create problems in cutting.

In the case of automatic cutting, once the lay is kept on the table, a polyethylene sheet is spread
over the lay. The operator starts the vacuum pump and the air is sucked out of the lay and gets
compacted.

The vacuum stops the fabric moving while it is being cut, and makes sure the cut pieces stay in
place while the rest of the pieces are being cut.
If you use non-perforated or non-porous paper, it might create problems in suction and eventually
in cutting. But, with perforated spreading paper, you cover the fabric with a layer of sacrificial
plastic film so the vacuum works properly.

2. Proper positioning of End Catchers and Folding Bars:

End catchers hold the fabric at the end of the lay by aligning the edge. An end catcher is a special
set-up, either permanently or temporarily, fixed in the spreading table.

Uses of End Catchers and Folding Bars:

The use of end catchers and folding bars depends upon the whether the spreading mode is face-to-
face or face-one-way. In the case of face-to-face laying, the end catcher and folding bars work
together. These end catchers and folding bars are mounted at opposite ends of the marker to catch
and hold the fabric.

Where can we improve?

The end treatments have a major impact on the fabric wastage in the cutting room. There must be
enough fabric at the end of the lay to retain it in place, but any fabric beyond that is wasted.

Thus, it is important to use these mechanical parts in the right way to avoid wastage and reduce
time.

3. Machine Calibration:
Machine calibration is one of the primary processes used to maintain the accuracy of machines/
equipment. Regular calibration of instruments and machines is an important requirement to detect
and correct any variation in its performance.

Over time, there is a tendency for results and accuracy to shift from the correct measure, hence
calibration helps by ensuring the accuracy of the device.

Where can we improve?

Regular calibration of machines is many times neglected in the cutting room and this might result in
increased errors and uncertainties.

The cutting machine and other important tools must be calibrated timely so that the degree of
error becomes less and better productivity is achieved.

4. Fabric type optimization of spreader and cutter modes:

The fabric spreading machines are equipped with various modes and production control software
that stores different parameters according to the fabric you spread.

These different modules store the necessary information like total minutes, total working time and
total metres spread per marker, day and week. This information can be used to improve the
productivity of cutting and spreading.

These modules are much like the camera modes for clicking pictures in your smartphone. Different
modes are for different conditions and requirements.

Where can we improve?

Fabric type optimization is a necessary element in the spreading machines which is, at times,
neglected and not taken into consideration. It is important for the spreading machine to behave
differently in the case of different fabrics.

This not only helps achieve maximum performance but also to reduces material costs.

5. Cutter Speed:
The cutter speed depends primarily on the kind of material you are cutting and the kind of cutting
tool you are using. The thickness of the fabric has a great deal to do with the recommended cutting
speed. The thicker the fabric, the slower the recommended cutting speed.

Where can we improve?

Many factories use conventional cutting speed for cutting rather than focusing on the type of
material being cut. Due to this, sometimes the cutting is not done in full efficiency, which if done
effectively, can contribute in increasing a factory’s efficiency.

Hence, it is important to focus on the type of fabric and cutting tool used rather than relying on the
conventional cutting speeds which may reduce the efficiency of the cutting process.

6. Cutter Re-sealers:
As mentioned in the 1st point, while cutting, the lay is covered with a polyethylene sheet to create a
vacuum which helps in even cutting.

Now the moment cutting starts, it destroys the vacuum created by the polyethylene sheet which
might affect the cutting quality.

Where can we improve?

To avoid elimination of vacuum, re-sealer polysheets are introduced which re-seal the lay as the
cutting process is worked on. This helps in persistent vacuum creation within the lay and eventually
in the even cutting of the fabric.

Re-sealers are a secure way of holding the fabric on the auto-cutter.

7. Oiling of Spreading Table:

Proper oiling of the spreading table is an essential part of the cutting process. But, most of the
times, factories do not take care of the oiling process and completely ignore it.

Where can we improve:

Oiled surface allows easy movement of the lay or blocks on the spreading table.

Not only this, oiling also helps in increasing the life of the spreading table with the help of
lubrication and conditioning. Silicone oil is used for this purpose.

It is, therefore, advised to regularly oil the spreading table.

8. Notches:
In the garment industry, notches are used as a form of communication between pattern maker,
cutter and the sewing person. These notches are created by making small indents on the edges of
seam allowances to the pattern which are then transferred onto the cut pieces of the garment so
that they can be sewn correctly.

These notches are given either on the inside or the outside of the cut pieces. Correct use of the
notches is essential to ensure that the fabric is not stretched out of proportion as it is sewn.

Source

Where can we improve?

There should be more use of the inward notches unless and until outward notches are specifically
required. The reason being that the outward notches require extra fabric which later, adds on to
the wastage.

Another reason is that outward notches in the pattern require extra space in the marker which can
be eliminated in case of inward notches. Hence, outward notches may also affect the marker
efficiency to some extent.

The above-mentioned points are small factors that can create big differences in the efficient
management of the cutting room. Efficient and better use of the resources ensures smooth flow of
work to all further processes.

Also, these small measures help in getting high fabric utilization. The Cutting Room is the place that
consumes the fabric to make a valuable addition to the whole process. Therefore, proper utilization
of resources in cutting is a must to reduce the fabric consumption.

References:
1. Carr, Harold and Latham, Barbara, The Technology of Clothing Manufacture – 4th Edition,
Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, UK, 2000
 2. What is Calibration and Why is it so Important, Tempcon, 2012

https://www.tempcon.co.uk/2012/11/06/what_is_calibration/

3. The Importance of Notches, The Sewing Coach, 2014

http://thesewingcoach.com/media/documents/Notch%20notes.pdf

4. Importance of Cutting Room, Textile School, 2013

http://www.textileschool.com/articles/648/importance-of-cutting-room

5. Making Notches, Whipstitch

http://whip-stitch.com/making-notches/

How to Deal with Cutting Mistakes

in Garment Manufacturing?
0 Prasanta Sarkar

This post is written to answer the question asked by an OCS reader.

There is lot of human intervention in cutting room activities. As a result so many mistakes are
happening in cutting activities. How to deal with such mistakes in cutting department? The
common problems that we face due to mistakes of workers in cutting are

 Delay in cutting process

 Excess manpower requirement

 Excess power consumption

 Wastage of fabrics and other materials

 Increased cutting backlogs

In a single sentence, mistakes in cutting department increases production cost per piece and
the recovering process is always frustrating.
 Image via Flickr user Kheelcenter

Cutting Mistakes

Here cutting means cutting of garment components from fabric sheet. To find the solution of
cutting issues, you need to understand the pattern of mistakes. So we will first look into common
mistakes and then would find possible solutions. To know the pattern of mistakes, ask yourself
following questions

1. is mistake happening due to carelessness of the workers? Or

2. is it due to short coming of process design? Or
3. is it happening due to an unforeseen cause? Or
4. is your cutting team incapable of doing certain things due to lack of training and knowledge?

I have tried to make a brief list of the patterns of mistakes.

Common cutting mistakes are

1. Wrong patterns: Pattern modification is not done based on fabric shrinkage report or FIT
comments is not incorporated in production patterns. This kind of mistake majorly happens
where there is no standard procedure of pattern marking and pattern handover to cutting
department. This kind of mistakes can also happen due to carelessness cutting workers or
having little knowledge about patterns and its effects in production.

2. Cutting a wrong size ratio: it might be a result of carelessness of the workers.

3. Fabric received without prior quality check and approval based on test report: Again this is a
result of not following standard procedure of fabric issue to cutting department. Not making
shade band for fabrics with shade variation.

4. Missing notch mark: Notch mark is not given at desired position of the pattern or there is
notch mark in patterns but cutter miss to cut notches in fabric lay. This may be a result of
carelessness of employees.

5. Numbering mistakes: Workers are not trained for the work or they are carelessness.

6. Following wrong cutting plan: Cutting plan sometimes doesn't match with the requirement of
sewing department when cutting department doesn't work according to daily cutting plan. Or
change of production plan might not be communicated to cutting in-charge.

The above points are some common mistakes of cutting department but mistakes are not
limited to these only. You might face other kind of mistakes. You can send us mail about the
mistakes occur in your cutting department or write the same in the following comment box.
 How to deal with cutting problems?

The smart answer of this question is

 Study the frequency of mistake occurrences.

 Pick top 3 major mistakes first.
 Find root causes of the mistakes.
 Work on removing the root cause from the process.
 Reduced mistakes in the subsequent orders

I know this smart answer would not work for you. You need step by step guides. Right?
Continue reading for the possible solutions.

Possible Solutions:

Following are the possible solution of above mistakes

1. Dealing with pattern related mistakes

Keep a check point for checking garment patterns before issuing pattern to cutting department.
You can develop couple of samples prior to bulk cutting based on production pattern. I mean cut
fabric with patterns --> sew garments --> finish garments and check the quality. If you found
variation in finished garments then correct it prior to bulk cutting.

If you religiously make pre-production (PP) samples and check the samples according to buyer
specifications, you would not get surprise things like - measurement issues and fit problems in
bulk production.

Sometimes, problem doesn't lie with patterns but cutting department use wrong pattern/old
pattern. Set a standard procedure that pattern master need to seal each final pattern and
approve the same. Style number (article number) and component name should be written on
pattern. Cutting depart should not be allowed to use any other pattern than approved one for a
 particular style and season. Other precaution should be taken related to patterns are

 Numbering of pattern pieces should be done (like pattern piece number 02 of 16 or number 03
of 16).
 Clearly mention on patterns whether fabric to be cut in folded form or in open width.
 How many components to be cut for single pieces from a single pattern piece. Like for shirt cuff
patterns, four component needs to be cut where cutting department get one pattern piece for
cuff.

2. Dealing with complete cutting process

Pilot production run is the solution. You might do Pilot Run prior to bulk cutting. If you do this
process then all problems exist in cutting process, whether it is fabric issue or pattern issue
would come out in the pilot run pieces. You might loss some fabric in this process but not the
whole fabric.

3. Cutting defects or mistakes

All cutting defects can been taken care of by setting quality check point for layers and cut
components. Also check shorting and bundling activities. Like size mixing and ply mixing
possibilities.

4. Following Cut Plan

Companies follow different procedures for cut planning. In most companies, cutting department
gets weekly cutting schedules and if there are changes on existing plan, cutting department gets
updated plan. Still there may be some communication gap between cutting department and
production department. This kind of issues can be controlled by having daily morning meeting
between core production departments in a factory.

Conclusion:
Solution can be simplified by following standard procedure of cutting activities. If you have not
yet developed standard operating procedure (SOP) for cutting room activities, develop it and
ensure that everyone in cutting department follow the standard working procedures. To make it
further error proof, set standard procedure for fabric department and sampling and pattern
making department also.

It would be great learning for me if you also share your methods about how do you deal with
mistakes occurred in cutting room?

Do you find this guide helpful? Share it with your fellow colleagues and spread good ideas.

Fabric Cutting:
The clarification of fabric cutting is very complex. In readymade garments industries, fabric is cut
from lay and spreading with accuracy and properly which is known as fabric cutting. Marker outline
is used to cut the fabric. During garments manufacturing, fabric cutting is very important as if
something is cut in the wrong way which is not be rectified.
Points Should Concern Before Fabric Cutting:
The following are the most important points which should be considered before fabric cutting:
1. Precision in cut i.e. the dimension of pattern and fabric parts is cut should be same.
2. The cut edge must be cleaned.
3. Infused edge.
4. Consistency in fabric cutting.
5. Support of lay.
6. Place the fabrics on the cutting surface. This can be a large flat table or counter.
7. Should position the pattern pieces on the fold or on the grain line as indicated.
8. Every pattern pieces have a front side i.e. printed side and back side. Here, the layout diagram
will indicate which way each piece should be placed.
9. If the fabric has a one-way design then lay all of your pattern pieces in the same direction with
finished project in mind.
10. Accurate notch size. If it is large in size, it can be seen after sewing of fabrics. Also there is a
great probability of producing problems in matching of patterns after sewing.
11. Drill hole and size should be appropriate and it will be placed in its right place. If it is too large it
would be seen after sewing. But if it is too small then it can be blocked easily
3 Things You Need To Do Before You
Cut Your Fabric
February 14, 2017 by KATRINA11 COMMENTS
Sewing a beautifully handmade garment doesn’t start with the sewing. We know that the
fabric we choose has to work with the pattern, or our garment will look homemade from
the start. But after you choose the right pattern and fabric, preparing the fabric for
cutting needs to take place. Today, I’m going to talk about 3 things you should do
to before you cut your fabric. And in this post, I’m referring to woven fabric, not knits.

1. Wash/Dry Clean Before You Cut Your Fabric

Washing your fabric before you cut ensures that shrinkage will happen before you cut
out your garment or sewing project.

This is especially important for garments. Imagine spending all that time altering your
pattern to fit your curves, making a muslin (or 2) perfecting the fit, sitting at your sewing
machine for hours sewing your garment, finishing and wearing your garment, then
washing it for the first time and IT SHRINKS!!! The next time you try to wear it, it’s too
tight – like no wearing ease in it at all. You have to suck it in, lay on your bed and pray
just to get it on. Until you accept that it is now too small.

Pre-washing your fabric could have saved you the heartbreak of only being able to wear
your garment once, after putting all that time and energy into creating it.

If your fabric is dry clean only, then it’s important that you take it to a reputable dry
cleaner. I try to avoid the “We clean everything for $1.99” places because not only have
I heard, but I’ve also seen the damage some of them do to garments. You don’t want a
dry cleaner to damage your fabric, even if you haven’t yet put the time in making
anything. That’s your money down the drain, especially if they refuse to reimburse you.

I can’t express enough how important this step is. Preparing your fabric before you cut
is the first step to ensuring that your garment or sewing project does not look
homemade. So make sure you follow the care instructions provided by the manufacturer
of your fabric.

Exceptions to cleaning your fabric or using the manufacturer’s care instructions:

1. Changing the fabric texture for a creative effect. An example of this is washing wool, which is
usually dry cleaned, for a felted look.
2. Using fabric that has been pre-shrunk or isn’t in danger of shrinking. For example, I’ve worked
with both satin and velvet and neither required dry cleaning before using.
3. Using a muslin for fitting purposes only. If you’ve decided you’ll only be wearing your muslin for
fittings, no pre-cleaning is necessary.

Some people use a less expensive fashion fabric instead of cotton muslin so that if their muslin
fits or requires simple alterations, they’ll have a wearable garment as a result. In this case,
depending on the fabric, you may have to pre-clean/shrink it.
Fabric Care Instructions
Fabric care instructions are found on the end of your fabric bolt. I usually take a small notebook
with me when I go fabric shopping so I can record the care instructions. Or I take a photo with
my cell phone, making sure to get a little of the fabric in the picture so I’ll know which fabric the
care instructions belong to.

The end of a fabric bolt. Fabric instuctions are sometimes stamped on the bolt end, as in this photo, or
printed.
Even if you’re only buying one fabric, don’t try to commit the care instructions to memory. It
never hurts to record it in case your memory fails you. (Mine often does.)

Following the care instructions is to your advantage because the manufacturer has given you the
best way to care for your fabric so that you will get the most use out of it without it being
damaged or looking worn and old after only a couple of washes or dry cleanings.

Fabric Remnants
Every time I go to the fabric store, I never leave without checking the remnant tables for fabric
jewels at a sale price. The problem with remnants is they may not be on their original bolt. This
means the care instructions (if there are any) may not be for the remnant. Or the remnant may not
be on a bolt at all. It may just be folded on the table.

This is also the case at warehouses where the fabric is on a long roll rather than a bolt.

Unless it’s a fabric you’re familiar with, you either have to do a burn test to find out the fiber
content, test a 4-6 inch square of it in the wash or dry clean it and hope for the best. The last time
I did a burn test on fibers was in college so I don’t remember the process, but I’m sure there is
information out there.
Preshrunk Fabric
If the fabric is preshrunk, that information will be on the end of the fabric bolt as well. In that
case, there’s no need to wash or dry clean it first.

If your fabric is machine washable and you want to test it to make sure it was preshrunk or if
you’ve had it so long you can’t remember if you washed it, cut a 4-6 inch square and wash and
dry it with the appropriate load of laundry. Once it’s dry, measure to see if it measures the same
or is smaller. If it’s smaller, you know the rest of the fabric needs to be washed.

2. Press Your Fabric After Washing

You should never cut wrinkled fabric. It doesn’t matter how much you “hand press” it as you’re
laying the pieces. Take the extra time (I know it’s a pain) and you won’t be sorry. Not pressing it
can result in things being too short, too long or worse – too small! When sewing, this will cause
more headaches than it’s worth.

As a side note, make sure you press your pattern pieces also. They can be pressed on a very low
heat without being damaged.

Quick tip: to avoid as many wrinkles as possible, remove your fabric from the washer and dryer
immediately after they stop. In most cases, the bad wrinkles happen when the fabric sits in the
washer and dryer for a long period of time.
If you’re fabric was dry cleaned, they’ll press it for you. You may have to press out a wrinkle or
2 caused by it being on the hanger.

3. Make Sure Your Fabric Is On Grain

Before I get into the fabric grain, let’s look at some of the terminology when it comes to fabric.

Terminology
Here are a few terms you need to familiarize yourself with when it comes to fabric:

Straight Grain: refers to the threads that run the length of the fabric (referred to as warp threads
and are the longest threads) and parallel to the selvage.

Cross Grain: refers to the threads that run the width of the fabric (referred to as weft threads and
are the shorter threads) and perpendicular to the selvage.

Bias Grain: 45 degree angle to the straight and cross grain. Woven fabric stretches on the bias.

Selvage: the self-finished edge of the fabric, which is done by the manufacturer to stop it from
unravelling. Some fabrics have fraying after the self-finished edge, but the self-finished edge
keeps the fraying in that area so it doesn’t affect the rest of your fabric. The selvage is on each
side of the fabric length when it is unfolded.
Cut Edge: the edge that was cut to separate your yardage from the rest of the fabric yardage on
the bolt. I know this is pretty obvious, but included it just in case.

Now, check out the diagram below to see what the above terminology has to do with your fabric.

Fabric Grain
The fabric grain is important because it determines how your garment should be cut and whether
or not your garment will hang correctly on your body after it’s sewn.

Fabric grain is straight when the cross grain is at a right angle to the straight grain.

What does this look like? When your fabric is folded in half lengthwise, selvage to selvage and
cut edges matching, there should be no diagonal wrinkles across your fabric. You should also
have a lengthwise fold that is straight and lies flat and is not twisted or wrinkled.
If the only way your fabric lays flat and is wrinkle free is when the cut edges are uneven, then
your fabric may be off grain. You can see what I mean in the photo below.

Fabric only lays flat when the cut edges are UNEVEN. You can see the lower layer is shorter than the
upper layer at the cut edge (left). When the upper layer is folded back, you can clearly see the how
uneven the cut edges are (right).
If I were to fold this fabric selvage to selvage, but with the cut edges together, the fabric would
not lay flat but have wrinkles and a twisted fold.

But don’t worry, this can be fixed.

The way you do this is by making a cut a little past the selvage (see above), taking a crosswise
thread and pulling it until it gathers the fabric. Your goal is to push the gathers until you reach
the other side/selvage of the fabric.
 GET YOUR FABRIC ON GRAIN: Cut a little past the selvage and grab a thread (left). Then pull the
thread so that the fabric gathers (right).
Continue to push the gathers as far as you can until you get to the other side/selvage or until the
thread breaks.

If the thread breaks, smooth out the gathers and cut on the fine line it creates in your fabric.
When you get to the end of that fine line, pull a new thread, gather the fabric more and repeat the
process.
 Continue to pull the thread, gathering your fabric and pushing the gathers until you reach the other
side/selvage (left). If the thread breaks before you get to the other side, smooth out the gathers (right).
This creates a fine line in your fabric (may be hard to see in this photo). Cut on that line until you no
longer see it, then grab another thread and continue the process.

This shows my fabric after I cut on the fine line. Now I can pull another thread from the area I cut and
continue the thread pulling process. NOTE: if your thread doesn’t break, you can pull the thread and
push the gathers until you get to the other side/selvage. Then smooth out the gathers and cut on the line
created in the fabric.
Once this is done, fold your fabric matching selvages and cut edges. If it lays smoothly and your
cut edges are even, then you’re ready to lay out your pattern and cut.

But if your cut edges are still uneven, like mine below, you can stretch your fabric on the bias
grain to correct it.

The cut edges of my fabric are still uneven (left), but better than before. Gently stretching it on the bias
grain will help to get the fabric on grain (right).
You can do this solo or you can get someone to help you if you have a lot of yardage. If you
have someone helping you, you hold one corner of the fabric and have your helper hold the
opposite corner of fabric diagonally across from you and both of you gently pull.

If you’re stretching on the bias solo, grab one end of the fabric and pull on the bias with your
other hand.

Lay your fabric matching selvages and cut edges to check the grain again. If needed, continue
stretching.
If your fabric is printed, be sure not to stretch it too much or you can stretch your printed design
out of shape.

As you can see in the photo below, stretching my fabric did the trick.

My fabric now lays flat when folded selvage to selvage and the cut edges are even (left). When the fabric
is folded back, you can see that both layers are even.
When you do these 3 things to prepare your fabric for cutting, you’re getting off to a great start
in sewing a garment that doesn’t look homemade.

1. Pre-wash or dry clean your fabric

2. Press your fabric after cleaning
3. Make sure your fabric is on grain
Home

6 Good Practices Of The Cutting Floor

By Mausmi Ambastha Last updated Dec 15, 2017

4 1,552

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5 min read
We talk about measures or practices which can eventually work towards increasing productivity as
it is the ultimate goal every manufacturer aims to achieve. But we disregard a very basic reality that
working towards this goal demands incorporation of certain actions in the mainstream processes.
Cutting room in a garment factory is one such extent which needs to abide by these fundamental
actions. It is the last place where we want errors. Despite this, we come across situations, daily,
where finding a roll or a small piece of fabric becomes a task, where plans go haywire due to on-
floor variations and where a loss of even a miniscule 1m fabric can sometimes cost a hefty amount.
So what basic practices can be followed, which may ease our work and trim the jumble on the
cutting floor?

Let us look at 6 Good Practices of the Cutting Floor:

1.
1. Measuring roll lengths and width Fabric rolls may not always arrive in the same
meter-age and width as ordered.There would be differences. Measuring the length
and width of roll severy time they arrive in the factory becomes a significant pre
requisite. This is because knowing the actual yardage of fabric available before
laying reduces the chances of fabric/garment components falling short at a later
stage. Also, knowing the roll width drastically eases the marker making process and
avoids any on-floor surprises of in-roll width variations.It also helps in knowing the
supplier performance.How:
 Ensure that each roll is checked for yardage and widthduring roll inspection
before going into production (100% roll inspection).
 Make a roll list report which shows the excess/shortage in each roll.

Benefits:

 Knowledge of actual fabric yardage in hand.

 Optimised marker utilisation and redundancy in marker making when width
variation is encountered.
 Lesser chances of incomplete components being cut.
 Provides a better view of supplier performance due to the actual known roll
length.

1.
1. Segregation of rolls by Shade/Shrinkage/Width
In my last blog I reiterated the benefits of grouping fabric on the floor. Once the roll
 lengths and width are determined, the fabric rolls can be segregated or grouped
together on the basis of next area of deviation, i.e., by shade/shrinkage/width.
These differences occur from roll to roll, and are highly crucial to the quality of the
end product. How:


 Check for shade variation within a roll as well as from roll to roll.
 Ensure that visual observations are carried out under standardized
conditions.
 Quality Tests of shade using standard samples.

The concept of shrinkage templates can be used effectively, where, a sample area is
cut from the main fabric, marked for dimensions, washed and then checked again
for dimensional changes.

A = Distance between gauge marks before washing

B = Distance between gauge marks after washing
S = % shrinkage.

 Practicing width segregation through 100% fabric inspection before sending

it out for production.

Benefits:

 Increased utilisation of fabric.

 Adhere to the highest quality standards.
 Reduce rejection percentage.

1.
1. Conform to standard end loss
End loss is a necessary allowance given at the end of each ply to facilitate cutting.
The standard end loss is defined by the factory for a particular type of fabric. But, if
this standard margin is not maintained during laying, it either ends up with more
end loss- increasing the end loss wastage or lesser than what was mentioned on the
layslip- putting the cutting ease at risk. Thus, careful maintenance of margins by
 following standard end loss becomes essential during spreading of fabric rolls.

How:
 By use of automatic spreader for laying fabric instead of manual laying,
wherever possible.
 By training the layer person to conform by the standard end loss.

Benefits

 Avoid unnecessary wastage of fabric.

1.
1. Record all on floor dataIn my past blog I have emphasised on the eminent need of
feedback in order to effectively control material usage in the cutting room.It
becomes important to keep a record of the on floor data with vigilance of a
supervisor. This would include: lay details, marker details, allowances (edge and
splice allowances), remnant lengths and their processing, defect alteration (before
and after cutting), cutting instructions.How:
 By developing proper formats for recording on-floor data.
 By maintaining worksheets
 By using smart phone applications for recording data. View one such
tool here.

Benefits:

 The supervisor will have a better know-how of the work progress at all
times.
 Keeps a check on which work is overdue and needs attention.
 Easy access to reports and real-time performance.

1.
1. Keep roll ends safely
If often happens that after completion of a lay, short lengths of material is left over.
This generally takes place because the roll length is not an exact multiple of the
cutting ply length. Now, if there is a considerable difference between the two, these
rolls can be further made use of. Hence, we can store these roll ends safely for reuse
and reduce wastage significantly.How:
 By maintaining proper end bit racks
 By measuring the end bits
 By proper tagging of end bits: length, roll no., shade and shrinkage
 Benefits:

 Track every inch of fabric

 Cleaner cutting room due to proper management of end bits.

1.
1. Use end bits for smaller markersIn order to minimize the fabric loss, it’s important
to use the fabric available in hand judiciously. Now, what can be done to use the
remaining fabric which generally goes into end bit loss post cutting? If we store
these end bits wisely, smaller markers can be taken out from them. So instead of
adding this remaining fabric to end bit loss, we can utilize it to the maximum!How:
 By selecting usable bits keeping in mind the smallest marker.

Benefits:

1.

o Maximum utilisation of end bits

o Minimum wastage due to usage of small bits
o Rest of the fabric can be saved in roll form and be used for different orders.

Well, these are some simple cutting room practices which if taken care of can prove beneficial in
optimising fabric usage, saving time, cost and increasing productivity.
So, when are you checking your factory for these?

Apart from the aforesaid practices, there are other measure which can help you save your fabric,
streamline your processes and boost up your profits. To know more take a look at our website and
get the benefit of free trial here.

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Mausmi Ambastha
Mausmi, winner of Young Turks young business women award 2017, is an established expert in the garment
industry. She has spent 12 years consulting the largest brands and manufacturers of apparel around the globe to save
their cost.
Products of her brainchild, ThreadSol are a practical reflection of her ideology – “Buy what you need, use what you
have!”
ThreadSol is an Enterprise Material management system that help sewn product manufacturers save upto 10% of
fabric cost at the buying stage and help reduce process loss to under 1% in factories with its products intelloCut and
intelloBuy
Having won Microsoft’s Bizspark, NEXTBIGWHAT’s Unplugged, Business Today’s Coolest startup of the year
and Venture Engine 2014, ThreadSol is one of the most awarded startups in the apparel domain.
Since its inception in 2012, ThreadSol has made phenomenal progress. It is now implemented in 120+ factories
across 15+ countries with offices in Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata in India and Colombo, Dhaka, Istanbul and Vietnam
internationally.
Mausmi Ambastha, holds a Masters degree in Fashion Technology from NIFT, Delhi and is also B.Tech in
Computer Science. She has written over 15 publications for several leading apparel magazines like StitchWorld.
Prior to ThreadSol, Mausmi did apparel consultancy and training with Methods Apparel in South-east Asia. She has
also worked as a faculty at NIFT and loves to teach whenever she gets an opportunity.