How Are T-Shirts Made?

Ever wonder how your favorite T-shirt comes to life? The evolution of a T-shirt from a basic cotton plant to a comfortable item of apparel that showcases your individuality is an intriguing story of fashion, technology, and craftsmanship.

In this post, we will give you a detailed process of how T-shirts are made. We'll look at every step it takes, from cotton to customer so that you know the ins and outs of T-shirt making and how to choose a reliable T-shirt manufacturer.

Steps for Manufacturing T-Shirts

Let’s look at the detailed steps of making T-shirts.

Getting the Raw Material Ready

Cotton farming is the first step in the creation of t-shirts. A mechanized picker is used for the harvest of cotton. The cotton ball is the outer layer of the plant's seeds, not the flower, despite what many people think.

A gin machine is used to separate the cotton fiber from the seed after it has been harvested. In order to produce a higher-quality product, modern gin machines also clean and sort the cotton.

The cotton is baled and sent for spinning once it has been ginned. To get the fibers ready for weaving, they are spun, sorted, carded, and combed. Cotton, the basic material used to make T-shirts, is turned into a gray cloth using this procedure.

Raw Cotton Material to Useable Cloth

If you're wondering how much cotton is needed to manufacture a shirt or T-shirt, the answer is a lot. In particular, a T-shirt requires 0.5 pounds (8 ounces) and a man's shirt requires slightly more, 0.6 pounds (10 ounces).

A T-shirt requires a lot of cotton, making it a valuable product that needs to be handled properly by manufacturers. The gray raw material is now subjected to wet processing, which involves heat and chemical reactions to give it the familiar appearance of fabric.

Before being turned into a T-shirt or shirt, fabric undergoes three steps of wet processing: preparation, coloring (usually bleaching), and finishing. Because it provides the softness we want from a T-shirt, proper finishing is essential.

Printing the Shirts

Customers also desire graphics and patterns on their T-shirts, and since cotton is a natural fabric, the color and design must be embedded via reactive printing or pigment printing.

A big printer deposits pigment into the fabric by moving back and forth across it during the pigment printing process. Layers of the pigment are added until the desired color is achieved. Consider it similar to painting in that you apply color after color until you are satisfied with the overall tone, depth, and effect.

A completely distinct technique called reactive printing uses heat, pressure, water, and color to get the desired result. The use of reactive printing is justified by the bold and vivid colors it produces.

The steps involved with reactive printing are as follows:

• As mentioned above, the raw cloth is cleaned and pre-treated.
• The cotton fibers absorb a significant amount of dye from an inkjet printer.
• The cloth and dye are sealed and bound together by hot, high-pressure steam.

While each method has advantages and disadvantages, reactive printed fabric will hold its color longer, while pigment-processed material will eventually fade. You may choose to use the pigment printing procedure if you want your clothing to fade.

Your design can then be screen printed after the base color is chosen. Although it may be enjoyable to do it at home, a commercial screen printing facility gives clients a professional procedure that produces a commercial finish. Screen printing is an art form in and of itself.

If you’re interested in how patterned shirts are made and T-shirts are printed, here’s a step-by-step guide:

• Before work starts, the client approves the Pantone colors, sizing and location, and ink type.
• Every agreed-upon color of the artwork is separated and printed on clear film, ready for usage.
• The films project the image onto a photo-sensitive emulsion-covered mesh screen.
• After that, the screens are vacuum-sealed and exposed to ultraviolet light.
• At this stage, accuracy checks are crucial.
• The printing machine (automatic press) has the screens registered in place.
• Up to 900 T-shirts can be printed per hour by the automatic press.

Cut and Sew

The clothing is made by a specialized, hand-operated or electric precision cutting machine after the fabric has dried. The shirt or T-shirt can now be sewn.

Assembly of the Front and Back

In order to make a thin, straight, overlay, or lap seam, the front and back parts (which are not tubed) are machine-stitched along the sides using an over-edge stitch and then joined along the seam.

Pockets and Sleeves

Since flat material is easier to hem, the sleeves are completed before the garment is fitted. Usually, an automated system delivers the sleeves to the sewing head. The sleeve is finished by applying a band, folding to create a hem, and sewing the edge. Depending on the look you want, the band could be bound over the border or sewed at it.

Casual T-shirts are sewed with pockets (you can never have too many), while premium t-shirts feature lined pockets to stop bagging. An operator will position the pocket correctly before the machine takes over, even if the automated technology may connect the pockets to the T-shirts or shirts.

Labels and Neckbands

The neck edge of a crew neck T-shirt should have a smaller circumference than the garment's outer edge. Stretching the neckband enough to keep it from bulging is a difficult undertaking because doing so might make the cloth look saggy and unappealing. At this stage, the inner neckline is stitched with brand labels.

Hems and Seams on the Shoulders

T-shirt or shirt shoulder seams typically require a straightforward overlay seam. Manufacturers of higher-quality T-shirts will use tape or elastic to strengthen seams. Depending on the style of the shirt, the shoulder seams may be finished either before or after the neckband is sewn on.

Maybe they aren't, but hems are hems! A look can be made or broken by the final stage of T-shirt fabrication. Usually, an overedge stitch is utilized to make a flexible trim at the hem of the garment. In order to stretch the clothing without damaging it, the stitching needs to be sufficiently loose.

You now understand the production process of a T-shirt and how it moves from factory to hanger, but how can you choose the best manufacturer if you sell T-shirts?

Use Apparitex to Create T-Shirts Without Any Hassle!

We are Apparitex, a bespoke and eco-friendly clothing manufacturer that can meet all of your T-shirt production demands. We are happy to provide our range of custom clothes to a number of companies and sectors. From the selection of materials to the finer points, Apparitex gives you creative control over every part of creating a T-shirt, and we'll put in the effort to realize your vision.

Apparitex Our commitment to becoming a sustainable clothing producer is furthered by using biodegradable materials and textiles, which consistently guarantee eco-friendly and high-quality products. Work with us to benefit from our decades of experience in the garment industry.

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