Sewing Contractors

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Sewing contractors offer different services, such as free prototypes, custom fitting, custom embroidery and producing and attaching clothing labels to commercially-sold products. A variety of fabric products are produced by sewing contractors, including custom bags such as canvas bags or pouches, soft luggage and protective covers such as tarps. Many sewing contractors manufacture items for the aircraft industry such as seating, carpet, blankets and ground service covers. Banks, retail stores, amusement parks and insurance businesses use security, transit and courier bags; restaurants use umbrellas, slip covers, window treatments and booth cushions; and contract sewing is also used by the military, hospitality, transportation, casino and healthcare industries. Equipment used in contract sewing ranges from single needles to computer programmable machines. Auxiliary equipment includes riveters, stud setters, zipper fabricators, grometters, strip cutters, snap setters and heat and bag sealers.

While small custom sewing businesses may sew their products by hand or on a small sewing machine, most sewing contractors use industrial sewing machines. These machines are designed for one specific function. Some of the basic types of industrial machines are straight stitch, serger and blindstitch. Other machines, which are often computer operated, include lockstitch, chain stitch, overedge, walking foot, needle feed, double needle, zigzag, cylinder, bar tack, box tack, hook/loop fastener and more. Industrial machines differ from consumer sewing machines in many ways. They are significantly faster and able to sew much heavier fabrics and through more layers. The larger motors of these industrial machines are designed to run continuously throughout the whole day and many require little or no manpower or manual operation. Many of these machines are self-oiling. However, industrial sewing machines are complicated and usually require a mechanic to fix problems and perform regular maintenance to ensure they work properly.

Many types of fabrics are used by sewing contractors. Vinyl-coated nylon is a lightweight, durable material that is a popular choice for bags, presentation cases and protective covers, as it is tough and weather resistant. Neoprene and Hypalon are chemical and abrasion resistant and are used in industrial applications. Canvas, which is comprised of twill, soft flannel and felt, is a breathable material used for bags and curtains, as well as many industrial applications. A sewing contractor uses a variety of anti-static materials for products in the computer and electronics industries. Other materials include suede, leather, felt, webbing, plastic, cotton and polyester. These fabrics are often custom embroidered, which is a decorative embellishment made by stitching thread by a needle. They are graphic or descriptive text and images, and they are often used by companies and businesses that want to print their logo on their products and employee uniforms. Clothing labels are attached inside of all garments, bedding, textiles and clothing that are sold commercially. These tags contain information that lets the consumer know where the product was made, the materials it is made out of, washing instructions, and they often have a brand name, logo and garment size. These tags may be woven, embroidered or printed and made of satin, damask or taffeta.

Custom bags are commonly manufactured by sewing contractors. They are made to fit certain sizes and use specific materials to fit particular consumer needs. They are often made of canvas, a soft yet durable material. Pouches, which are small to medium sized carrying containers, are also often custom made. They are made for products such as auto jacks, batteries, cables, cameras, flags, infusers and manuals. Pouches are produced with many different fabrics, including nylon, neoprene, hypalon, canvas, leather, felt, cotton and polyester. Soft luggage is made of durable fabric and is also produced by sewing contractors. They are often made of canvas, leather or plastic and are either carry-on size (up to 21 inches) or larger, which are checked in at the airport. Backpacks, briefcases and sports bags are also considered soft luggage. They are closed by buttons, clasps and zippers and provide an alternative to bulky hard luggage. Protective covers made of fabric are durable, waterproof and provide shelter from outdoor elements. They are often made of nylon or canvas that is coated with tar or paint. They may be fitted to cover specific objects or products, such as grills, machinery, outdoor furniture, cars and dumpsters. Tarps are larger, unfitted protective covers that are used to shelter swimming pools and cars during snow or rain and machinery during transport. They are also often used during camping as a ground or tent cover.

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Types of Sewing Contractors

• Canvas bags are sturdy bags ideal for carrying items such as groceries, books, art supplies or leaflets.
• Commercial sewing is a variety of services involved in the mass production of uniform fabric merchandise that require the use of heavy duty sewing equipment.
  
• Contract sewing refers to the businesses that provide a wide range of custom sewing services.
• Custom bags are containers made to customer specifications and are generally not mass produced.
• Carrying Cases are containers that are made to meet consumer needs and are not mass-produced by the company or organization.
• Custom embroidery is the creation of a unique or specific decorative embellishment fashioned by needle stitching thread through a foundation fabric either by hand or through the use of an embroidery machine.
• Custom sewing includes a variety of services involved with the production of sewn goods that require unique designs to fit particular consumer needs.
• Custom tents are temporary shelters designed to meet a consumer's unique specifications.
• Industrial sewing is the industry that stitches heavy duty materials.
• Instrument cases are designed to cover various types of sensitive equipment.
• Medical sewing services offer sewn products for use in healthcare settings.
• Nylon bags are carriers made of nylon, a strong, elastic, synthetic material.
• Pouches are fabric containers used to hold or carry various items.
• Protective covers are placed, laid or spread over an object with the sole purpose of protecting it from outer elements and collision.
• Soft cases are pliable or flexible covers that act as padding and protection from contact damage and weathering.
• Soft luggage is lighter than hard-case luggage. The higher the denier - a measurement of the fineness of the yarn - of the soft luggage, the more durable the fabric.
• Tarps, or "tarpaulins," are sewn from nylon, vinyl or canvas, among other fabrics. Tarps are used for machinery or waste/rubbish hauling, dumpster covers, sand and gravel dump trailers, rigging and equipment covers and in other uses.

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Sewing Contractors Terms

Air Porosity - The ease with which air is able to pass through material. Air porosity determines factors such as the air resistance of parachute cloth, the efficiency of air filtration media and the wind resistance of sailcloth.
 
Autoclave - A device that performs finishing operations, such has pleating or heat setting, under pressure in a superheated steam atmosphere.
 
Bicomponent Yarns - Filament threads consisting of two basic fibers or two variations of the same basic fiber.
 
Broad Goods - Woven fabrics measuring more than 18" in width.
 
Broadcloth - A fabric that is woven in widths exceeding 29".
 
Calender - A machine that consists of two or more heavy rollers, which are sometimes heated, used to impart various surface effects to fabrics. The fabric is passed through the calender under heavy pressure.
 
Cloth - A generic term referring to all materials formed from textile fiber, wire or felts.
 
Coated Fabric - A fabric that has been coated with a substance in firmly adhering layers to provide specific properties, such as water impermeability. Coatings include lacquer, varnish, resin, plastic and rubber.
 
Denier - A thread numbering system, mostly used for continuous filament threads, such as yarn. The higher the denier, the sturdier the thread; the lower the denier, the finer the thread.
 
Embroidery - Decoration of fabric using needlework
 
Greige Goods - Unfinished and un-dyed knitted or woven fabrics.
 
Hem - The bottom edge of fabric that is sewn to create a uniform edge and to hide any fraying.
 
Nap - The "fuzzy" side of the fabric that is typically directional in nature.
 
Non-Woven Fabric - A fabric, such as faux leather, suede and felt, that is not woven or knitted from thread or yarn.
 
Sailcloth - Heavy-duty woven canvas that is used as sails for boats.
 
Seam Allowance - The fabric, typically measuring from 1/4" to 5/8", that is between the edge of the fabric and the line of stitching.
 
Textile - A fabric or cloth manufactured by knitting or weaving. Textiles are also the products, such as yarn or fiber, used for knitting or weaving into cloth.
 
Upholstery - Materials such as cushions, springs, covering fabric and stuffing that are used on furniture.
 
Weaving - Interlacing two or more yarns made of similar materials so they cross at right angles and produce woven fabric.

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