Chapter 4

Basic Garment Construction

Covers the categories and characteristics of fabrics used in garment making, the underlying fabrics (underlining, interfacing, interlining, lining) that give shape and support, the preliminary steps of fabric preparation before cutting (grain, preshrinking, identifying right side, pinning and cutting), grain lines and marking methods, the types and construction of plackets and button placement, and the categories and preparation of neckline facings including bias strips.

4.1 Fibres and Fabrics

Fibres are the basic components of textile fabrics; each fibre lends a unique characteristic to the fabric made from it, and though yarn structure, weave and finish can alter it, the fibre's original personality remains evident and is important to the fabric's use and care.
Fabrics were initially made from natural sources; rapid mechanisation has since led to new techno-textiles that are products of the chemical laboratory, i.e. man-made.
4.1.1 Categories of Fabrics: (i) Natural (ii) Man-made (iii) Blend of natural and man-made — for example cotton/jute (natural), viscose (man-made) and poly-wool blend.
Natural fabrics are further categorised into those procured from animals (silk, wool, fur, leather) and those from plants (cotton and linen are the most commonly used).
4.1.2 Characteristics of Fabrics: Natural fibres have inherent irregularities that add to their beauty; advantages are absorbency and breathability due to porous structure, making them comfortable in varied climates; the disadvantage, especially in cotton and linen, is low elasticity causing wrinkling, though mercerised cotton (spun at high tension for sheen and suppleness) reduces this without chemical finishes.
Synthetic fabrics begin as chemical solutions forced through tiny holes into a chemical bath or air chamber to harden into fibres. Advantage: elastic and wrinkle-resistant. Disadvantage: less porous and uncomfortable in hot, humid weather. Thermoplastic synthetics like Nylon can be heat-set into pleats and textures at fibre, yarn or fabric stage.
Blended fabrics combine two or more fibres; the fibre in higher percentage dominates character, but a good blend keeps desirable qualities of all — e.g. Terry cot®, 65% cotton and 35% Terylene.
Consumers are often confused by trade names (e.g. Acrylic sold as Orlon® or Acrilan®) and may be misled (e.g. polyester-blended silk sold as pure Khadi silk); the fabric bolt is legally required to carry fibre-content information.

4.1.3 Underlying Fabrics

Underlining is a lightweight fabric applied to the wrong side of the garment fabric to give additional strength, support and durability, help maintain shape, reinforce seams and add opaqueness so inner construction does not show through.
Interfacing is a sturdier special fabric applied inside the garment to give shape, body and support, usually only to parts such as collars, front/back openings, lapels, hems and pocket flaps; it may be woven or non-woven, and fusible interfacings are ironed on rather than stitched.
Selecting interfacing requires that it complement and reinforce the garment fabric without overpowering it, and that both fabrics share similar care requirements even if not identical in fibre content.
Interlining is a layer of fabric inserted between the face/shell fabric and the lining, similar to batting, to provide insulation (as in winter jackets); it can be woven, knitted or fused, and silk, wool and artificial fibres with good insulating qualities are common choices.
Lining is applied to the inside of a garment to finish it and hide inner construction; usually a slippery fabric, it can match or contrast the garment, adds some warmth, and makes the garment easier to put on and take off; it must be opaque enough to conceal inner construction and compatible in care with the rest of the garment.
4.1.4 Selection of Underlying Fabric: Lining and interlining are 'extras' for comfort and concealment; underlining and interfacing are what actually build and maintain the garment's shape.
The two determining factors for underlining/interfacing are: (1) the shape or body intended by the garment design, and (2) the support needed to achieve that design in the chosen fabric.
The more structured and detailed the design, the greater the need for underlining and interfacing; the lighter or softer the garment fabric, the more support it needs.

4.2 Cutting Preliminaries — Fabric Preparation and Preshrinking

Fabric preparation before cutting is essential for a better fit and professional look; fabric bolt labels state whether the fabric is washable, dry-cleanable, pre-shrunk, or how much it will shrink.
To preshrink washable fabric: soak, wash and dry as the finished garment will be cared for. To preshrink dry-cleanable fabric: use a steam iron moved horizontally or vertically along the grain (never diagonally, as this distorts the fabric), then dry flat for about 4-6 hours; trims like zippers and laces may also need preshrinking.
In weaving, warp (fixed, lengthwise) yarns are interlaced at right angles by filler/weft yarns. Selvedge is the narrow, firmly woven finished lengthwise edge of the fabric.
Grain is the direction in which yarns are woven: lengthwise grain runs parallel to the selvedge and has the least stretch; crosswise grain runs perpendicular to the selvedge with a little more stretch; bias grain is the true 45-degree diagonal and has the greatest stretch, giving soft drape but an unstable hemline.
4.2.2 Preshrinking: there is no fixed shrinkage percentage as it depends on yarn and fabric construction. Cotton should be soaked overnight in cold water before cutting and ironed well to remove folds; a colour fixer (or a homemade mix of salt and vinegar in water) can be used if colour runs. Woollens and silks should be dry-cleaned unless washability is certain; synthetics should be pre-soaked in cold water and ironed before cutting.
Blocking off-grain fabric: fold fabric in half lengthwise lining up ends and selvedges — if it lies flat it is on grain, if it bubbles it is off-grain and must be straightened by pulling diagonally at opposite ends (blocking), or by pulling a crosswise thread and cutting along it. Knit fabric is cut along a crosswise rib; striped/plaid/checked fabric is cut along a straight crosswise line. Permanent-finish fabrics cannot be corrected.
4.2.3 Identifying the right side: cottons and linens are folded right-side out, wools wrong-side out; fabric rolled on a tube has its face inside; smooth fabrics are shinier/softer on the right side, textured fabrics (slubs, twill) are more distinct on the face, brocade floats are looser on the back, printed designs are sharper on the right side, and the selvage is smoother on the right side; mark the back with chalk if sides look identical.

4.2 Cutting Preliminaries — Pinning, Cutting and Grain Line

Pinning order is left to right and fold to selvage for each pattern piece: pin the fold on the grain line arrow first, then corners, then edges, placing pieces as close together as possible.
Pins should be placed diagonally at corners and perpendicular to edges with points toward the inside of cutting lines; for delicate fabrics, leather and vinyl, pin within seam allowances to avoid visible holes; too many pins can distort fabric and make cutting inaccurate.
4.2.4 Fabric cutting methods: Tearing is fastest but suitable only for firmly woven fabrics; Drawing a thread is slower but best for loosely woven, soft or stretchy fabrics; Cutting on a prominent line suits fabric with a strong woven linear design. Fabric alignment must be checked, as off-grain fabric (except water-repellent, permanent-press or bonded fabrics) must be re-aligned before cutting.
4.2.5 Grain line: a line drawn end to end on each pattern piece showing how it should align with the lengthwise fabric grain; it is always placed parallel to the selvedge on the fabric.
Straight grain line: drawn parallel to the centre front/back along the length of the piece. Crosswise grain line: drawn at right angles to the centre front/back, across the garment width. Bias grain line: drawn at a 45-degree angle to the centre front/back.
4.2.6 Marking methods: Tracing paper and wheel is fast and works best on plain, opaque fabrics (not on sheers or multi-coloured fabric); use a serrated wheel for most fabrics and a smooth wheel for delicate or napped fabrics; a cardboard should be kept under the fabric while tracing.
Tailor's chalk (regular or wax type) is a quick marking device — regular chalk rubs off easily while wax chalk is more durable but may not be removable from some fabrics.
Thread tracing is done on delicate, slippery or dark fabrics to mark seam allowances, grain, darts, centre front/back and waist; it is done on the right side of the fabric and leaves no permanent marks, making it effective for jackets and dark-coloured fabrics.

4.3 Placket

A placket is an opening in the upper part of trousers or skirts, or at the neck or sleeve of a garment, mainly to allow the garment to be put on and removed easily, though sometimes used purely as a design element.
Modern plackets often contain fabric facings or attached bands surrounding fasteners like buttons, snaps or zippers, and are usually made of more than one layer of fabric, often with interfacing between the layers, to give strength where fasteners create stress; the two sides often overlap to protect the wearer's skin from fasteners and to hide undergarments.
A 'French placket' is a button-front shirt without a separate pieced placket — the fabric is simply folded over and secured with buttonhole stitching, giving a very clean finish, typically used in stiff-fronted formal 'white-tie' shirts. A 'fly front' conceals the buttons under a separate flange/flap of fabric.
The type and length of placket selected depends on: placement, function, style and design of garment, use of garment, type and weight of fabric, care of garment, and method of construction.
4.3.1 Continuous Placket: an easy, one-piece placket widely used on cuffed sleeve openings, bloomers, children's dresses, skirts and trousers where a zipper would spoil the garment's appeal. The pattern piece length is double the finished placket opening plus 1 inch extra, and its width is twice the finished facing width (usually 1/2 inch) plus two seam allowances (usually 1/4 inch).
Continuous placket construction: stitch the right side of the placket to the wrong side of the sleeve opening maintaining 1/4 inch seam allowance without forming pleats; fold the other allowance over the first stitching line and stitch from the right side, keeping the back stitching consistent (on top in good quality plackets); finally, from the wrong side, stitch diagonally 2-3 times at 45° near the end to form a Bar Tack.
4.3.2 Simple Shirt Placket: needs two pattern pieces (upper and under part). The extension equals half the button's width plus 1 cm (or the button's diameter), or a standard 1/2 or 3/4 inch for men's shirts; a facing of 1.5 inches is used for the upper part and 1 inch for the under part (to keep its stitching line from showing on the front).
4.3.3 Shirt Placket with Facing: the shirt band on the right front (where buttonholes are made) eliminates the need for facing, while an extended self-facing is used on the left front; the finished shirt band is usually 1.5 inches wide, with pattern pieces for upper part, facing strip and under part each marked with specific extensions and seam allowances.

4.3.4 Button Placement

The button extension equals the width of the button, and the front bodice neckline is generally lowered by 1/4 inch at centre front for comfort when a basic neckline is required.
The first buttonhole is placed down from the neckline at a distance equal to the width of the button, ensuring the button does not extend into the neck area.
The placement of the last buttonhole depends on the garment's need or requirement, and the remaining buttonholes are marked at even divisions between the first and the last.
A button should be placed close to the apex/bust point to prevent the garment from gaping open at centre front due to movement or pull on the bust.
The size of the buttonhole equals the width of the button plus 1/8 inch, to allow the button to pass through easily.
The buttonhole is marked so the width of the button lies on the garment side of the centre front, with the extra 1/8 inch on the extension side.

4.4 Neckline Facings

A facing is fabric used to finish raw edges of a garment at locations such as the neck, armhole, and front and back openings; after being attached and turned to the inside, it should not show on the outside.
There are three categories of facings: shaped facings (cut to the same shape and grain as the edge using a pattern), extended facings (cut as one with the garment, so fabric is the same as the garment fabric), and bias facings (cut on the bias to shape to curved edges).
To reduce bulk, shaped and bias facings can be cut from a lighter-weight fabric than the garment fabric.
4.4.1 Bias Strip: a strip of matching or contrasting fabric used to conceal, finish and strengthen seams and raw edges, or as a substitute for facings; it may also be used as decorative binding, piping or tubing. True bias is the diagonal line at a 45-degree angle intersecting the length and cross grain of a square, offering maximum stretch, flexibility and elasticity for curved edges.
Bias strips may be self-prepared, specially manufactured for industry, or commercially prepared and purchased (as pre-cut, pre-folded 'bias tape'). The width and placement of bias selected depends on the style and design of the garment, type and use of garment, care of garment, choice of fabric, method of construction, availability of machines/attachments, and procedures for production.
4.4.2 Preparation of Bias Strip: find the true bias by folding the fabric so the lengthwise grain is parallel to the crosswise grain — the fold edge is the true bias; draw and cut strips of the required width and number for the needed length.
Since single bias strips are often not long enough, adequate strips are joined: place strips at right angles with right sides facing each other and stitch with a 1/4 inch seam allowance at an angle; continue joining strips as needed, then press all seams open and snip extended points before applying the strip to the neckline.

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