Raw Materials

Manufacture of children's clothes calls for a wide variety of textiles, including specially treated material, thread, zippers and other fasteners, and decorations. Most manufacturers do not make their own textiles although they may have established relationships with textile manufacturers who produce fabrics treated with fire-retardant, ecologically-friendly fabrics and chemically safe dyes, soft or brushed materials for babies; clothes and sleepwear, and other speciality items. Patterns are also required and may be designed and printed in house or provided by suppliers. Body shapes for children are standardised depending on age and weight, so manufacturers rely on other design aspects to catch the attention of the purchaser. In raw materials, these may include lace, pre-made collars and cuffs, pockets, belts, ribbons, frills, trimmings, closings (buttons, zippers, snaps, etc.), bows, brooches, artificial flowers, knee and elbow patches, and an endless array of other add-ons.

Design

Designs are developed around some fundamental concepts. The comfort, safety, and appearance of the child comprise the primary focus; but design approaches to these may vary with the age of the child. Ease of care is also an important consideration. because the most inexpensive and eye-catching outfit won't sell. Durability is important for play clothes and outerwear, whereas uniqueness and decoration help sell party dresses. Seasonal factors influence design, not only in terms of winter versus summer but trends throughout the fashion year. Because many clothes enjoy a second life as hand-me-downs, features like extra-long hems and cuffs are considered in design. Nothing in design is simple whether the clothing item is plain or fancy; details like overseen seams are selected in design even for cottons and play clothes.

The Manufacturing Process

Clothing manufacture is completed in several basic processes including cutting, sewing, assembling, decorating, and finishing the garments.

1. Fabric for a garment is stacked one length on top of another in reaches or lays that may be over 100 ft (30.5 m) long and hundreds of plies (fabric pieces) thick. These stacks of fabric are constructed by spreading machines. A pattern, called a marker or cutting lay, is fastened to the fabric with  adhesive  stripping or staples; the pattern include s all the pieces of the garment carefully arranged so a minimal amount of fabric is wasted. Any one of several types of machines may be used to cut out the garment components. The machine is selected depending on the type of fabric and other considerations. These machines include band cutters that work much like band saws, cutters with rotary blades, machines with reciprocal blades that saw up and down, die clickers that are a form of die or punch press, and computerized machines that use either blades or  laser  beams to cut.
2. The cut pieces are taken to sewing stations where operators typically perform only one operation on one piece or set of pieces being sewn. The industrial sewing machines vary in the type of stitch they make and the configuration of the frame. Both are factors in the manner in which the machine sews and, therefore, in the part of the garment that can be sewn at that station. Operator A may make only straight seams, Operator B may make sleeve insets, Operator C sews the waist seams, and Operator D only makes buttonholes. Some machines work in sequence and feed their finished step directly to the next machine, while others (called "gang machines") have
   multiple machines performing the same operation under the oversight of a single operator.
3. The final sewing step is assembly when all the pieces put together in segments (like sleeves or pant legs) are assembled into the final product. Either finishing or decorating is performed next depending on the configuration of the garment. Finishing may include a variety of steps that manufacturers call "molding"; molding changes the finished surface of the garment by applying pressure, heat, moisture, or some combination. Pressing is a basic molding process, as are pleating and creasing. Creasing may be done before other finishing if the finishing involves  stitching  a cuff; creasing is also done before a decoration, like a pocket, is stitched in place. Other decorations that may be damaged by molding processes, like silk flowers or raised embroidery, may be added after the product has been finished. Completed garments are collected by size and type and are bagged or otherwise packed.