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shade variation | Apparel Network

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How Dyed Fabrics are Made

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Every single piece of clothing starts with a greige cloth which is simply put, an unfinished piece of woven or knitted fabric that has neither been bleached nor dyed.

How does the dyeing process work? Let’s break it down:

Singeing and desizing

Dyed Fabrics | Apparel NetworkSingeing the process through which the greige is inspected and loose, hairy fibers that jut out of the cloth are removed. This is done by passing the fabric over brushes that will raise these fibers. The cloth then passes over a metal plate heated by gas flames that will then burn off (singe) the raised fibers. This is essential to getting the cloth to a smooth and clean looking state that enables a smoother, shinier dye.

Desizing consists of removing sizing materials that were originally put in place to allow the fabric to resist the friction of the loom. If these were not removed the cloth would remain stiff and make bleaching and dyeing more difficult, resulting in uneven, patchy, dyeing or shade variations.

Bleaching

Bleaching removes the natural (grayish) color of the cloth. The procedure also has the added bonus of removing any remaining impurities from the fabric.

The bleached cloth is then subjected to inspection that will verify the absorbency of the cloth.

Mercerization

Mercerization is the process through which fabric or yarns are strengthened, and given a shiny appearance. This process is applied to cotton and hemp fabrics, and is considered to be an optional step in the dyeing process.

Dyeing

Shade Variation in Fabric | Fabric DefectsDyeing is the process of adding color to fabric. There are various methods to dye fabrics, but the most common form of dyeing is piece dyeing, or the process of coloring the fabric after is has been constructed. Thicker yarns may be subjected to dyeing before the fabric is constructed to obtain a more even dye, not obtainable through the piece process. Yarn dyeing employs a process called vat dyeing (also known as Indigo) whereby the dye is dissolved in a vat where the fabric will be bathed.

After dyeing and/or printing is completed, the products will be subjected to inspection for defects.

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Shade Variations in Fabric: Don’t Pay for Faulty Product

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Shade Variation in Fabric | Fabric DefectsWhen different components of the same item of clothing seem to have mismatched colors, it is referred to as shade variation and it is considered a critical defect with the garment. Garments are made by stitching a number of different pieces of fabric parts together, so when shade variation is found between different parts it can render the finished piece unsellable, which is why great pains are taken by manufacturers to ensure color consistency across garment components.

Variations of shade or depth of color (hue) – either within or between different garment parts – is one of the most common problems in clothing manufacturing. Shade variation can occur from selvage to selvage, selvage to the center of fabric width, or from end-to-end across the whole fabric roll and any type of variation can drive up manufacturing costs because the amount of fabric used to produce each garment may increase as a result.  Whenever fabrics are dyed in multiple lots there is a chance of shade variation between different lots if the dyeing process is not well controlled.  Apparel Network’s factories have standard practices in place to eliminate the problem of shade variation within the same garment. Dyed fabrics procured from third-party suppliers are carefully inspected, and we never hesitate to reject entire lots where there are inconsistencies.

Shade Variation in Fabric | Fabric DefectsIn the case of bulk fabric, we prepare shade bands and mark and number each fabric roll. To make this process easier, our fabric suppliers are instructed to supply the shade grouping charts with roll numbers matched to each swatch. Because we communicate every step of process, our clients with large volume orders that require fabric processing in more than one batch are aware of and prepared for any be small batch to batch variation.

Mixing shade batches on the cutting table can result in disaster. If the necessary precaution is not taken in the cutting department and on the sewing floor, fabric lots can easily become mixed-up and result in mismatched shades across the finished garment; fabrics with special surface finishes require special attention. Our factories know to roll these fabrics with the outer surface facing inward, and to mark each piece showing the direction of the finish at both ends. This eliminates any shade variation that can occur from stitching together pieces finished in different directions.

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