Assam ASSEB HS Apparel Made-Ups & Home Furnishing cheat sheet

Textile value chain order: fibre → yarn → fabric → wet processing (dyeing/printing/finishing) → garment manufacturing → retail; each stage adds value and employment.

Apparel Made-Ups and Home Furnishing (AMHF) is a sub-sector of the textile industry covering garments, made-up articles (bags, towels, furnishings) and home textiles such as bed linen and curtains.

India's textile sector is one of the largest employers after agriculture; the organised mill sector, powerloom, handloom, hosiery and garment units are its main production segments.

Key Indian textile hubs: cotton textiles in Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Coimbatore; hosiery in Tiruppur and Ludhiana; silk in Bengaluru and Varanasi; jute in West Bengal.

Terms to distinguish: 'mill' = integrated spinning/weaving unit; 'powerloom' = mechanised weaving in small units; 'handloom' = manually operated loom; 'hosiery' = knitted innerwear and T-shirts.

Sector classification: organised sector (factories registered under the Factories Act, 1948) versus decentralised/unorganised sector (powerloom, handloom, handicraft).

Export promotion bodies: AEPC (Apparel Export Promotion Council) for garments, TEXPROCIL for cotton textiles, SRTE for silk and HANDLOOM EPC for handloom products.

Career roles in the sector: merchandiser, pattern master, sampling coordinator, production supervisor, quality inspector, textile designer and entrepreneur.

Fibre classification: natural (vegetable: cotton, jute, linen; animal: wool, silk; mineral: asbestos) and man-made (regenerated: viscose, modal; synthetic: polyester, nylon, acrylic).

Cotton fibre is mainly cellulose; it is absorbent, breathable, washes well but wrinkles and shrinks; mercerisation (NaOH treatment under tension) improves lustre, strength and dye uptake.

Wool is a protein (keratin) fibre with scales and crimp; scales cause felting shrinkage, so wool is shrink-resisted; it is warm, elastic and damaged by strong alkali and chlorine bleach.

Silk is a protein filament from the silkworm; degumming removes sericin; it is lustrous, strong and sensitive to sunlight and perspiration.

Polyester is a synthetic condensation polymer with high strength and low moisture regain; it is thermoplastic, so heat-setting gives permanent pleats but hot ironing can glaze it.

Viscose is regenerated cellulose; it has high moisture absorbency and soft drape but low wet strength and high shrinkage.

Yarn count systems: direct systems (tex = g per 1000 m; denier = g per 9000 m) - higher number means coarser yarn; indirect systems (Ne cotton count = 840-yard hanks per pound) - higher number means finer yarn.

Yarn twist: higher twist gives stronger, harder yarns up to a point; S-twist and Z-twist describe direction; ply yarns are made by twisting two or more single yarns together.

Weave repeat terms: warp = lengthwise threads, weft = widthwise; ends per inch (EPI) and picks per inch (PPI) measure fabric density.

Basic weaves: plain (alternate interlacing, strongest, e.g. calico, poplin), twill (diagonal lines, e.g. denim, gabardine) and satin/sateen (long floats, lustrous, e.g. satin).

Knitted fabrics are made by interlooping; weft knits (single jersey, rib, interlock) stretch across width; warp knits (tricot, raschel) are more stable.

Non-woven fabrics are bonded by mechanical (needle-punch), chemical (adhesive) or thermal means; they have no yarn structure, e.g. fusible interlining, wipes, felt.

Preparatory wet processes: desizing (removes size), scouring (removes oils/waxes), bleaching (removes natural colour) and mercerising (cotton lustre and strength).

Finishing types: mechanical (calendering, sanforising, raising, embossing) and chemical (easy-care/resin finish, water repellency, flame retardancy, anti-microbial).

Sanforising controls cotton fabric shrinkage by compressive mechanical action; resin (easy-care) finish reduces creasing but lowers strength and abrasion resistance.

Dyeing versus printing: dyeing gives uniform colour throughout the fabric; printing applies colour in a pattern to one side using thickener paste (block, screen, roller or digital printing).

Pattern-making methods: drafting (using body measurements), draping (on a dress form) and flat pattern manipulation (slashing and spreading to add fullness).

Key body measurements: bust/chest, waist, hip, shoulder width, back neck to waist, sleeve length, inseam and armhole depth; ease is added to these for movement.

Ease = difference between body measurement and garment measurement; wearing ease allows movement, design ease gives the intended silhouette.

Grain lines: lengthwise grain (parallel to selvedge, most stable), crosswise grain (more stretch) and bias (45° to grain, maximum stretch and drape).

Dart manipulation moves fullness without changing the pattern outline; a bust dart can be rotated to shoulder, armhole, waist or neckline.

Seam types: plain seam (most common), French seam (encloses raw edges, good for sheer/light fabrics), flat-felled seam (strong, used on denim) and overlock-finished seam.

Stitch classes: lockstitch (class 300, two threads), chainstitch (class 400, extensible, used on knits) and overlock (class 500, sews and trims edges).

Marker making and cutting: lay planning minimises fabric waste; cutting methods include straight knife, round knife, band knife and die cutting; grain and checks must be matched.

Production sequence: design and tech pack → pattern and grading → sampling (fit, size-set, pre-production) → cutting → sewing → finishing/pressing → inspection → packing and dispatch.

Section-wise sewing system: progressive bundle system, unit production system (UPS) and modular/toyota sewing system; each differs in bundle handling and flexibility.

Specification sheet (tech pack) lists measurements, tolerances, fabrics, trims, stitch type, SPI and construction details; it is the reference for inspection.

Quality control points: fabric inspection (4-point system for defects), cut-part inspection, in-line inspection, end-line/roving inspection and final AQL inspection.

AQL (Acceptable Quality Level) sampling uses ISO 2859 tables; a lot is accepted or rejected based on the number of major and minor defects found in the sample.

Common defects: needle hole, skip stitch, seam slippage, puckering, shade variation, measurement out of tolerance, misaligned placket and untrimmed thread.

Stitch density is measured as stitches per inch (SPI); too few stitches weaken seams, too many cause seam pucker and thread breakage.

Productivity measures: SAM (Standard Allowed Minute) and SMV (Standard Minute Value) are used for costing and line balancing; efficiency = earned minutes ÷ attended minutes × 100.

Home furnishing categories: bed linen (sheets, pillow covers, quilts), bath (towels, bathmats), kitchen (aprons, table linen) and furnishing (curtains, upholstery, cushions, carpets, rugs).

Bed sheet sizes are governed by mattress dimensions; fitted sheets use elasticated corners and require extra depth for mattress thickness.

Curtain fullness ratio = total fabric width ÷ window width; typical ratios are 1.5 to 2 for pencil pleat and 2 to 2.5 for gathered or pinch pleat headings.

Curtain heading types: pencil pleat, pinch pleat, eyelet, tab top and Roman blind; each changes the required fullness and hardware.

Upholstery fabrics need high abrasion resistance (measured by Martindale rubs) and good lightfastness; heavy twills, jacquards and microfibre are common.

Towels are rated by GSM (grams per square metre); 400–600 GSM gives plush absorbency, while 300–400 GSM dries faster and is more durable.

Flame retardancy and colourfastness to light and rubbing are critical performance requirements for curtains and upholstery in public buildings.

Interior design principles relevant to textiles: balance, proportion, rhythm and harmony; textiles are chosen to match the colour scheme, scale of the room and function.

Design elements: line, shape, colour, texture, space and form; principles: balance, rhythm, proportion, emphasis, harmony and unity.

Repeat types: straight repeat (motif aligned in rows and columns), half-drop repeat (alternate rows shifted by half a motif) and brick repeat; repeat size depends on motif and fabric use.

Colour theory: primary colours (red, yellow, blue), secondary (orange, green, violet) and tertiary colours; complementary colours lie opposite on the colour wheel.

Colour properties: hue (name of colour), value (lightness/darkness) and chroma/saturation (intensity or purity).

Colour schemes: monochromatic (one hue in tints and shades), analogous (adjacent hues), complementary (opposite hues) and triadic (three evenly spaced hues).

Dye classes by fibre: reactive and vat dyes for cotton, acid dyes for wool and silk, disperse dyes for polyester, and basic dyes for acrylic.

Colourfastness is tested to washing, light, rubbing (crocking), perspiration and water; a grade of 5 is best, 1 is poorest.

Surface ornamentation techniques: embroidery, appliqué, patchwork, quilting, printing, tie-dye, batik, block printing and embellishment with beads or sequins.

Entrepreneur functions: idea generation, opportunity identification, feasibility study, business plan, resource mobilisation, launch and growth management.

Feasibility analysis has four parts: market feasibility, technical/operational feasibility, financial feasibility and legal/environmental feasibility.

Break-even point (BEP) in units = fixed cost ÷ (selling price per unit − variable cost per unit); BEP in value = fixed cost ÷ contribution margin ratio.

Working capital = current assets − current liabilities; garment units need working capital for fabric, trims, wages and power before payment is received.

MSME classification in India depends on investment in plant and machinery and annual turnover; Udyam registration is the current registration route for MSMEs.

Startup support schemes include PMEGP, MUDRA loans, Stand-Up India and the Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE).

Common costing elements: material cost, labour cost, overheads, wastage allowance, profit margin and applicable GST; costing is done per garment (CMT or FOB).

Marketing mix (4Ps): product, price, place and promotion; for garments, product includes fabric, fit, size range and packaging.

Retail formats: department store, specialty store, supermarket, hypermarket, franchise, e-commerce and direct selling; each differs in assortment depth and breadth.

Visual merchandising tools: window display, mannequins, planogram, signage, lighting and store layout; they influence footfall and conversion.

Consumer rights under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019: safety, information, choice, being heard, redressal and consumer education; CCPA is the regulator.

Legal metrology requires pre-packaged goods to display net quantity, MRP, month/year of manufacture or packing and consumer care details.

Care labelling in India follows IS 4148 / care label conventions; a consumer can complain if a garment shrinks, bleeds colour or is mislabelled.

Retail pricing terms: MRP, markdown, mark-up, discount, gross margin and stock turnover ratio; mark-up is calculated on cost, margin on selling price.

E-commerce consumer protections: return and refund policy, disclosure of seller details, and restriction on misleading advertisements and fake reviews.

Sizing standards: Indian garment sizes are based on body measurements (IS 14576 series); consumers should check size charts rather than rely on labels.

Care label symbols (ISO 3758 / GINETEX): washtub (washing), triangle (bleaching), square (drying), iron (ironing) and circle (professional cleaning); a cross means do not.

Washing variables: water temperature, detergent type, mechanical action and time; higher temperature and agitation increase cleaning but also shrinkage and colour loss.

Cotton can be washed at higher temperatures and bleached with chlorine; wool and silk need mild, neutral detergent, cool water and no chlorine bleach.

Drying methods: line drying, tumble drying and flat drying; wool and knits should be flat dried to avoid stretching; direct sunlight can fade colours.

Stain removal rule: treat stains as soon as possible, blot (do not rub), work from the back of the fabric, and use the mildest agent first.

Sustainability in textiles: reduce, reuse, recycle; preferred fibres include organic cotton, linen, hemp, recycled polyester and lyocell (closed-loop solvent process).

Sustainability concerns: water use in cotton cultivation and dyeing, chemical effluent, microfibre shedding from synthetics and textile waste to landfill.

Certifications and standards: GOTS (organic textiles), OEKO-TEX Standard 100 (harmful substances), Fairtrade and SA8000 (labour practices).