Punjab PSEB Matric NSQF Apparel Made-Ups cheat sheet

Sector segments: apparel (garments), made-ups (bags, aprons, soft toys, industrial covers) and home furnishing (bed linen, curtains, upholstery, kitchen textiles).

Value chain order: fibre → yarn → fabric → dyeing/printing/finishing → pattern making → cutting → stitching → finishing/inspection → packing → retail.

NSQF levels run 1–10; a Matric NSQF apparel course typically maps to Level 4 (entry skilled worker) and Level 5 (supervisor/advanced operator) progression.

Typical job roles: sewing machine operator, cutting assistant, pattern assistant, quality checker, embroidery operator, sampling assistant, merchandising assistant, self-employed tailor.

India's textile and apparel sector is a major employer; Punjab clusters include Ludhiana (knitwear and hosiery), Amritsar (woollens and shawls) and Jalandhar (sports goods and knitwear).

Career ladder in a factory: helper/trainee → operator → senior operator/multi-skill operator → line supervisor → quality or production in-charge.

Self-employment routes: tailoring unit, boutique, embroidery job-work, home furnishing stitching unit, fabric and trim trading, online custom-stitching service.

Wage structure commonly uses piece-rate or line-based incentives on top of minimum wage; skill certification (NSQF/RSETI/ITI) affects grade and starting pay.

Colour code for fire extinguishers: red = water (Class A solids), black/blue = CO2 (electrical and flammable liquids), cream/yellow = foam, green = vaporising liquid.

Classes of fire: A = solid combustibles (cloth, paper), B = flammable liquids, C = gases, D = metals; electrical fires are treated with CO2 or dry powder, never water.

PPE by task: needle guard and finger guard on overlock and single-needle machines; metal mesh or cut-resistant glove for cutting; thimble for hand sewing; mask for dust/fibre; ear plugs near high-noise machines.

Machine guarding rule: never remove or bypass a needle guard, belt guard or pulley cover; report a missing guard before operating the machine.

Ergonomic rules: seat height so elbows are near 90°, table at elbow level, feet flat on pedal, work within 40 cm of the body, 5–10 minute break each hour to prevent repetitive strain.

Electrical safety: dry hands only, no water on the floor near machines, three-pin earthed plug, switch off and unplug before cleaning, oiling or threading the needle area.

Hygiene in the workplace: wash hands after handling dyes and chemicals, keep drinking water away from the cutting table, no food in the stitching hall, clean washrooms and segregated waste bins.

First aid: burns cooled under running water for at least 10 minutes; needle-prick injuries washed, bled slightly and dressed; report every injury in the accident register.

Housekeeping (5S-style): sort, set in order, shine, standardise, sustain - clear fabric scraps and thread clippings from the floor to prevent slips and machine jams.

Fibre classes: natural (cotton, linen, jute, wool, silk) and man-made (regenerated: viscose, modal, lyocell; synthetic: polyester, nylon, acrylic, spandex).

Cotton: absorbent, breathable, strong when wet, poor elasticity, shrinks unless pre-shrunk or sanforised, burns with a steady flame and smells of burning paper leaving grey ash.

Linen: strongest natural fibre, cool and stiff, low elasticity so it creases badly, burns like cotton but with a faster flame.

Wool: warm, elastic, hygroscopic, felts and shrinks with heat plus agitation; burns slowly, smells of burning hair, leaves a crushable black bead.

Silk: fine, lustrous, strong, poor abrasion resistance; burns slowly with a burning-hair smell, leaves a crushable dark bead.

Polyester: strong, wrinkle-resistant, low absorbency, thermoplastic; melts and shrinks away from flame, smells sweet/chemical, leaves a hard black bead.

Yarn terms: staple (short fibres, spun) vs filament (continuous); yarn count systems: Ne (cotton count, indirect), Tex (grams per 1000 m, direct), Denier (grams per 9000 m, for filament).

Fabric structures: woven (warp and weft, plain, twill, satin), knitted (weft: single jersey, rib, interlock; warp: tricot, raschel), non-woven (bonded or needle-punched).

Identification tests: burning test (flame, odour, ash), feel and lustre, twist/thread pull test, microscopic view, chemical solubility, and the simple water-absorption drop test.

Machine parts: needle, needle plate, presser foot, feed dog, bobbin and bobbin case, tension discs, take-up lever, hand wheel, spool pin, reverse lever.

Needle size rule: finer needle for fine fabric (60/8–70/10 for chiffon and voile), medium 80/12 for shirting, 90/14–100/16 for denim and canvas; needle point sizes follow metric/imperial pairs.

Tension: upper tension too tight gives loops on the underside; too loose gives loops on the top. Adjust upper tension first; bobbin tension is set once with a screwdriver.

Stitch length: 2.0–2.5 mm for light fabrics, 2.5–3.0 mm for medium, 3.0–4.0 mm for heavy; basting by machine uses 4–5 mm.

Common faults: skipped stitches (blunt or wrong needle, wrong needle-fabric match), thread breakage (rough needle eye, tight tension, poor thread), puckering (tight tension, blunt needle, differential feed).

Maintenance schedule: brush lint from bobbin area and feed dog daily, oil per manual (typically every 8 hours of use on industrial lockstitch), change needle after 8–10 hours of sewing or at the first defect.

Measuring and marking tools: tape measure (150 cm, both sides), seam gauge, L-square, French curve, hip curve, tracing wheel, tailors' chalk, pattern notcher, awl.

Cutting tools: shears (bent handle for table cutting), pinking shears, rotary cutter, thread snips; never cut paper with fabric shears because it dulls the blades.

Safety rule before threading, cleaning or changing the needle: switch off the machine, unplug it and raise the presser foot; keep fingers at least 3 cm from the needle path.

Key body measurements: bust/chest, waist, hip, shoulder width, back length, front length, sleeve length, armhole depth, inseam, outseam, neck width.

Drafting sequence for a bodice block: body length and width rectangle → armhole depth line → bust/chest line → waist line → neck and shoulder → armhole curve → darts.

Ease allowance examples: close-fitting bodice 2–3 cm at bust, semi-fitted 5–8 cm, loose 10 cm or more; sleeve cap ease 2–4 cm.

Seam allowance standard: 1 cm on most seams, 1.5 cm on side seams and armholes, 2.5–4 cm on hems; add extra on centre-back for fitting.

Grain line must run parallel to the centre-front/centre-back; place patterns on lengthwise grain unless a bias or crosswise design is intended.

Marker layout rules: largest pieces first, nap/one-way fabric all patterns in one direction, checks and stripes matched at seams, selvedge kept clear of notches, minimise end waste.

Fabric consumption estimate: (marker length in cm × fabric width) gives area; add 5–10% for matching, shrinkage and cutting loss.

Pattern symbols: grain line arrow, notches (single for front, double for back), dart legs and point, fold line, buttonhole placement, centre-front/centre-back line, place-on-fold bracket.

Cutting sequence: spread fabric (right side up, all layers aligned on grain), mark or place marker, pin or weight, cut with long smooth strokes, notch at seam allowance only, bundle and label by size.

Fabric spread rules: no stretched layers, selvedges aligned, plies counted and recorded, nap and shade checked across the whole lay before cutting.

Stitch classes: 301 lockstitch (straight, two threads), 401 two-thread chain stitch (stretchy, used on knits), 504 three-thread overlock (edge neatening), 516 four-thread overlock (seam plus neatening), 101 single-thread chain (basting/tacking).

Seam types: plain (open pressed), French (fine fabrics, raw edges enclosed), flat fell (denim, strong), lapped, welt, and overlocked edge-finished seams.

Construction order for a basic shirt: front placket → pocket → yoke and back → shoulders → collar → sleeves → side seams → cuffs → hem → buttonholes and buttons.

Dart and pleat work: stitch darts from wide end to point, tie or backstitch at point, press darts toward centre; pleats pressed and edge-stitched to hold.

Pressing rules: press as you sew, use a pressing cloth on synthetics, press seams open on a seam roll, never iron over pins or zippers.

Fit and balance checks: side seams vertical, grain line straight at centre-front, hem parallel to floor, sleeve pitch correct, no drag lines at armhole or bust.

Plain seam: right sides together, stitch 1 cm, press open or to one side; the most common seam and the base for most garments.

French seam: stitch wrong sides together 0.5 cm, trim, turn, stitch 0.6–0.7 cm enclosing raw edges - for sheer and lightweight fabrics.

Flat fell seam: one edge trimmed to 0.5 cm, other folded over it and edge-stitched - strong, used on denim, workwear and children's wear.

Overlock finish: three-thread overlock trims and neatens in one pass; four-thread overlock joins and neatens simultaneously on knits.

Hem types: single turned hem (2–5 mm turn, stitch), double turned hem (turn 0.5 cm then 2–4 cm), blind hem (invisible stitch, formal wear), rolled hem (fine fabrics and scarves), faced hem (shaped edges), bias-bound hem.

Hem allowance rule: straight hems 2.5–4 cm, curved hems 1–1.5 cm or use a bias facing, circular skirts 1 cm with easing stitches.

Edge finishes: bias binding, piping, facing, lace or crochet edging, shell edge, picot, and Hong Kong finish for unlined jackets.

Finishing details: bar tacks at pocket corners and fly, backstitch at seam ends, thread chains on belt loops, clean thread trimming and final press.

Product development stages: idea/market research → design sketch → tech pack (measurement chart, fabric, trims, construction) → pattern and sample → fit approval → costing → production → inspection → packing.

Sample types in order: proto sample, fit sample, size-set sample, sales sample, pre-production sample, top-of-production sample.

Tech pack contents: flat sketches, points of measure, grade rules, fabric and trim list, stitch and seam specification, label and packing instructions.

Garment categories: woven tops and bottoms, knitwear (T-shirts, polos, sweatshirts), outerwear, kids' wear, uniforms, ethnic wear (kurta, salwar, saree blouse).

Home furnishing products: bed sheet and pillow cover sets, duvet covers, curtains (pleated, eyelet, tab-top), cushion covers, table linen, kitchen aprons, oven gloves, bath linen.

Made-up products: tote and jute bags, school bags, aprons, soft toys, laundry bags, shoe covers, industrial covers, tent and tarpaulin items.

Standard sizes: bed sheet single 90×230 cm, double 150×230 cm, king 180×230 cm; pillow cover 45×70 cm; cushion cover 40×40 cm (common Indian retail sizes).

Fit evaluation points: neck drop, shoulder slope, armhole comfort, bust/waist/hip ease, sleeve length, garment length, and shrinkage after first wash.

Basic hand stitches: running, back, stem, chain, satin, long-and-short (shading), blanket, lazy daisy, French knot, cross stitch, herringbone.

Traditional Indian embroidery styles: phulkari and bagh (Punjab, darning stitch on hand-spun khaddar with silk floss), chikankari (Lucknow, white on white), kantha (Bengal, running stitch), zardosi (metallic wire), mirror work (Gujarat/Rajasthan), kutch and kasuti.

Phulkari specifics: floss silk (pat) on coarse cotton (khaddar), stitches worked from the reverse, geometric and floral motifs, bagh is fully covered phulkari.

Machine embellishment: computerised multi-head embroidery, sequin and bead attachment, apliqué, cut-work, schiffli lace, laser-cut and digital print.

Other surface techniques: block printing, screen printing, tie-and-dye (bandhani), batik, fabric painting, quilting, smocking, patchwork, ribbon and lace work.

Stabiliser rule: use tear-away or cut-away backing on knits and light wovens to prevent puckering; water-soluble topping on terry and pile fabrics.

Hooping rule: fabric taut but not stretched, grain aligned with hoop, design centred; wrong hooping causes puckers, distortion and needle breaks.

Care of embellished goods: turn inside out, hand wash or gentle cycle, avoid direct iron on beads, sequins and zari; dry flat in shade.

Quality checks at four stages: fabric inspection (shade, holes, slubs), cut panel inspection, in-line stitching inspection, final inspection before packing.

4-point fabric inspection system: assign 1, 2, 3 or 4 points by defect length and severity per 100 square yards; acceptable level commonly set around 20–40 points per 100 sq yd depending on buyer standard.

AQL sampling: inspection by lot size and AQL level (often 2.5 for major and 4.0 for minor defects) using ISO 2859 / IS 2500 tables; accept or reject the lot on the defect count.

Critical, major and minor defects: critical = safety or legal (needle in garment, banned dye), major = saleable fault (broken stitch, wrong size label), minor = cosmetic (loose thread, slight shading).

Common garment defects: skipped stitch, seam slippage, puckering, uneven hem, mismatched stripe/check, shade variation, measurement out of tolerance, wrong label, oil stain.

Measurement tolerance: typically ±0.5 cm on small dimensions, ±1 cm on body lengths, per buyer specification; record every out-of-tolerance piece.

Care label symbols: washtub with number = max wash temperature, triangle = bleach, square with circle = tumble dry, iron with dots = temperature, circle = dry clean, cross = do not.

Care rules: cotton washes hot and tolerates hot iron; wool hand wash cool and dry flat; silk mild detergent in cool water and iron on low with cloth; polyester cool wash and low iron; viscose shrinks and loses strength when wet.

Shrinkage and colour fastness tests: measure before and after one wash at specified temperature; rub fastness checked against a grey scale, ratings 1–5 with 5 best.

Cost sheet structure: material cost (fabric, trims, thread, labels) + labour cost (cutting, stitching, finishing) + overheads (rent, power, machine depreciation, salary) + packaging + margin = selling price.

Fabric cost formula: fabric consumption per garment (m) × fabric rate per metre; add wastage of 3–10% depending on marker efficiency.

Marker efficiency (%) = (area of pattern pieces ÷ area of marker) × 100; higher efficiency lowers fabric cost per garment.

Break-even quantity = fixed cost ÷ (selling price − variable cost per unit); contribution = selling price − variable cost.

Government support for small units: Udyam registration (MSME), MUDRA loans, PMEGP subsidy, Skill India/NSDC training, GST registration threshold and export incentives.

Waste hierarchy: reduce → reuse → recycle → recover → dispose; fabric scraps become patchwork, quilting, soft toys, mops, cushion filling or recycled yarn.

Sustainability practices: minimise cutting waste, reuse selvedge and offcuts, use organic cotton and low-impact dyes, treat dye effluent, save power with LED and servo motors, avoid single-use plastic packaging.

Record keeping for a small unit: measurement chart, job cards, cutting and stitching registers, stock of fabric and trims, invoice and GST records, customer measurement book.

Range planning starts from a theme board, colour card and fabric sourcing plan; the range must cover sizes, price points and season (summer, winter, festive).

Tech pack points of measure are taken flat on the table with the garment buttoned; chest measured 2.5 cm below armhole, waist at narrowest point, hip 20 cm below waist for adults.

Grading rule: base size pattern is graded by a grade rule per point of measure (for example bust +5 cm, waist +4 cm, hip +5 cm per size step in women's wear).

Sample approval flow: proto → fit comments on the fit sample → pattern correction → size-set → pre-production sample → production; each stage needs written approval before the next.

Costing at development stage uses consumption from the size-set marker plus trim cost, so the quoted price matches actual production consumption.

Home furnishing development adds repeat and placement rules: print repeat must match at seams, curtain panels need pattern repeat plus 10–15 cm per panel for matching and hems.

Selling price check at development: landed cost = FOB + freight + duty + agent commission; retail price = landed cost × mark-up (commonly 2–2.5 times for apparel).