RBSE Prav Voc Apparel Made-Ups and Home Furnishing cheat sheet

Textile product chain order: fibre → yarn → fabric → wet processing (dyeing/printing/finishing) → garment or home-furnishing conversion → retail.

Size ranges for apparel: infants (0–24 months by weight/height), children (2–12 years by height), teens, adults (men/women), and plus sizes; measurements, not age, define fit.

Basic body measurements needed for upper garments: bust/chest, waist, hip, shoulder width, back neck to waist, sleeve length, total length; lower garments need waist, hip, inseam, outseam, crotch depth.

Ease = garment measurement − body measurement. Wearing ease allows movement and breathing; design ease is added for silhouette and fashion effect.

Home furnishing categories: bed linen (sheets, pillow covers, quilts), table linen (tablecloths, runners, napkins), kitchen linen (aprons, oven mitts, towels), bath linen (towels, bath mats), and window/décor (curtains, cushions, upholstery).

Standard bed sheet sizes follow mattress dimensions: single 90×190 cm, double 140×190 cm, queen 150×200 cm, king 180×200 cm (India); add 2× tuck-in allowance plus shrinkage to the cut size.

Grain direction rule: lengthwise grain (warp) runs parallel to the selvedge and gives least stretch; crosswise (weft) gives moderate stretch; bias at 45° gives maximum stretch and drape.

Fit faults and causes: diagonal drag lines = insufficient ease or wrong grain; horizontal pulls at bust = small bust ease; gaping neckline = excess neckline ease or shallow dart.

Fibre classes: natural (cotton, flax, wool, silk) and man-made (regenerated: viscose, modal, acetate; synthetic: polyester, nylon, acrylic, elastane); each is either staple (short) or filament (continuous).

Cotton: cellulose, absorbent, strong when wet, poor elasticity, shrinks, wrinkles, damaged by mildew and strong acids; burns with a steady flame, paper smell, grey ash.

Wool: protein (keratin), scales give felting and warmth, low strength, good elasticity, damaged by alkali and bleach, attacked by moths; burns slowly with a hair smell and crushable black bead.

Silk: protein filament, lustrous, strong, low elongation, damaged by perspiration and sunlight; burns like wool with a softer bead.

Polyester: synthetic, high strength, low absorbency (moisture regain about 0.4%), thermoplastic (heat-set pleats), oleophilic so it holds oily stains; burns with black smoke and hard bead.

Viscose: regenerated cellulose, high absorbency, low wet strength (about half of dry), shrinks and loses shape when wet; burns like cotton.

Yarn count systems: direct systems (tex = g/1000 m; denier = g/9000 m) where higher number = coarser; indirect systems (Ne cotton count = 840 yd hanks per lb) where higher number = finer.

Weave structures: plain (highest interlacing, strongest, least lustrous), twill (diagonal, 2/1 or 3/1, better drape), satin (long floats, lustrous, snag-prone); knits are interlooped and stretch, wovens are interlaced and stable.

Fabric weight and cover factor: GSM = fabric weight in g/m²; cover factor compares yarn diameter to spacing and predicts air permeability, stiffness and opacity.

Pattern set: bodice front and back, sleeve, skirt front and back, collar, facing, and any style pieces; each piece carries grain line, notches, darts, seam allowance, style number and cut quantity.

Dart manipulation: a dart can be moved to any position around a pivot point on the pattern without changing fit; slash-and-spread adds fullness, pivot method relocates without adding.

Princess panel construction: close the bust dart and transfer its intake into a seam line running from armhole or shoulder to waist, producing a shaped panel instead of a dart.

Grading rule: increments are applied at specified points (bust, waist, hip, sleeve) and are not uniform; typical women's size step is 5 cm bust, 4 cm waist, 5 cm hip; men's chest step is 4–5 cm.

Seam allowance standards: 1 cm general, 1.5 cm at curved or fitted seams, 2.5–4 cm at hems, 0.6–1 cm at necklines later trimmed; grain line must be parallel to the centre front/back.

Construction sequence for a basic bodice: stay-stitch neckline, sew darts, join shoulder seams, attach facings or collar, set in sleeves, sew side seams, finish hems, press at each stage.

Set-in sleeve ease: sleeve cap ease of about 2.5–4 cm total is distributed between notches; too much ease causes puckers, too little causes pull lines at the armhole.

Grading vs alteration: grading creates a new size from a base pattern across the size run; alteration adjusts a pattern for one individual body.

Production planning sequence: design and tech pack → pattern and sample → costing and sourcing → cutting → sewing → finishing and pressing → inspection → packing and dispatch.

Cutting room steps: marker making, spreading (lay), cutting, numbering, bundling and ticketing; fabric utilisation = marker area used ÷ total fabric area × 100.

Marker efficiency improves with narrower size ranges, correct grain alignment and placing large pieces first; fabric consumption per garment = marker length ÷ number of garments in the lay.

Sewing room systems: progressive bundle system (bundles move between operations, high WIP), unit production system (overhead transport, low WIP), and modular/team system (group ownership, flexible).

Line balancing: cycle time = available minutes ÷ target output; number of operators = total standard minute value (SMV) ÷ cycle time.

SMV = basic time × allowance factor; basic time = observed time × rating factor; efficiency % = (earned minutes ÷ attended minutes) × 100.

Finishing operations: trimming, stain removal, pressing (iron, steam, vacuum table), folding, tagging, and metal detection where required by the buyer.

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

Stitch classes (ISO 4915): 100 chain stitch, 300 lockstitch, 400 multi-thread chain (overlock), 500 overedge, 600 covering chain; seam classes (ISO 4916) are superimposed, lapped, bound and flat.

Stitch density: stitches per inch (SPI) typically 10–14 for woven shirting, 12–16 for denim, 8–12 for knits; higher SPI raises seam strength up to a point then causes thread breakage and puckering.

Needle and thread balance: thread size should match needle size; a needle too large leaves holes, too small causes skipped stitches; change needles every 8 hours of production or at fabric damage.

Common sewing defects: skipped stitch (needle/hook timing, wrong needle), puckering (tension, feed differential), seam slippage (insufficient seam allowance in slippery fabric), and needle cutting (too fine a fabric for the needle).

Seam strength is tested by grab or strip tensile test; fabric strength by ravel strip; colourfastness by wash, rub (crock), light and perspiration tests.

AQL sampling (ISO 2859-1): inspection level II is normal for garments; AQL 2.5 major and 4.0 minor are common for apparel; accept if defects found ≤ Ac number for the lot size.

Four-point fabric inspection: assign 1 point for defects up to 7.5 cm, 2 points for 7.5–15 cm, 3 points for 15–23 cm, 4 points above 23 cm; accept if points per 100 sq yd ≤ 20.

Quality control vs quality assurance: QC inspects and rejects output; QA builds systems and standards into the process to prevent defects.

Curtain fullness ratio = total curtain width ÷ window/track width; pencil pleat 2–2.5×, pinch pleat 2.5×, eyelet 1.5–2×, sheer 2.5–3×.

Curtain cut length = finished drop + top heading allowance + bottom hem allowance (typically 10 cm double hem) + shrinkage allowance.

Lining adds insulation, protects the face fabric from sunlight and improves drape; blackout lining blocks light, thermal lining reduces heat transfer.

Cushion cover sizing: insert should be 2–5 cm larger than the cover for a full look; a 40 cm cover takes a 40–45 cm insert; invisible zip is set into the bottom seam.

Bed linen terminology: flat sheet, fitted sheet with elasticated corners, duvet cover, pillowcase (housewife or oxford), bed skirt, quilt and quilt cover.

Fabric suitability: upholstery needs high abrasion resistance (Martindale 20,000+ cycles for domestic, 30,000+ for contract) and rub-fastness; sheers need low weight and high drape.

Table linen sizing: tablecloth drop of 20–30 cm for casual, 30–40 cm for formal; cut size = table dimension + 2 × drop + hem allowance.

Flame-retardant requirements apply to curtains and upholstery in contract and public spaces; domestic soft furnishings must meet the applicable national standard.

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

Traditional Indian embroideries: kantha (running stitch on layered cloth, Bengal), chikankari (white-on-white shadow work, Lucknow), phulkari (darning stitch on khaddar, Punjab), zardozi (metal thread on silk, court craft), kutch mirror work.

Appliqué attaches a cut shape to a base fabric by hand or machine; reverse appliqué cuts through the top layer to expose the layer beneath.

Quilting joins two or more layers with stitching; trapunto is stuffed quilting; a quilt sandwich is top, wadding and backing.

Machine embroidery digitising: underlay stabilises, density controls coverage, pull compensation widens shapes to counter fabric pull; backing (tear-away, cut-away, wash-away) is chosen by fabric weight.

Embellishment fastness: beads and sequins must pass pull tests (typically a minimum force) and wash tests; metal trims must be rust-proof and free of sharp edges.

Tie-and-dye (bandhani) resists dye by tying; batik resists with wax; block printing uses carved wooden blocks with a repeat matched to the motif.

Fabric painting and printing binders must be heat-cured per manufacturer specification; inadequate curing shows as crocking or wash-down.

Elements of design: line, shape/form, colour, texture, space; principles: balance (symmetrical/asymmetrical), rhythm, proportion, emphasis, harmony and unity.

Colour wheel relationships: monochromatic (one hue), analogous (adjacent hues), complementary (opposite), split-complementary, triadic (three evenly spaced) and tetradic.

Colour properties: hue (name), value (lightness/darkness), saturation or chroma (intensity); tints add white, shades add black, tones add grey.

Colour systems: Munsell uses hue/value/chroma; Pantone is the industry standard for communicating and matching colour in textiles and apparel.

Fashion cycle stages: introduction, rise, peak, decline, obsolescence; theories are trickle-down, bubble-up and trickle-across.

Fashion illustration proportions: croquis is about 9 heads tall versus 7.5 for realistic figure; movement lines and gesture are drawn before garment detail.

Tech pack contents: flat sketches, measurement chart with points of measure and tolerances, fabric and trim bill of materials, construction details, colourways, labelling and packing instructions.

Product development calendar: research and trend → concept and range plan → prototype and fit → adoption and costing → pre-production → delivery.

Cost sheet build-up: fabric cost + trims + cutting + sewing (SMV × minute cost) + finishing + packing + overheads + rejection allowance = factory cost; add profit margin and agent commission for FOB.

Fabric cost per garment = fabric consumption (m) × fabric rate (per m); add 3–5% for wastage and shrinkage.

CMT (cut-make-trim) is a service charge; FOB = fabric + trims + CMT + overheads + profit; CIF = FOB + freight + insurance; retail price = landed cost × markup.

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

Markup and margin differ: markup = (price − cost) ÷ cost; margin = (price − cost) ÷ price; a 50% markup equals a 33.3% margin.

Retail formats: exclusive brand outlet, multi-brand store, department store, franchise, e-commerce and pop-up; each has different margin and inventory terms.

Visual merchandising tools: window display, planogram, colour blocking, focal point, lighting and signage; a planogram maps product placement to maximise sales per square foot.

Small-business essentials: Udyam registration, GST registration above the turnover threshold, current account, costing discipline, and a documented buyer agreement with payment terms.

Machine guarding: needle guard, finger guard, eye guard and pulley guard must be in place; belt and motor covers prevent entanglement.

Lockout/tagout before servicing: isolate power, lock the switch, tag it, and verify zero energy before clearing jams or changing needles.

Needle handling rule: never leave a broken needle in the fabric or on the floor; account for all fragments in the needle box and dispose of used needles in a sharps container.

Sewing machine care: remove lint from the bobbin case and feed dogs daily, oil per manual (not on the bobbin case or belts), and keep the machine covered when idle.

Ergonomic controls: seat height set so elbows are at table level, task lighting at 500–750 lux for inspection, anti-fatigue mats, and micro-breaks to prevent musculoskeletal disorder.

Electrical and fire safety: no daisy-chained extension leads, earth continuity checks, fire extinguishers (CO2 for electrical), clear exit routes and monthly drill records.

Chemical safety in wet processing: material safety data sheets (MSDS) for dyes and solvents, gloves and goggles, local exhaust ventilation, and no eating in the dye area.

Scissors and cutting tools: keep sharp, cut away from the body, never carry open blades, store with guards, and return to the designated place after use.