October Organic Cotton ............

Having made the commitment to use organic garments and water based inks, the next obvious question is ‘What about my labels, are they organic too?’

Well now the answer can be ‘Yes’. Obviously they have to be printed as a woven label uses man made fibres, but add an organic swing ticket, and the garment is well presented while ticking the right ecological boxes – long live the polar bears.

www.october.co.uk
t shirt printing, screen printing, embroidery

Part two. With the fast paced nature of embroidery production, many people come into contact with an embroidery logo from its inception right through to the post production finished article. This can cover designers, digitisers, buyers, embroiderers and sales people.

Duncan Yarnall from embroidery thread manufacturer Robison Anton gives a definitive list of embroidery terms to act as a point of reference for new embroiderers. Part three follows next month

D

Design: Stitches that compose a pattern or monogram.

Design Library/Catalogue: A computer program that catalogs a collection of digitised designs kept by embroidery shops, allowing an embroiderer to access the design by subject, stitch count, number of colours, or icon.

Digitise: The computerised method of converting artwork into a series of commands to be read by an embroidery machine’s computer. Digitising is extremely important and will determine the quality of the finished embroidery. Every action of the embroidery machine is controlled by the digitised program including the movement of the pantograph to form various stitches, thread changes, thread trims, and many other functions. See punching.

Digitising Tablet: A computer-aided design device used by digitisers to plot needle penetration for embroidery designs. Typically, a pencil drawing of the design is enlarged and then taped to this tablet. The digitiser then uses a mouse to select stitch types, shapes, underlay, and actual needle penetrations.

Disk Reader: An external or internal device used to read the digitised program that determines the embroidery machine movements.

E

Editing: Changing aspects of a design device via a computerized editing program. Most programs allow the user to scale designs up or down, edit stitches block by block; merge lettering with the design; move aspects of the design around; and combine designs or edit machine commands.

Emblem: Embroidered design with a finished edge; commonly an insignia of identification; usually worn on the outer clothing. Historically, an emblem carried a motto or verse or suggested a moral lesson. Also know as a crest or patch.

Embroidery: Embroidery is “thread art” used to embellish a garment, hat or some other product by adding a sewn pattern. Generally, this sewn pattern includes a design and can also include lettering and/or monograms.

Embroidery Machine: Today, embroidery machines can be defined as computer driven machines that move a pantograph with hooped items in various directions to form different stitches. Embroidery machines can be single-head units or come in multiples of heads with multiple needles per head for production embroidery applications.

Embroidery Point: Unit of measurement in embroidery in which 10 points equals 1mm or 1 point equals .1 mm.

Expanded Format: A design programme in which individual stitches in a design have been specifically digitised for a certain size. Designs punched in this format cannot generally be enlarged or reduced more than 10 percent to 20 percent without distortion because stitch count remains constant.

F

Fabric Grin Through: Where the fabric is seen through the embroidery design either in the middle of the pattern or on the edge. See also gapping.

Fill Stitches: One of the three most common stitches used in embroidery along with the run stitches and satin stitches. Fill stitches are used to cover large areas and they generally have a flat look. Altering the angle, length and direction of the stitched pattern can create different types of fill patterns.

Finishing: Processes performed after embroidery is complete. Includes trimming loose threads, cutting or tearing away excess backing, removing topping, cleaning any stains, pressing or steaming to remove wrinkles or hoop marks; and packing for sale or shipment.

Flagging: The up and down motion of the material with the needle that is caused by improper hooping, the presser foot not being properly adjusted (too much clearance with needle plate), and improper fabric stabilisation (incorrect backing).

Named because of its resemblance to a waving flag. Flagging generally causes improper needle loop formation that can lead to skipped stitches and thread breakage. Flagging can also negatively impact the appearance of the finished product resulting in poor design registration.

Flat Embroidery: Embroidery that is cut in panels or patches that is framed in hoops on a flat surface above the embroidery machine’s hook assembly.

Frame: Holding device for goods to be embroidered. Ensures stability of the goods during the sewing process. May employ a number of means for maintaining stability during the embroidery process, including clamps, vacuum devices, magnets, or springs. See hoop.

Frame Sash: Part of the pantograph to hold the frames. Also called a sash. Varieties of sash types include: border, frame, tubular, cap, and sock.

Framing Press: Machine used to aid the framing or hooping process.

G

Gapping: Where the fabric is seen through the embroidery design either in the middle of the pattern or on the edge. See also fabric grin through.

H

Hook Assembly: Stitch forming devise used to interlock the needle thread with the bottom thread. The hook assembly consists of the following components: hook base, bobbin case holder, retainer or gib, deflector plate, bobbin case, and bobbin.

Hoop: Device made from plastic, metal, or wood that grips the fabric tightly between an inner and outer ring and attaches to the machine’s pantograph. Machine hoops are designed to push the fabric to the bottom of the inner ring and hold it against the machine bed for sewing.

Hooping: Also called “framing”. The process where the item to be embroidered is loaded into a hoop. This hoop will later be loaded or attached to the pantograph for sewing.

Hooping Board: Board designed to hold the outer portion of the hoop while the goods to be embroidered are placed over the board to be hooped. Once the goods are aligned and placed correctly over the outer hoop, the operator inserts the inner portion of the hoop. Then the hoop is removed from the Hooping Board and attached to the pantograph for sewing. Helps ensure uniform placement of the hoop onto the material.

J

Jumbo Rotary Hook: Rotary hook, which holds a bobbin case with a much larger thread capacity than a standard hook.

Jump Stitch: Movement of the pantograph and rotation of the sewing head without the needle moving up and down. Used to move from one point in a design to another. Also, used to create stitches that are longer than the machine would normally allow.

L

Lettering: Embroidery using letters or words. Often called “keyboard lettering.” Usually computer generated either on the machine or a stand-alone computer.

Locking Stitch: Commonly refers to a series of three to four very small stitches (1mm or less) either just before a trim or at the beginning of sewing following a thread trim. Also referred to as Tie In or Tie Off stitches. Used to prevent the stitching from unraveling after the embroidery is completed.

Lockstitch: The name used for a stitch that is formed with a needle and bobbin thread. The needle thread is interlocked with the bobbin thread to form a stitch. Also referred to as ISO4915, stitch number 301. On apparel sewing applications other than embroidery, a well-balanced lockstitch will use the same amount of needle thread as bobbin thread. On embroidery applications, this is not true because you never want to see the bobbin thread on the topside of the sewn product. Therefore the needle thread is held on the underneath side by the bobbin thread.

Lockstitch Machine: Machine that forms a stitch using a needle and hook assembly. Most embroidery machines are lockstitch machines.

Logo: Name, symbol or trademark of a company or organisations. Short for logotype.

Looping: Loops on the surface of embroidery generally cause by poor top tension or tension problems. Typically occurs when polyester top thread has been improperly tensioned. Looping can also occur as the result of a skipped stitch.

Low Speed Function: Setting on the machine that allows the machine to run at a lower speed than that set by the speed control knob.

M

Machine Language: The codes and format used by different machine manufacturers within the embroidery industry. Common formats include Barudan, Brother, Fortran, Happy, Marco, Meistergram, Melco, Pfaff, Stellar, Tajima, Toyota, Ultramatic, and ZSK. Most digitised systems can save designs in these languages so the embroidery machine can read the computer disk.

Marking: Marking of goods to serve as an aid in positioning the frame and referencing the needle start points.

Mirror: A program menu option that allows reverse imaging of a pattern to be sewn. See also rotate pattern.

Modular: Machine system where many separate stitching heads or configurations of heads are controlled by a central computer.

Monogram: Embroidered design of one or more letters, usually the initials in a name.

Moss Stitch: See chenille.

N

Needle: The stitch forming devise that carries the thread through the fabric so it can be interlocked with a bobbin thread. Sewing machine needles generally have nine basic parts including the butt, shank, shoulder, blade, groove, scarf or spot, eye, point, and tip. Needles are available with various points. These include: Sharp points for piercing heavy, tightly woven fabrics; Ball pointed needles for sewing knits; and, A variety of specialty points for sewing leather and vinyl. Needles also come in many sizes. Two of the most common needle size systems are the metric size (i.e.,60, 70, 75, 80, 90); and the Singer numbering system (i.e.,9, 12, 14, 16).

Needle Bar: Bar that carries the needle up and down so a stitch can be formed. Each embroidery machine head can have up to 15 needle bars that can be selected to form the embroidery stitch pattern.

Needle Plate: The metal plate located above the hook assembly of an embroidery machine. This plate has a hole in the centre through which the needle travels to reach the hook and form a stitch. Also know as a throat plate.

Network: 1) To link embroidery machines via a central computer and disk drive system. 2) A group of machines linked via a central computer.

Nippers: See thread clippers.

O

Offset: The ability to move the pantograph out of the stitching area with a specific movement and then return to the original point. Used for placing appliqués.

Origin: The starting point of your design.

P

Pantographs: A part of the embroidery machine that rests on the tabletop and moves the hoop to form the embroidery pattern.

Pantograph: The bar, rack, or holder on which frames or hoops are attached. The pantograph moves in X and Y directions to form the embroidery design, controlled electronically or mechanically depending on the machine.

Paper Tape: Media that is made from a continuous reel of paper or Mylar tape containing x-y coordinate information used to control the pantograph movement. Computer disks on newer machines have replaced paper tapes. Pattern storage media that is made from a continuous reel of paper or Mylar tape containing x-y coordinate information used to control the pantograph movement. Computer disks on newer machines have replaced paper tapes.

Pencil Rub: A low-cost way of producing a “sample” of an embroidery design. Accomplished by placing a piece of tracing paper over a sewn pattern and then rubbing lightly with a pencil to produce an impression of the embroidery.

Presser Foot: A metal ring around the needle that touches the fabric inside the hoop while the needle is down and beginning to rise to form a needle loop. The main function of the presser foot is to hold the fabric stationary until the hook point catches the thread loop formed by the needle. It helps to minimise flagging and therefore indirectly aids in loop formation.

Pre-Tensioner: Thread tension assembly that is located before that main tension assembly in the thread path. The function of the pre-tensioner is to apply a light amount of tension in order to remove any kinks in the thread prior to entering the main tensioner. See tensioner or tension assembly.

Puckering: Result of the fabric being gathered by the stitches. Causes include incorrect density, loose hooping, insufficient backing, or incorrect thread tensions.

Punching: Conversion of artwork into a series of commands to be read by an embroidery machine’s computer. Derived from an earlier method in paper tapes or Jacquards punched with holes controlled the movement of the pantograph and other commands. While still capable of producing paper tape, most computerised digitising systems now store this information on a disk format.

Push and Pull Compensation: A degree of distortion built into a design by the digitiser to compensate for the push or pull on the fabric caused by the embroidery stitches. This can help prevent a digitised circle from looking like an egg shape when sewn out. Generally, it is necessary to extend horizontal elements and reduce vertical elements.

For more information contact Duncan Yarnall on:

Tel: 0161 766 1333 Web: http://www.robison-anton.com/

Published: 04 April, 2008 Printwear and Promotion Magazine

Also visit our main site on:

With ethical issues dominating the headlines, we’re constantly being bombarded with cryptic acronyms that are difficult to decipher and words like ‘sustainable’, ‘green’ and ‘eco’ are banded around on a regular basis.

To try and diffuse this ethical minefield, Epona’s Juliet Bacon has broken down some of the more common terms into an easy to use A-Z guide and looked at why you might, or might not, choose to go for some of the eco options available

A

Azo free dyes. The manufacture and use of synthetic dyes are two of the world’s most polluting industries and azo dyes make up around 70% of all dyes used to colour fabric. There are serious concerns about the safety of azos. Most azos are water-soluble and there is the risk that carcinogenic chemicals from these dyes can be absorbed by the body through skin contact. Dye house workers have been know to suffer from asthma, allergies, birth defects and reproductive damage. Alongside the human cost, considerable environmental damage is caused by chemicals from these dyes. GOTS prohibits the use of all amine releasing azo dyes and many companies are choosing to ban azos themselves.

B

Banned substances lists cut out or cut down on harmful chemicals used to manufacture clothes. According to Greenpeace, among the most hazardous substances commonly used in the textile sector are lead, nickel, chromium IV, aryl amines, phthalates and formaldehyde. Marks & Spencer is the first major retailer to set its own standards that ban or restrict chemicals on the products it sells and has an Environmental Code of Practice for dyeing and finishing. Manufactures in the promotional industry have the opportunity to lead the way by introducing their own banned substances list.

Bamboo is an innovative ‘eco-textile’. It grows naturally and is sustainable, thriving without pesticides or fertilizers, and reproduces rapidly across large areas where it is known to improve soil quality in degraded and eroded areas of land. It is not really seen as a replacement for cotton, more as an alternative fabric that is particularly suitable for high end garments, due to its silky feel, and sportswear because it has a natural antibacterial quality which means the fabric stays around two degrees cooler in hot weather. On top of this, the garment will biodegrade, so it won’t clog up landfills once its product lifecycle is complete.

Biodegradable plastics degrade through naturally occurring micro organisms, such as bacteria, but there is no requirement for leaving “no toxic residue”. If you want a more environmentally friendly product, it is better to opt for a compostable plastic. Compostable plastics biodegrade and then disintegrate within a set period of time, without producing any toxic material and the compost left can support plant life.

Bluesign standard is a business-controlled environmental scheme to remove any substances that are potentially hazardous to human health or the environment from the entire textile supply chain. The standard takes into account chemicals from the ‘restricted substance list’, water and air emissions, resource consumption and workplace conditions.

C

Codes of Conduct. Most manufacturers now agree they have a responsibility to help improve the labour conditions of their suppliers. Many have developed codes of conduct or lists of labour standards they say they are meeting in their workplaces. The reality behind these codes however, is often still quite grim. Wages are too low to live on, 80-hour working weeks are common, and the health and safety of the workers, the majority of whom are women, is constantly being undermined. Workers have no security of employment, women are discriminated against and harassed, sometimes sexually. Workers are often not allowed to form trade unions. Sometimes this is because the right to organise is not recognised in the zone or country where they work. However, more often obstacles are put up specifically to prevent workers from exercising their right to collective bargaining. Some companies opt to sign up to one of the many multi-stakeholder ethical trading initiatives that oversee the implementation of specific codes of conduct based on the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) conventions. Some of the better known initiatives include:

Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI)

This is the largest UK-based initiative and is partially supported by the UK government. The main idea of the ETI is for companies to work in collaboration with NGOs and trade unions to learn the best way to implement codes. The ETI has its own code which is used as the basis for pilot projects. Corporate members must participate in ETI activities and provide the ETI secretariat with annual reports on their progress with respect to the code implementation.

Fair Labour Association (FLA)

The FLA grew out of the Apparel Industry Partnership (AIP), an initiative of US President Bill Clinton, established to address labour standards of clothing sold to US-based colleges and universities. Approximately 1,100 suppliers are taking part in the FLA’s licensee program. The FLA is governed by a board of companies, universities and NGO’s, but trade union organisations pulled out after disputes over code content. The FLA accredits independent monitors that verify compliance through factory inspections and filing reports that are accessible to the public. Where non-compliance is identified, participating companies are required to implement a remediation plan.

Fair Wear Foundation (FWF) aims to promote humane labour conditions in the garment industry. It is an initiative of business associations in the garment sector, trade unions, and NGOs. FWF was founded in The Netherlands, but is currently working hard to join similar initiatives in Europe.

Workers Rights Consortium (WRC) is an independent labour rights monitoring organisation, conducting investigations of working conditions in factories around the globe to combat sweatshops and protect the rights of workers who make apparel sold to the United States.

But does this really work? While it is positive that manufacturers are starting to sign up to these initiatives, it is hard to tell the extent companies are practicing the principles they’ve signed up to behind closed doors. Primark joined the ETI in May 2006. In December that year, War on Want published a report on workers at factories in Bangladesh that supply to ETI members Primark, Tesco and ASDA/George. These workers were typically paid 5p an hour and worked 80 hours a week. Sam Maher of Labour behind the Label says: “None of the companies can guarantee that all parts of their supply chain implement the ETI Base Code. The main issue is that there is no transparency - the reviews, criteria for inclusion and exclusion in the ETI are all confidential, so as a pressure group it is hard to know what to try to hold them to. However, when there is an urgent issue involving a specific violation, it’s much easier to get the companies involved to sit around a table and discuss it.”

Multi stakeholder initiatives are clearly a good start in encouraging companies to address problems with their supply chain, but the success of these initiatives is heavily dependent upon the genuine commitment of the company to implement and uphold significant changes.

Carbon Reduction refers to finding ways to reduce the carbon footprint of your company. If your organisation spends more that £50K per year on energy, the Carbon Trust will send out agents free of charge to suggest ways of reducing the amount of carbon you produce. The aim is to become as energy efficient as possible by using renewable energy, shipping rather than flying goods and cutting down on energy intensive processes.

Carbon Neutral: Once you have done this and worked out how much carbon you are still producing, you can become carbon ‘neutral’ by offsetting this amount. One way of doing this is to work with an organisation that funds projects to prevent other companies from producing carbon. To give an example, you might help a school in Africa to put in a wind powered generator rather than a diesel one. By preventing carbon from being produced, you are balancing out the carbon your company produces.

D

E

Eco-label is a European voAndyary certification scheme, represented by a flower logo, which aims to reduce the environmental impact of products, taking a ‘from the cradle to the grave’ approach. Products and processes are independently tested according to ecological criteria that includes: reducing the amount of toxic residues found in fibres, water pollution in fibre processing and the use of heavy metals and formaldehyde.

Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) is a campaigning group that makes a direct link between the need for environmental security and the defence of basic human rights. They are responsible for the ‘Pick your cotton carefully’ campaign that encourages manufacturers to state where they buy their cotton from; White Gold, which highlights the plight of cotton farmers in Uzbekistan; and reporting on child labour throughout the world.

Environmentally Friendly? It takes around 8,000 chemicals to turn raw materials into clothing. Many of these cause irreversible damage to people and the environment. The bleaching, dyeing, sizing and finishing of textiles all result in large quantities of effluent, often containing highly toxic heavy metals that pollute the soil and water and damage aquatic life. Each year, the global textile industry discharges 40-50,000 tons of dye into rivers and streams. Add to that the carbon emissions and impact of growing non-organic cotton, which uses petrochemical fertilisers and leads to reduced soil fertility, soil erosion, water pollution and reduced biodiversity. Then there’s the high-energy manufacturing process and the clothes miles in transporting the fibre/textiles/garments around the world. Once bought, how an item is cared for and disposed of also has an impact on the environment. Manufacturers of promotional clothing have started to take these environmental factors into consideration by producing clothing that is both kind to the environment and to the garment workers.

Continues next month

For more information contact: Juliet@eponaclothing.com or go to the Epona website: http://www.eponaclothing.com/

Published: 01 May, 2008 Printwear and Promotion magazine

CHUNK BIOGRAPHY

Like all good ideas, the idea for Chunk came about one Friday night in the pub, back in the heady days of September 2000.

Quote: “A friend had just bought an old Ford Capri MkI and with it, came a Haynes manual. So proud was she of her new purchase, she took the manual to the pub where we all sat around admiring the cover until someone said “wouldn’t that look great on a T-shirt”. And that, as they say, was that. Chunk launched and was quickly noticed by the leading stores: Harvey Nichols, The Dispensary, Richmond Classics, and the name and the range grew quickly. We gave up our jobs, sold our houses and concentrated on making Chunk a great UK brand.

We moved into the first Chunk Towers (a 200sq ft room in Shoreditch with a glass roof and no heating) which we quickly outgrew, so we moved into the existing Chunk Towers, a 47 storey building with flags flying from the roof and marble lions by the door in that trendy area, Tottenham, North London. From the outset, our ethos was to produce excellent quality garments at a fair price. We wanted Chunk to use iconic images and adapt them to put them in different contexts, make them clever or funny or quirky.

We wanted the clothing to be detailed and well thought through. We wanted Chunk to bring clever design and a bit of fun to fashion.

Six years later and Chunk now produces two seasonal collections a year, two injection ranges and new T-shirt designs every 12 weeks”.

www.chunk.uk.com
mens t shirts, womens t shirts, kids t shirts

www.october.co.uk
tshirt printing, screen printing, embroidery

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