The quality of a sewn garment is dependent on the quality of its seams that are the basic structural element. The factors affecting seam quality in garments include sewing thread type and stitch density. Making the right choice of these helps in getting quality seams in garments. However, the choice of suitable sewing threads and stitch densities for particular fabrics can only be determined through testing.
Dr. Patience Danquah Monnie, from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana, with fellow researchers, conducted research aimed to determine sewing thread brand and stitch density suitable for seams for a selected fabric (79% polyester and 21% cotton) for public basic school uniforms in Ghana. For the research, a 2×3 factorial design was employed involving two brands of sewing threads labelled A? and B?, with three range of stitch density, 10, 12 and 14. There were a total of 81 specimens prepared from the selected fabric. The parameters, under investigation in the research, included fabric weight, strength and elongation, seam strength, seam elongation and efficiency.
With the help of the Predictive Analytic Software (SPSS), the gathered data was analyzed. For the fabric, means and standard deviations of the yarn count, weight, strength, elongation and the linear density of the sewing threads were determined. Analysis of Variance and Independent samples t-test at 0.05 alpha levels were employed in testing the hypotheses.
The researchers found that the differences for seam strength, efficiency and elongation were significant for the two sewing thread brands and the three stitch densities in both warp and weft directions of the fabric sample. The sewing thread brand B? with stitch density 14 performed best in terms of seam strength, elongation and efficiency. Concluding the research findings, sewing thread brand B? and 14 stiches per inch (SPI) were found suitable for seams for the fabric selected for Ghanaian public basic school uniforms as they had greater strength, efficiency and elongation than thread A? and SPIs 10 and 12.
It is recommended that members of the Association of Ghana Apparel Manufacturers (AGAM) and Tailors and Dressmakers Association use sewing thread brand B? with 14 SPI in uniform production in Ghana to achieve quality seams in uniforms.