Buyer questions / Specifications & trials
Woolen Fabric Shrinkage Checks Before Cutting
Plan dimensional checks around the intended garment process and care route. A fabric-family name cannot supply a shrinkage allowance for your marker.
Define the process you want to evaluate
A fabric may encounter relaxation, handling, pressing, fusing or its intended care process before or after garment making. State the actual route you need to assess and identify length and width directions. Do not combine unrelated processes into one unexplained “shrinkage” number.
Ask whether the supplied value comes from a specified laboratory method, an internal development trial or a general target. Record the conditions and the article revision. A result from another composition, colour or finish is not automatically evidence for the cloth you plan to use.
Keep before-and-after records comparable
Use the agreed measurement and conditioning procedure. Identify the cutting and mark or record the measurement basis in a way the responsible team can repeat. Note both directions and any appearance change alongside the dimensions, without substituting a home experiment for a required standard test.
Compare like-for-like sample records rather than taking an average of numbers from different methods. Where your buyer specifies a test or limit, share it before development. Ask the supplier or laboratory to clarify any missing method, units or direction.
Make the garment decision with the pattern team
Your garment maker determines how the confirmed result affects preparation, construction and the marker. Do not add an arbitrary percentage simply because the fabric contains wool. Discuss the actual cloth and the proposed process, then review a representative garment trial.
Retain the approved article, dimensional record, care intent and making instructions together. If the route changes, review the relevant checks again. The purpose is to remove an assumption before bulk cutting, while avoiding a blanket claim that a fabric will never change size.
A practical record for your sample discussion
| Decision | Record | Question for Fred |
|---|---|---|
| Route | Preparation, making or care | Which process is assessed? |
| Dimensions | Length and width separately | What is the measurement basis? |
| Evidence | Method, condition and article | Can the result be repeated? |
| Making plan | Pattern and marker decision | What action follows the result? |
Questions buyers ask
Should I wash every woolen sample before cutting?
Use the intended and agreed preparation/care route for the actual article. Do not assume one process fits all cloths.
Can I use a standard shrinkage percentage from the internet?
It would be an unsupported allowance for your article. Obtain the relevant test or development record.
Who confirms the garment allowance?
The pattern and garment team uses the confirmed material result and making process.
From direction to development
Turn this question into a sample brief
Keep the reference, target and open questions together before contacting Fred.