Clothing Curve Shaping and Decomposition Ironing (Part Two)

   Clothing Disassembly Ironing and Layout Methods            
Wu Ruizhang

Author Introduction: Expert of the Expert Committee of the Laundry and Dyeing Industry of the China General Chamber of Commerce. Started working at Beijing Prand Laundry Company in 1963, transferred to Beijing Laundry Research Association in 1989, retired in 2005, with a technical secondary school education and senior laundry technician qualification. Expert Wu Ruizhang specializes in ironing and dry cleaning technology and has long been engaged in teaching and training. Since 1985, he has served mainly at: Training Center of the Laundry Professional Committee of the China General Chamber of Commerce, Beijing Chongwen Yanpeng Vocational Skills Training School, Beijing Health Bureau Training Center, Beijing Tourism Bureau Training Center, Beijing Institute of Industry and Trade Technology, Training Department of Central Government Organs, Zhongnanhai Laundry Factory, Jingxi Hotel Laundry Factory, Diaoyutai State Guesthouse Laundry Factory, Great Hall of the People Laundry Factory, etc. Besides teaching, Expert Wu Ruizhang has been prolific in writing, authoring, and compiling teaching materials such as "Textile and Garment Ironing Technology," "200 Whys of Laundry Knowledge," "Textile and Garment Dry Cleaning Technology," and "A Brief Discussion on the Basic Knowledge of Using Dry Cleaning Machines."

In the ironing process of clothing, each part must be laid flat before ironing, which is well understood by everyone. However, in actual work, people often neglect the importance of the task of laying flat before ironing. It can be said that the way clothes are laid determines the quality and speed of ironing. High-quality laying leads to high ironing quality; fast laying leads to fast ironing speed. In learning ironing, the method of laying clothes is a very important step and must not be ignored. The more obvious the curved shape of the clothing, the more attention should be paid to the accuracy of the laying method.

The purpose of laying clothes must be clear
To achieve the best curved shape for ironing, the laying of clothes must have a clear purpose. Different parts have different laying methods, which is a principle that cannot be ignored during clothing ironing. Specific laying methods will be explained later.
The quality of laying clothes refers to the relative position of the laid clothes and the ironing board reaching the optimal state. That is, it must meet the requirements of the clothing's curved shape. This ensures good ironing and achieves the best smoothness, crispness, and curved shape.
How to lay clothes quickly? You must have a clear plan. That means laying it correctly in one go to reduce unnecessary repetition.
Reasonable use of suction is also a frequently overlooked issue. The stronger the suction, the more difficult it is to lay clothes, especially for thin fabrics. Therefore, during ironing, the suction strength should be adjusted according to the specific fabric to achieve cooling requirements without affecting the laying effect. This reduces time wasted by repeatedly turning the air valve on and off. For extremely thin fabrics, the air valve should be closed. These are common knowledge points that must be understood during the laying process. In daily work, summarizing experience will continuously improve laying speed and ensure basic ironing quality.

Reasonable use of the curvature and edges of the board
Clothing ironing should use a board-type ironing table because it can adapt to the curved shapes of various clothing parts and protect the ironed parts by suspending them on both sides.
Shape and size of the board surface (see Figure 1)

Disassembly ironing layout methods
To further understand the layout methods of clothing disassembly ironing, the relative positions of the board and clothes are introduced below using the curved parts of trousers and suit jackets as examples.

Layout method for the waistband of trousers
The back piece of the trouser waistband cannot be laid flat at once due to the waist dart, so disassembly ironing is necessary. The area below the pocket opening and both sides are ironed first (see Figure 2), then the area above the pocket opening is ironed (see Figure 3). Even women's pants or skirts with waist darts but no back pockets require disassembly ironing to ensure the curve shape of the waist and hips.
 

Control of the small seam on the front waistband
The small seam on the front waistband is a dart. When ironing from the reverse side, especially with interfacing, it is difficult to see directly, making control challenging. Therefore, disassembly ironing should be used here to easily control the length of the small seam. First, iron the main seam and fly front (see Figure 4), then move the small seam area of the front waistband to the head of the board (see Figure 5). When the trousers are laid in the relative position shown, press the waistband with the iron while pulling the trouser leg downward with the other hand. Because the board head is rounded, the fabric will generate multi-directional (radial) forces within 180°, naturally controlling the length and parallelism of the small seam to the pocket opening perfectly.

Layout method for suit jackets
Small collar area
When ironing the small collar of a suit, the area inside the fold line should be folded in; the area outside the fold line should be pulled out to ensure the collar's rounded effect. Of course, this also depends on garment construction. Generally, the fabric for the small collar of a suit is a single piece (see Figure 6). Even with the inside folded in and outside pulled out, the inside will still have raised ridges after folding (see Figure 7).

On the reverse side of the suit collar, a type of velvet is used to give the collar a certain thickness. After ironing the fold line and shaping the collar band, several raised ridges appear on the inside of the collar (see Figure 7). This is because the length of the same piece of fabric is equal, and according to the mathematical arc length formula, the greater the difference in radius, the greater the difference in arc length (see Figure 8).

The conclusion can be drawn through the arc length calculation formula: Arc length I = radius R (r) × radian. Under the condition of equal radians, different radii result in different arc lengths. Therefore, the inner side of the collar uses less material length than the outer side. The fabric on the outer side of the collar does not stretch much when shaping the collar, while the fabric on the inner side appears excessive, causing protrusions. Hence, in standard high-end suits, the small collar is made by joining two pieces of fabric, with the inset part inside the fold line being the warp horizontal section (see Figures 9, 10, and 11).

The lines drawn in the figure indicate the warp direction. The finishing process of textile garment fabrics (such as dyeing, washing, drying, calendering, etc.) involves many rollers, and there is a certain tension between adjacent rollers to ensure the fabric runs smoothly. The warp yarns are stretched multiple times and become longer. Therefore, after washing, the shrinkage rate of warp yarns is higher than that of weft yarns. The use of warp yarns horizontally in the small collar of suits is based on the principle that warp yarns shrink more than weft yarns, causing the inner side of the collar to shrink appropriately to fit the different curvature radii, allowing both inner and outer collar fabrics to lie flat and smooth.

(Figure 9) is an early schematic of the small collar structure of suits, where the warp horizontal section is arc-shaped. Near the fold line, the warp yarn length is shorter, and the shrinkage rate is not obvious. Therefore, the recent small collar structure of suits has been changed to the shape in (Figure 10), making the shrinkage rate inside the fold line more consistent and achieving better results. Figure 11 shows the latest small collar structure schematic. Its purpose is to reduce the cutting precision and sewing difficulty of the warp horizontal section.

When ironing, first lay the part inside the fold line on the edge of the ironing board (see Figure 12), but do not stretch it. Then iron the part outside the fold line, which can be stretched appropriately but not excessively to prevent the lapel from curling up.

Women's suit sleeves
Because women's suit sleeves are slimmer; the quality standard requires round sleeves. Therefore, when ironing, the sleeve bone attached to the ironing board must be used (see Figure 13-2) to ensure ironing quality. When ironing the elbow, due to its curved shape that cannot be laid flat, decomposed ironing is required. First iron part A (see Figure 14), then iron part B (see Figure 14).

Method of laying the side panel
When ironing the side panel, to ensure the chest curve shape, the method of laying the side panel of the jacket is shown in (Figure 15). Note that the chest dart tip and triangular area should be laid 2 cm above the ironing board; otherwise, it will cause missed ironing. However, the chest dart tip must not enter the ironing board too much, or it will damage the chest curve shape.
When ironing the pocket opening, it should exceed the pocket opening by 2 cm but not too much to prevent damaging the hip curve shape and to ensure the ironing quality of the pocket opening area.

Method of laying the hip (see Figure 16)
When ironing the front and back body and laying the hip, the hip curve area (below the waistline, the seam between the front and back body) should be laid 2 cm inside the edge of the ironing board to protect the hip curve shape. When ironing, the pocket flap should be flipped upward to prevent imprinting. Also, to ensure the hem is straight, the stretching force should be directed toward the back of the garment to prevent the jacket front from protruding forward during wear.

Method of laying the front chest
When ironing the front chest (see Figure 17), the chest dart tip should be placed just on the edge of the ironing board. Because when ironing the side panel, it already exceeds the chest dart tip, it only needs to connect with the side panel; excessive overlap will damage the chest curve shape. At the same time, the entire front chest must be laid on the ironing board without missing any ironing.

Method of laying the facing (see Figure 18)
When laying the facing, the chest dart tip should be placed on the edge of the ironing board, and the entire facing should be laid on the ironing board. When ironing, be careful that the iron does not cross the fold line to prevent ironing shine on the collar front.

Precautions During the decomposed ironing process, adjacent areas must be connected well. There must be no missed or incomplete ironing areas. Therefore, this issue must be considered when laying the garment.
Decomposed ironing of garments is a basic skill that must be mastered in ironing work. In actual work, it should be reasonably decomposed according to specific situations, but the principle remains unchanged. Once this skill is truly mastered, the level of garment ironing will significantly improve.