Day 4: "My shirt turned into a crop top!"

Welcome to Day 4 of My Dad vs. The Algorithm.

We are taking the most frustrating questions about starting a brand and getting the unfiltered truth from my dad, Ira—who has been manufacturing fabric in LA since 2001.

(Missed the last post? Read Day 3: The Truth About "Cloud Cotton" & Yarn Types here.)

The Question

One of the biggest nightmares for a brand is production sizing. You make a perfect sample, but then the final production run shrinks differently, and suddenly your "Large" fits like a "Medium."

Honey, I shrunk the shirt! Ira demonstrates what happens when you don't test your production lots. Don't let your full-size tee turn into a crop top

I asked my dad:

"Dad, why does fabric shrink? And why isn't it consistent? If I bought the same fabric three months ago, shouldn't the new roll act exactly the same?"

The Answer

Ira:

"Cotton is a plant. It grew in a field. It wants to return to its natural, curly state. When you wash it and dry it, those fibers are relaxing back to how they started. It’s biology, not a defect. And no, the roll you bought today isn't identical to the one you bought three months ago. You baked a cake last week; you baked a cake today. Same recipe, but maybe the oven was two degrees hotter. It’s the same with knitted fabric. Different day, different lot, different shrinkage."

The Reality Check

Ira is right. Shrinkage isn't a mistake; it's a property of natural fibers like our Cotton Jersey. But the "Lot Number" issue is where most new brands get burned.

1. Why Lots Matter Fabric production has thousands of variables. The humidity on the day the yarn was spun, the tension on the knitting machine, or the temperature in the dye house dryer can all shift slightly. If you bought Lot #101 for your samples in January, and then ordered Lot #105 for production in April, the shrinkage might vary by 3-5%. That is enough to ruin a pattern.

2. The "Assume Nothing" Rule Never assume your production fabric behaves exactly like your sample fabric.

• The Mistake: Cutting your entire production run based on the pattern you made 3 months ago without testing the new fabric.

• The Fix: When you receive your production rolls, cut a 1-yard square and wash it. Measure it before and after. (We answer more about testing in our FAQ).

3. Adjust Your Patterns If the new roll shrinks 5% in length and your pattern accounts for 3%, you need to adjust your pattern before you cut. You cannot adjust the fabric, so you must adjust the math.

The Bottom Line

Fabric is a living thing. It breathes, it moves, and yes, it shrinks. Don't trust the label. Trust the test. Always do a shrinkage test on every new roll you receive. It takes 20 minutes and saves you thousands of dollars in "crop top" returns.

Tune in tomorrow for Day 5!

Need consistent fabric? Check out our on demand Stock fabrics. PFD, Grey Heather and Scour ready to ship. Check out our Stock List to see what is available for immediate testing.