Day 5: "I found a spot on my fabric! Is it defective?"

Welcome to Day 5 of My Dad vs. The Algorithm.

We are wrapping up our first week of taking the most stressful questions about manufacturing and getting the unfiltered truth from my dad, Ira—who has been knitting fabric in LA since 2001.

(Missed the last post about "Crop Top" shrinkage? Read Day 4: Why Fabric Shrinks here.)

The Question

New designers often panic when they inspect a roll of fabric and find a small fly spot, a tiny hole, or a variation in the knit. They expect the fabric to be 100% flawless from end to end, like a sheet of paper.

I asked my dad:

"Dad, if a customer buys fabric and finds a blemish, does that mean we sold them 'Second Quality' goods? Why isn't it perfect?"

The Answer

Ira:

"Because we aren't printing on paper. We are knitting with nature. Cotton is a natural fiber. It has tiny fibers that float in the air. We call it 'fly.' Even in the cleanest mill, static electricity pulls that fly into the machines. Also, these machines don't run themselves. Humans run them. A technician is constantly adjusting the tension, checking the needles, and moving the rolls. If you find one tiny spot in your roll, that’s not a defect. That’s a fingerprint. It means it was made by people and machines, not a simulation."

"Is that a defect or just a fingerprint?" Ira inspects a blemish while Alex breaks down the math of why "flawless" cotton fabric doesn't exist in the real world

The Reality Check

This is one of the hardest things for new brands to accept: Zero-Defect fabric does not exist.

But there is a specific "illusion" that happens when you buy small quantities.

1. The "Small Order" Illusion Let’s look at the math. We manufacture in large batches—usually 1,000 yards at a time.

• If there is 1 blemish in that entire 1,000-yard run, that is an incredibly high-quality production run. That is a 0.1% defect rate. (Industry standard allows for much more).

• However, if you come in and buy just 50 yards, and you happen to get the section with that one blemish, it looks huge to you.

• You see: "1 flaw in 50 yards." (2% defect rate).

• The reality: "1 flaw in 1,000 yards." (0.1% defect rate).

It’s not "bad fabric." It’s just statistics. You happened to catch the one inevitable hiccup in a massive, high-quality run.

2. The "Working Loss" Standard In the professional world, we budget for this. It’s called "Cutter's Must" or Working Loss. Big brands know that you never get 100% yield. You might lose 6 inches to a test hole, or 3 inches to a fly spot.

• The Pro Tip: Always order 3-5% more fabric than you think you need. This covers the inevitable imperfections of working with natural materials. (Need help planning? Check out our Services Page).

3. Humans + Machines We love technology, but knitting is a mechanical process managed by skilled workers. Needles break. Yarn has thick spots. Humidity changes. When you see a small variance, remember that human hands were guiding that fabric through the machine. It’s the trade-off for getting a premium, substantial, natural product rather than a sterile synthetic sheet.

The Bottom Line

Don't let perfect be the enemy of good. If you find a blemish, cut around it. That’s what the big factories do. If the fabric feels great, knits well, and wears well, that is First Quality.

That’s a wrap for Week 1!

Ready to start your production? Check out our Stock List for low-minimum, high-quality fabrics made right here in LA.