My Top Production Sewing Tips
Is everything you are doing necessary?
Take a look at every step of your process with fresh eyes. We often add steps to solve problems as they come up. Is it still necessary? Is there a better way? Write out your entire process (SOP) and think about the steps as you make your product.
2. Make each product in multiples!!!!!!
This is very important. Make 5, 10, 20 even 50 of the same product at a time. When we were first starting at Oveja Negra (the company that I worked for for 7 years as a production sewist) we were making 5-10 bags at a time. When I left easier bags were up to 50 and harder (more steps) bags up to 20. It makes a huge difference in overall time saved. Per-product and as a company.
Working on 10 bike tube wallets without cutting the thread.
3. Never cut the thread.
I mean at some point you will have to cut the thread, but you can almost always put something else into the machine and chain up either the same step or start the next step for continuous use of the machine and keeping the flow going.
top-stitching zippers on 10 bike tube wallets
4. Link same steps together.
Insert all the zippers at the same time for 20 bags. Even more granular- sew all the left side of the zippers in (linking them up to not cut the thread) then the right then top-stitch down one side, then add all the straps then assemble and so on.
5. Pull out “gumption stealers”.
Is there a part of your process that slows you down or even stops you in your tracks? Take that step - with bags it can be a strap that takes 2-4 steps on its own - and make it a separate process. We called that sub-assembly in manufacturing, or batching. That strap would become it’s own product and we’d make 100 of them at a time. When we were assembling a full bag, we would pull the finished straps that we needed and just add them at the right time.
This takes that gumption stealer and makes it it’s own. You can devote a day or part of a day to making just that rather than slowing/stopping your flow on a larger product.
As a bonus, these sub-assembly projects are a great way to teach a new (or future) employee your process in a simple and less expensive way. Teaching something repetitive with 4 steps is way easier than teaching something with 100 steps that you are counting on for sales. Once employees show mastery of these smaller sub-assembly boxes they are ready to move onto bigger things.