Shirt Industry

The shirt industry in Derry was found by William Scott. He was born on 12th March 1765 in Balloughry, Co Derry. When Scott was 66 years of age he noticed the growing demand in Britain for cotton shirts with embroidered linen fronts. In 1831, Scott got his wife and daughters to make up shirts with which he boarded the steam ship �Foyle’ bound for Glasgow. His main customer became Mr William Gourlie & Son. (Roddy, 2007)

The first orders were small but soon increased. The shirt industry in Derry grew in the space of 50 years from virtually nothing to become the principal seat of the shirt industry in the U.K. Shirts were cut in the factory then bundled in dozens. Each bundle had a ticket showing instructions for making-up and the rates of payment. Finished shirts were then returned to the factory to be laundered and packed. (Roddy, 2007)

Nowadays shirt making has become a lot more modern and there is specialised equipment used for the production of shirts. The main machine is the 1 needle lockstitch machine. This machine binds cloth together with two spools of thread and a needle with the eye at its base. A lockstitch sewing machine makes strong, straight seams. (Mithra, 2008)

An overlocking machine is also of great importance in the production of shirts. This device creates an excellent quality seam and a professional cut to the edges of the sections of material that are being joined. An overlocking machine does not use bobbins. The loopers allow the sewing machine to feed threads for multiple thread cones into the needle mechanism. (Tatum, 2008)

A zigzag stitching machine and covering stitch machine are also involved in the production of shirts and blouses. A coverstitch is formed by two or more needles and one or two loopers. Like a lockstitch, a coverstitch can be formed anywhere on the material being sewn. One looper manipulates a thread below the material being sewn, forming a bottom cover stitch against the needle threads. An additional looper above the material can form a top cover stitch simultaneously. The needle threads form parallel rows, while the looper threads cross back and forth all the needle rows. (Answers Corporation Online Encyclopedia, 2008)

The Double Chainstitch Machine, Button sewing machine and the buttonholing machine are also vital in manufacturing shirts and blouses.

(JUKI Corporation, 2007)

Ascolite offers exceptionally modern machines which are designed to improve quality of sewing. The �BAT 15’ machine runs at a speed of 1800 stitches per minute therefore attachment is less than 2 seconds. Soft start and slower stitching can be programmed for reliable sewing onto difficult materials. Button attachment can be made with the �BAT 18’ which results in visible button attachment quality which is protected against button loss for the lifetime of the garment. They also offer a machine called the �MPS 1’ which is specifically designed to produce small components such as pocket flaps, shirt cuffs epaulettes, tabs, patch pockets and components of a similar size up to a length of 12 inches. (Ascolite, 2007)

This type of machinery significantly speeds up production. During an eight hour day,

в-Є 1,000 вЂ" 1,200 pairs of pocket flaps

в-Є 1,200 вЂ" 1,400 pairs of shirt/blouse cuffs

в-Є 1,150 вЂ" 1,250 epaulettes

в-Є 1,500 вЂ" 1,700 patch pockets