Comments on: how does sleeping bags factories cut fabric to piece? http://www.re-ramblings.com/camping/how-does-sleeping-bags-factories-cut-fabric-to-piece/ A blog about it all, rambling on! Fri, 23 Dec 2011 00:05:21 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: c_kayak_fun http://www.re-ramblings.com/camping/how-does-sleeping-bags-factories-cut-fabric-to-piece/comment-page-1/#comment-85 c_kayak_fun Thu, 24 Jun 2010 16:46:08 +0000 http://www.re-ramblings.com/camping/how-does-sleeping-bags-factories-cut-fabric-to-piece/#comment-85 I used to work for an outfitter who sold most major lines of sleeping bags so i have been to factories where they were made. To mass produce them, they stack many layers of the nylon fabric, lay out metal pattern shapes for all of the pieces and then use an electrically heated knife cutter to cut along the edges of the pattern, melting the edge of the fabric as they cut so the edges don't unravel. Then the pieces are assembled by sewing machine operators, leaving gaps to allow the filling (down or polyester fibers) to be stuffed in, then the final seams are stitched and zippers sewn in. I've also sewed sleeping bags myself -- the process is the same except that I cut only one set of pattern pieces, using scissors and then melted the edges of the fabric by running it near a candle flame. I used to work for an outfitter who sold most major lines of sleeping bags so i have been to factories where they were made. To mass produce them, they stack many layers of the nylon fabric, lay out metal pattern shapes for all of the pieces and then use an electrically heated knife cutter to cut along the edges of the pattern, melting the edge of the fabric as they cut so the edges don’t unravel. Then the pieces are assembled by sewing machine operators, leaving gaps to allow the filling (down or polyester fibers) to be stuffed in, then the final seams are stitched and zippers sewn in.

I’ve also sewed sleeping bags myself — the process is the same except that I cut only one set of pattern pieces, using scissors and then melted the edges of the fabric by running it near a candle flame.

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