What Supplies do you need other than Sewing Machines to operate a Thobe Tailor Shop?

As a tailor shop business, there are many equipment and supplies you will need to be able to cope with in order to sew the perfect thobe or dishdasha. Some of the equipment you will need might not be available to you in house, however you will need to cooperate with a sewing workshop or tailoring store if needed to satisfy those requirements. The supplies and equipment that will be discussed will revolve around the interior supplies or products needed to make a well suited dishdasha or thobe. Below you will find a dispersed list of required materials, equipment, and tools for sewing a thobe or dishdasha. Please be aware the following list encompasses certain aspects of a dishdasha or thobe.

The most important equipment you will need in order to make the perfect collar, the neatest lapel, the fanciest cuffs, the modest placket, and the best inner lining is a heat press. The heat press is a machine that releases heat though a single or double panel which presses a single or double piece of fabric together. Oftentimes you might see a heated metal iron used for this purpose, however it doesn’t meet the requirements of a heat press. A heat press machine is also used for printing or sublimating printed designs on fabric, but in this article we will focus on the other aspects.

Before we discuss further about the heat press, we need to know what goes inside or on the fabric. For those of you wondering why certain parts of your clothing like a collar are stiffer than the rest, its usually due to an internal component that is stuffed inside the fabric. There exists a thin layer of fusible interlining often called “nonwoven fabric” which has many benefits. The advantages of using fusible interlining or nonwoven fabric are the following: strengthening the fabric thickness, providing a neat flat surface look, and making the fabric more durable for performance. The nonwoven fabric is composed of a thin plastic film made from polymer fibers that bind onto a fabric when exposed to heat beyond 100 degrees Celsius. Its critical to note that each material or manufacturer has their own instructions, its important for the tailors to follow the instructions in order have good bonding.

There are many types of fusible interlining however we will just focus on the a few types. A fusible interlining or nonwoven fabric differs for each application or may be chosen based on a person’s preference. A collar or sleeve cuff for example uses a chemically bonded single or double nonwoven interlining, that is typically a white color. How this works is by placing a short piece of the interlining between two fabrics where it is positioned within a heat press machine for a timed duration, typically ten to forty seconds at a specific heat temperature ranging from 120 to 200 degrees Celsius. It is recommended to mist the fabric with a little water before applying the heat and its best to make sure the fabric layers are completely flat prior to heating the nonwoven fabric. For a placket or lapel, you may find polypropylene fusible interlining or thermal calendaring used for such applications. Both nonwoven fabrics have different thicknesses and are lighter in material.

In summary, the nonwoven fabric or fusible interlining and heat press machine is essential in making the thobe or dishdasha. There are many other tools and supplies you will need to sew the perfect thobe or dishdasha but the ones mentioned above are the most critical in those aspects.