Made, not modified
Cut and sew: why we build garments instead of decorating them
There are two ways to make a custom uniform. You can buy a blank garment and put a design on it, or you can print flat panels and build a garment out of them. The second is cut and sew, and it is what we do.
It costs more to set up and it removes almost every limit the first approach imposes.
What changes when the garment is built rather than bought
| Blank plus decoration | Cut and sew | |
|---|---|---|
| Colour of the garment | Whatever the blank comes in | Any colour, matched to a reference |
| Design across a seam | Impossible | Normal — the panels are printed to meet |
| Sleeve and trim colours | Fixed by the blank | Specified per panel |
| Fit | The supplier’s block | Our block, graded to the sizes you order |
| Minimum order | Low | Higher, because a run is being cut |
| Lead time | Days | Weeks |
The cost of it, stated plainly
Cut and sew has a real minimum and a real lead time, and no amount of enthusiasm changes either. A team that needs six shirts by Friday is better served by a blank and vinyl, and we will say so rather than quote something that cannot be delivered.
What you buy for the extra time is a garment that is yours rather than a stock item wearing your logo — and a fit that is graded across the sizes you actually ordered rather than a single block scaled up and down. On a squad with a wide size range, that is the difference people feel.
The lead time is knowable rather than vague, and worth building a season plan around; the schedule is set out on our page covering how long a custom kit order takes.
What actually happens to your order
Five operations, each feeding the next. This is why a lead time is a schedule rather than a queue.
- 01
Pattern and layout
Your design is positioned onto the actual cut pieces — not onto a rectangle — so a stripe meets itself at the side seam and a logo lands where the mockup said it would.
- 02
Print
Panels are dyed flat, before anything is joined. This is the step that makes a design across a seam possible at all.
- 03
Cutting
Panels cut to your specific size run. A squad with a wide size spread is a more complex cut than a uniform one, which is why the roster matters before the design.
- 04
Sewing
The longest single stage and the one that determines whether the garment holds its shape after twenty washes.
- 05
Check and pack
Inspection, then bagged and labelled per player where a roster is supplied. The inspection catches the piece nobody wants to find at a fixture.
The honest cost of doing it this way
Cut and sew has a real minimum and a real lead time, and no amount of urgency changes either. A team that needs six shirts by Friday is better served by a blank and pressed numbering, and we will say so rather than take an order we cannot deliver.
What the extra weeks buy is a garment that is yours rather than a stock item wearing your logo: any colour, trim specified per panel, a design that crosses seams, and a fit graded across the sizes you actually ordered rather than one block scaled up and down. On a squad with a wide size range that last point is the one people feel.
It is also the only route that makes a genuinely matched set possible, because every piece comes from one cut and one dye run — the argument set out on our page about uniform sets produced together.
What to ask a supplier who says they cut and sew
Four questions that establish whether a garment is made or bought.
What colour is the base cloth?
A cut-and-sew answer is "whatever you specify". A decorated-blank answer is a list of available colours.
Can the design cross a side seam?
Only possible if panels are printed before assembly. It is the cleanest single test there is.
Whose block is the fit?
Ours, graded to your sizes, or the blank manufacturer’s. Both are legitimate; only one is described as custom.
What is the real minimum?
A cut-and-sew minimum exists and is worth stating. A supplier with no minimum is decorating stock, which may be exactly what you need.
Straight answers
What is the realistic minimum?
It varies by garment and sport, and each specialist site states its own. It is lower for sublimated jerseys than for anything requiring a new pattern.
Can you match a fit we already like?
Send us the garment. We can measure it and grade to it, which is considerably more reliable than matching a size label from a different manufacturer.
Do you make women’s-specific cuts?
Yes, where the sport has them, and it is worth asking for rather than assuming a unisex block will do. On volleyball and soccer in particular it is the more common request.
Can we order a sample before the full run?
You can, and for a first order with a new program it is usually money well spent. It adds to the timeline, so ask early rather than after approving the mockup.
What is the realistic minimum?
It varies by garment and by sport, and each specialist site states its own. It is lower for a sublimated jersey than for anything needing a new pattern.
Can you match a fit we already like?
Send us the garment. We measure it and grade to it, which is far more reliable than matching a size label from another manufacturer.
How is this different from custom decoration?
The garment is built from printed panels rather than bought finished and decorated. That is what allows any base colour, trim specified per panel, and a design that crosses a seam.
Can we order a sample first?
Yes, and for a first order with a new program it is usually money well spent. It adds a week or two, so ask before approving the mockup.
Do you make women's-specific blocks?
Yes, where the sport has them. It is worth asking for rather than assuming a unisex block will do — in volleyball and soccer the difference is not small.
What if we need something faster than the lead time?
Tell us the date rather than asking what is possible. There is often something that works — blanks with pressed numbering for the opening fixture, the real kit following — but only if we know the deadline.
The other methods
Not sure which method your design needs?
Send the artwork and the garment you have in mind. We will tell you which method suits it, including when the answer is the cheaper one — and if you would rather work it out visually first, the step-by-step kit design tool asks the same questions in order.