1.

CONCEPTS of GARMENT AND FABRIC SYMMETRY

Understanding the modes of marker making and
spreading are important concepts. Garment symmetry
and fabric symmetry are fundamental concepts of design
that define how a garment looks and how it is made. In
production, both forms of symmetry affect the marker
modes chosen, as well as the methods of spreading and
cutting that affect the cost of a fashion item.
For most manufacturers, the price point at which their
styles sell will, therefore, partly determine the choices
available to the designers in deciding garment styles by
symmetry, or in the choice of fabrics. Good designers will
understand the concepts of symmetry and work within the
constraints of available production methods, and cost.
For the purpose of defining marker making and spreading
modes, we use specific definitions of garment and fabric
symmetry.
a. Garments can either be Symmetric, or Asymmetric.
This determination is based on the shapes of the patterns
for the garment. As defined, a Garment is Symmetric
(except for the difference of buttonhole and button-sew) if,
when dividing the garment by visualizing an imaginary
vertical line drawn from the center of the neck, through the
navel (belly button),down to the bottom edge of the
garment, (the Vertical Centerline of the body) all the
patterns on the left side of the body are exactly the same
but mirror image to all the patterns on the right side of the
body.
For the Symmetric Pant illustrated below, all the garment
patterns including the the left leg, waistband and pockets
are exactly the same / mirror image to the right leg,
waistband and pocket patterns.

Face: Fabric Face is the

surface of fabric that is
intended to be on the outside
or visible surface of the
completed garment. (In the
case of lining, the face is
closest to the wearer.)

Marker:
A Marker is an organization
of the pattern pieces to be
cut out of a piece of fabric in
such a way as to minimize
the fabric wasted between
the pattern parts. The
patterns are positioned
properly on-grain (see
definition for grain lines), and
within the usable width of the
fabric for which the marker is
created. Markers are often
drafted on wide dotted
paper with a grid of dots at 1

Symmetric garments cost half as much to cut since only a

half set of patterns need to be cut out of the fabric as long
as the fabric is spread on the cutting table where
alternating layers of fabric are face up and face down.
Then every pair of plies laying face-to-face become the
left and right pattern for each part of the garment. See
below. The marker for a half set of patterns is called a
Closed Marker.

In this illustration of fabric face-to-face, cutting only a right front yeilds both a right
front and left front from a pair of plies.

Asymmetric Pants:

b. Asymmetric garments are defined as having left and right

patterns that are different shapes or different parts.
Garments are considered Asymmetric for two basic
situations. First, if the left side patterns are different than
the right side patterns, the garment is asymmetric. In this
situation, every pattern must be cut separately. See the
illustration of Asymmetric Pants.
Asymmetric garments require all the patterns, both left
and right be cut together as they differ. This means that
all the patterns must be placed in the marker, and all the
patterns must be cut individually, rather than just cutting
just a right or just a left as in Symmetric garments. This is
known as a Open Marker for flat, Open and rolled fabric.
For Asymmetric garments the OPEN marker is generally
better quality and better yield.

Some garments are considered Asymmetric because

they have a single part that spans across the body such
as a one-piece back panel. As there is no matching left
and right pattern part, these garments would be handled
as an asymmetric style. As before, all the pattern pieces
must be laid out and cut to make a complete garment.

c. In a special situation, this type of asymmetric style may be

handled as a symmetric style. If the fabric that is used is
folded in half in the selvedge direction (the length of the
goods) during the fabrics preparation (folded and rolled
fabric put-up, or tubular fabric put-up, known as a
Closed Fabric) this garment type can be handled as if

it were a symmetric garment. In this situation known as a

Closed Marker, the pattern parts that span full width
across the body are folded in half in their length. These
half-patterns are situated where the pattern fold is
superimposed over the fabrics folded edge. Then when
this pattern is cut, the result is a full body part. See the
illustration below.

d. Fabric can either be Symmetric or Asymmetric as well.

A Symmetric Fabric is one which has no change in
appearance when the fabric is turned 180o in the same
plane. Solid color plain weave fabrics are often
Symmetric.
Because fabric symmetry is defined, in most cases, when
viewing the face of the fabric, there is minimal concern for
the back of the fabric because it will be inside the garment
(and therefore), out of view.
Since there is minimal concern for the back of the fabric
because it will be inside the garment, out of view, fabric
symmetry is defined, in most cases, when viewing the
face of the fabric only.
If there is any perceivable nap in the fabric (even a
change in the light reflection), changing the view by 180o
and thus changing the appearance causes the fabric to be
defined as asymmetric. Fabrics that are knit, are naturally
asymmetric due to the structure of knitted fabric. Turned
180o knits are perceivably different in direction. In some

cases however, this difference is inconsequential.

Otherwise, knits are handled as Asymmetric fabrics.
Goods: A truncated form of
the phrase Piece Goods which
are textile fabrics, either woven
or knitted.
Lay: Multiple superimposed
layers of fabric on a cutting
table.
Spreading: The process of
rolling out layer after layer of
fabric, smoothly without
wrinkles, in such a manner that
the selvedge on one side of the
cloth is straight, and parallel to
that edge of the cutting table.
Selvedge: The natural edge of
milled fabric. Sometimes
referred to as self-edge.
Put up: The preparation of
fabric for the spreading process.
Cutting Table: Work table
that is at least six inches wider
than the widest fabric to be
processed, and two to three feet
longer than the longest spread
length.
Marker: The tracing of pattern
pieces used to guide the cutting
process. The marker is usually
created on paper and placed
over the top layer of a spread
(lay). Kept on-grain, the
patterns are fitted next to each
other in the most efficient
manner possible for the marker
mode required.

2. FABRIC NAP DIRECTION

a. Fabric Nap Direction is defined as it relates to the
direction that the nap (surface) is viewed, or the
direction that the fibers in the surface naturally lay.
For printed fabrics, if the pattern in the fabric all appears
to point in one direction in the length of the goods, the
fabric has an asymmetric nap direction. In the case of
asymmetric fabrics, there is a natural Down Direction
for the nap that would be the best appearance for the
print.
b. Most solid color plain weave fabrics have no visible Nap
Direction and are therefore Symmetric. A Symmetric
fabric can turned 180 degrees in the same plane (looking
at the face of the fabric) and there is NO visible
difference in appearance.

c. . Printed fabric may also need to be handled as

Asymmetric if the print is such that it is visibly different
when the fabric is turned 180 degrees in the same plane.

Knits: oriented like

this
rotated 1800 to
this look different.

Knit fabrics being a series of loops that point in one

direction are technically always Asymmetric.
Example: If fabric is printed with trees where all
the tree trunks point in the same direction, the
Down Direction of the nap is toward the tree
trunks. (Naturally, in a garment, these would
point toward your toes. One would not usually
prefer the trees to be standing on their heads). It
is not as easy to decide on which direction
Down is on some prints. This makes the fabric
Asymmetric.

Knits are
Asymmetric

When Knit nap direction

does NOT matter: Although
knits should be spread in one
direction because they are
asymmetric fabrics, most are
not. Jersey knit has such small
loops, and the fabric is smooth
which permits an acceptable
appearance in either direction.
Additionally, the price point is
so low, that it is necessary and
acceptable to spread the fabric
up and down thus causing half
of all T Shirts made to
technically be upside down!

d. For fabric with surface fibers that lay naturally in one

direction (in the length of the fabric), the Down Direction
is the same direction that the open ends of the fibers
naturally point. When mills prepare rolled piece goods
(fabric), the Down Direction is usually toward the open
end of the roll. Velvet is an example of this type of fabric
and has a distinct nap direction and is Asymmetric.
We often find that designers prefer the Down Direction
of the nap to point toward the floor as the fabric is made
into a garment. In this configuration, the nap lays neatly.
Sometimes, to get a more luxurious appearance (darker
due to the reduced reflection of light off the fibers of the
fabric), a designer will decide to require the nap of the
fabric to point toward the wearers neck rather than their
feet. Often this is done with Velvet for a darker, deeper
appearance.