Cut-and-sew T-shirt manufacturing from 50 pieces
This is not print on demand, and it is not printing onto blanks. If you want one tee with a logo on it, or fifty of somebody else's blanks with your artwork applied, a print-on-demand or garment-decorating service is the right tool for that job and it will cost you less.
This page is for a founder producing a real run. Cut and sew means the t-shirt itself is made for you: your block, your fabric weight, your yarn, your collar, your side seams, your labels. We hold no stock garments, so nothing is pulled off a shelf and decorated. Patterns are developed for your fit, graded across your size range, then cut, stitched and finished by hand.
That difference does not show in a mockup. It shows when your customer holds the tee, and again after the tenth wash, when a decorated blank has a wavy collar and a body that twists and yours does not.
You do not need a tech pack to start. A sketch, a moodboard, a reference photo or a t-shirt you already own is enough. We handle the pattern and fit development from there.
T-shirt production at a glance
T-shirt manufacturing specification
Standing terms, not a ballpark. Where a number is a range, it moves with your fabric weight, your yarn spec and how many screens your artwork needs.
- Minimum order
- 50 piecesJersey weight, yarn spec and how many garment colours you want all bear on it. Send your artwork and the split you have in mind, and we will come back with the figure that applies.
- Production method
- Cut and sewEvery tee is cut in panels to your own block, collar and hem spec. Nothing here starts life as somebody else’s blank waiting for artwork.
- Sample lead time
- 2-3 weeksHandfeel and collar recovery only show up in a physical tee, so you get one first. Bulk waits on your approval.
- Bulk lead time
- 3-8 weeks after sample approvalA high colour count on the screens, or a garment-dye finish, pushes it towards the longer end. Shipping is on top of that.
- Tech pack
- Not requiredA photo of a tee whose fit you like tells us more than a spec sheet would. Block, collar depth and grading are drafted in house. No tech pack required.
- Fabric
- Single jersey, interlock or slub, knitted per orderYou choose the GSM, the knit structure, and whether the yarn is carded, combed or ring-spun. Custom dyeing and Pantone matching are available. Yarn comes from OEKO-TEX certified suppliers.
- Shrinkage
- Pre-shrunk, 1–3% residualEvery cloth we cut is low-shrinkage and pre-shrunk before it reaches the cutting table, so a garment that fits at sample stage still fits after it has been washed. Residual movement is 1–3%, which is inside the tolerance a graded size chart already allows for.
- Decoration
- Screen print, high-density silicone, DTF, sublimation, vinyl, embroidery, 3D puff, appliqué, chenille, rhinestone, reflective, glow in the dark, acid washOne thin layer of jersey moves under both the needle and the ink, so dense embroidery and thick plastisol each want a heavier fabric behind them. Sublimation needs a polyester-rich ground and cannot print white.
- Branding
- Woven, rubber or tear-away labels, neck tape, hem tabs, side-seam tags and swing tagsPrivate label or white label. A woven or tear-away inside label, a back-neck print and a side-seam tab are the usual placements. Nothing leaves carrying our name.
- Based
- London, UKManaged from London; every tee is made at our own dedicated facility.
- Quality control
- 4 stagesFour checkpoints run from incoming fabric through in-line sewing checks and post-production to a final pre-shipment review. Collar wave and a body that twists off-grain are the usual catches on a tee.
- Payment
- Bank transferYour quote carries the terms, so nothing about them is assumed.
- Shipping
- WorldwideThe UK is our priority market, with regular shipments to the USA, Canada, Australia and Europe.
- Packaging
- Recyclable frosted bags, swing tags, woven labels and custom tissuePolybags are recyclable frosted as standard. Swing tags, tissue and box print are specified with the rest of the trim, not left to the end.
The quickest brief is a photo of a tee you already wear, plus the artwork you want on it.
Choosing your t-shirt fabric
A t-shirt is one layer of knitted cloth. There is nowhere for a poor fabric to hide, which is why three decisions do almost all the work: how heavy it is, how it is knitted, and what yarn went into it.
Fabric weight, measured in GSM
GSM is grams per square metre, the standard measure of how heavy a knitted fabric is. On a tee it decides opacity, drape, and whether a boxy block reads the way it was drawn or collapses on the body.
140-160 GSM
- How it feels
- Lightweight. Fluid and soft, sits close to the body and moves with it. On pale colours it can read slightly sheer.
- Typically used for
- Fashion tees, layering pieces, warm-weather drops.
170-200 GSM
- How it feels
- The standard midweight. Opaque, stable under a print, and what most people picture when they picture a t-shirt.
- Typically used for
- Core range staples, a first drop, everyday brand pieces.
210-250 GSM
- How it feels
- Heavyweight. Substantial in the hand, stands away from the body and holds a boxy block in shape.
- Typically used for
- Premium streetwear tees, boxy fits, garment-dyed and washed pieces.
260 GSM and up
- How it feels
- Very heavy for a tee. Structured and firm on the first wear, then it breaks in and keeps its shape.
- Typically used for
- Statement pieces and limited runs.
Heavier fabric uses more yarn and adds weight to your shipment, so it changes your quote. If you are unsure, send us a t-shirt whose weight you like and we will match it. One thing worth knowing: GSM should be quoted after finishing, because washing and compacting change both the weight and the measurements of a knitted fabric.
Single jersey and the heavier knits
Nearly every t-shirt in the world is single jersey. What separates a cheap tee from a considered one is usually not the knit structure but how heavy it is knitted and what yarn went into it.
Single jersey
- What it is
- The standard t-shirt knit. One set of needles, a smooth face and a looped back.
- How it wears
- Light, breathable and fluid. The default for most tees. Its cut edges curl, which is why the collar and hems are worth specifying properly.
Heavyweight single jersey
- What it is
- The same structure knitted at a higher weight from a thicker yarn.
- How it wears
- Keeps the clean tee face but with body and structure behind it. The usual choice for a boxy premium tee.
Interlock
- What it is
- Two jersey fabrics knitted together, so both faces look identical.
- How it wears
- Denser, smoother and more stable, and it does not curl at the edges. Heavier and slower to produce than single jersey.
Slub jersey
- What it is
- Jersey knitted from yarn spun with deliberate thick and thin sections.
- How it wears
- An uneven, textured surface with a worn-in look. Takes garment dye and wash finishes especially well.
Composition matters alongside the knit. Cotton takes garment dye and acid wash best and feels the most natural. Blends resist shrinkage and hold printed colour. Sublimation needs a polyester-rich fabric to work at all.
Combed, carded and ring-spun cotton
This is the decision most brands never make, and the one their customers feel. Two tees at the same GSM in the same colour can feel completely different because of the yarn inside them.
Carded, open-end
- What it means
- The fibres are cleaned and aligned, then spun on a rotor. Short fibres stay in the mix.
- What you feel
- A coarser surface with more fuzz, and pilling comes sooner. The cheapest yarn in the room.
Combed
- What it means
- An extra combing step pulls out the short fibres and remaining impurities, leaving the long fibres only.
- What you feel
- Smoother and stronger, with a cleaner surface for print and far less pilling.
Ring-spun
- What it means
- The fibres are twisted continuously into a finer, more even yarn rather than spun open-end.
- What you feel
- Noticeably softer, with better drape at the same weight.
Combed ring-spun
- What it means
- Both steps together. The usual specification for a premium t-shirt.
- What you feel
- The smooth, dense, soft handfeel people mean when they say a tee feels expensive.
Yarn choice does not show in a photograph. It shows on the third wash, which is when a customer decides whether to buy from you again. If your reference tee feels right, send it and we will match the yarn as well as the weight.
Finishing
T-shirt finishing, up close
Embroidery, hardware, print placement and the stitching around them, photographed on finished pieces rather than mocked up on a blank.
-
Embroidery
-
Hardware
-
Print
-
Zip through
Threads, trims and hardware are specified per order, not picked off a stock list.
Decorating and Finishing a T-Shirt
A tee is a single thin layer of knitted cloth, and that changes what each decoration method does to it. The right one depends on the artwork, its scale and where it sits on the garment, not on personal preference.
Screen print
- How it reads
- Flat, opaque ink laid onto the surface. Strong, consistent colour across a whole run.
- Best for
- Large front and back graphics in a small number of solid colours.
- Worth knowing
- The workhorse of t-shirt decoration. Each colour is a separate screen, so colour count drives the work.
Embroidery
- How it reads
- Raised and textured, stitched into the cloth. Reads as premium at small scale.
- Best for
- Chest logos, sleeve hits and back-neck marks.
- Worth knowing
- Dense stitching pulls on light jersey, so a heavier fabric or a smaller design gives the cleaner result. Fine detail and thin type get lost in thread.
DTF (direct to film)
- How it reads
- A printed transfer heat-applied to the garment. Full colour, fine detail.
- Best for
- Photographic or multi-colour artwork, and runs carrying many different designs.
- Worth knowing
- Sits on the surface with a defined edge rather than sinking into the cloth.
Sublimation
- How it reads
- Dye bonded into the fibre, so there is no hand feel at all.
- Best for
- All-over prints and panel graphics on a tee.
- Worth knowing
- Needs polyester-rich fabric and light grounds. It cannot print white.
Chenille patch
- How it reads
- Thick, tufted patch with a varsity texture.
- Best for
- Big letters, collegiate and heritage looks.
- Worth knowing
- Heavy relative to a tee, so it wants a heavier fabric underneath and real scale to be worth doing.
Acid wash
- How it reads
- A finish rather than a graphic. The made-up garment is washed for a faded, mottled ground.
- Best for
- Vintage-look drops where variation is the point.
- Worth knowing
- Every piece comes out slightly different by design.
Garment dye and wash finishes
Dyeing the t-shirt after it has been made up, rather than dyeing the fabric before it is cut, gives a softer handle and a lived-in colour that a piece-dyed fabric cannot copy. It works best on cotton-rich fabric, and slub jersey takes it particularly well. Acid wash goes further again, producing a faded, mottled ground where every piece varies slightly.
Both are planned in before production rather than added afterwards, because they change the pattern itself. The garment has to be cut with the process allowed for, so this is a decision made at pattern stage and confirmed on your sample.
You can combine methods. An embroidered chest mark with a screen-printed back graphic is a common t-shirt spec, and custom labels, woven tags and custom trims sit alongside any of the above. Pantone colour matching runs across all of it, so your brand colour is the same on the fabric, the print and the trims.
More ways to finish a t-shirt
Everything below is available on a t-shirt and specified at sampling, not added afterwards. What suits your artwork depends on the artwork, the cloth and where it sits.
Rhinestone and diamante
- How it reads
- Heat-set stones that catch the light and sit proud of the cloth. Physical rather than printed.
- Best for
- Wordmarks, small chest logos and back hits where the point is shine.
- Worth knowing
- It adds weight, and stones shed if a garment is tumble-dried. Care labelling matters more here than with any print.
Sublimation
- How it reads
- Dye taken into the fibre itself, so there is nothing sitting on the surface to crack or peel.
- Best for
- All-over prints, panel fades and anything edge-to-edge on polyester.
- Worth knowing
- Polyester only, and it cannot print white — the base cloth supplies every light tone, so it will not work on a dark ground.
High-density silicone print
- How it reads
- Thick, raised ink with a soft rubbery hand and a hard edge.
- Best for
- Bold logos, numbers and type that should feel deliberate under the hand.
- Worth knowing
- Holds a sharper edge than puff, but costs more per hit and does not suit fine detail.
Vinyl transfer
- How it reads
- Cut film heat-pressed onto the garment. Flat, solid and precise.
- Best for
- Names, numbers, one-offs and short runs where a screen would not pay for itself.
- Worth knowing
- It sits on top of the cloth, so across a large area it reads as a panel and breathes less than a print.
Reflective print and embroidery
- How it reads
- Retroreflective film or thread that stays flat in daylight and lights up under a headlight.
- Best for
- Outerwear, windbreakers and anything worn after dark.
- Worth knowing
- It reads as grey in daylight, so the design has to work as a grey mark first.
Glow in the dark
- How it reads
- Phosphorescent ink or thread — off-white by day, green glow once charged.
- Best for
- Back hits and sleeve details on pieces made for the evening.
- Worth knowing
- It has to be charged by light and the glow fades over minutes, not hours. It is an effect, not a feature.
Appliqué embroidery
- How it reads
- A cut fabric shape laid on and stitched down at the edge. Layered, with real depth.
- Best for
- Large chest and back logos, varsity lettering, anything that would be too dense to fill with thread.
- Worth knowing
- It needs simple shapes. Fine internal detail has to be embroidered on top or dropped.
3D puff embroidery
- How it reads
- Foam laid under the stitch so the mark stands off the surface.
- Best for
- Cap fronts and bold letterforms — the standard for a structured six-panel.
- Worth knowing
- It needs a minimum stitch width and simple outlines. Thin type collapses and small detail closes up.
DTG print
- How it reads
- Ink jetted straight into the cotton. Soft to the hand and photographic in detail.
- Best for
- Full-colour artwork, gradients and photographic prints, especially in small runs.
- Worth knowing
- Cotton only, and it needs a pre-treat. Colour sits brightest on a light ground and it is slower per piece than a screen.
Acid wash
- How it reads
- Bleach carried on pumice, so the colour breaks up in high-contrast mottling.
- Best for
- Hoodies, tees and sweats where the wash is the design.
- Worth knowing
- No two pieces come out identical. That is the look, but it means you cannot approve one piece and expect the run to match it exactly.
Vintage wash
- How it reads
- An even, softened fade — the garment reads as though it has already been worn in.
- Best for
- Pieces meant to look lived-in from the first wear.
- Worth knowing
- The wash takes the print down with the cloth, so artwork is set slightly heavier to survive it.
Enzyme wash
- How it reads
- Enzymes eat back the surface fibres, leaving a softer hand and a cleaner face.
- Best for
- Anything that should feel broken-in without looking faded, and knits prone to pilling.
- Worth knowing
- It removes a little weight, so the finished GSM lands slightly under the greige figure.
Sunfade
- How it reads
- A graduated fade running across the garment, as though it has been left in the sun.
- Best for
- Gradient effects on hoodies, tees and shells.
- Worth knowing
- It is directional, so panel orientation has to be fixed on the pattern before cutting or the gradient breaks at the seams.
Garment dye
- How it reads
- Dyed after it is made up, so the seams and stitching take the colour tonally.
- Best for
- Single-colour pieces with a soft, slightly uneven depth of colour.
- Worth knowing
- Colour varies between dye lots. Order the whole run in one lot, and expect a shade shift on a repeat.
Woven and rubber labels
- How it reads
- Woven damask or satin for the neck, moulded rubber or silicone for a hem tab or chest badge.
- Best for
- Inside neck, hem, sleeve and back-pocket branding.
- Worth knowing
- Rubber needs a simple shape and a minimum thickness. Very fine type in a woven label closes up below about 4mm.
Custom hardware
- How it reads
- Eyelets, drawcord tips, buttons, zip pullers and rivets, finished to your metal and engraved with your mark.
- Best for
- The details a customer touches first, where a stock trim gives a piece away.
- Worth knowing
- Custom hardware carries its own tooling lead time, so it is decided at sampling rather than added later.
Tees are made from your own pattern rather than bought as blanks and printed — see cut and sew manufacturing for the full process.
From sketch to delivered T-shirts
Every figure here is a real range, not a best case. Sampling takes 2-3 weeks, bulk takes 3-8 weeks once you approve your sample, and shipping time is on top.
1. Send your t-shirt idea
WhatsApp is quickest
A drawing, a reference image, or a tee you already wear and want copied for fit. Our questions will be about jersey weight, yarn spec, how boxy the block runs, the neck drop, and how the artwork gets applied. From that we price it. Unfinished designs are welcome, and our team completes the technical development.
- MOQ is 50 pieces. Send your artwork and the colour split and we will confirm yours
2. Block, collar and grading
A collar that holds at every size
With the quote agreed we cut a pattern: chest and body length, shoulder seam position, sleeve length and opening, neck drop, rib depth and hem shape. Grading then scales it properly. Neck opening and rib depth are held while the body grows, so a 3XL does not end up with a collar that swallows the wearer.
- Block, collar spec and full size grading included as standard
3. Jersey, trims and artwork setup
Sourced to your spec
Nothing comes off a shelf. The jersey is knitted or sourced for your order at the weight, knit and yarn you chose. Neck rib, shoulder tape, inside labels and woven tags are specified now, screens or transfers are prepared against your artwork, and print placement is marked on the pattern before cutting.
- Pantone matching, custom dyeing and yarn spec are all yours to set
4. Your T-Shirt Sample
2-3 Weeks
A tee arrives at your address before anything is committed to bulk. Wear it, wash it, then look at the collar again, because that is where a poor spec shows first. Put it on someone at the far end of your size range too. Commit to the bulk order and each design’s sample is free; ask for a sample on its own with no bulk commitment and it is charged. The first revision round costs nothing, later ones are chargeable, and re-quoting is always free.
- Nothing goes to bulk until you approve your sample
5. Bulk production
The run, 3-8 weeks from approval
Your signed-off sample is the reference for the whole run. Tees are cut in panels, stitched and finished by hand at our own dedicated facility, with neck tape, labels and tags applied exactly as specified.
- Bulk runs 3-8 weeks from approval, then shipping
6. Checks, packing and despatch
Inspected four times, shipped worldwide
Every run is inspected four times: the cloth on arrival, the garments in line while they are being sewn, again once production is finished, and a final pre-shipment review before packing. Tees then ship worldwide. The UK is our priority market, and we also deliver to the USA, Canada, Australia and Europe.
- Four inspection stages before anything is packed
T-shirt manufacturing FAQs
As seen in
As seen on
Che Lingo
Blanco
King Promise
Grace Ajilore
Ready to make your T-shirt?
Send your artwork and a tee whose fit you want copied. We will quote the weight, the yarn and the decoration, put a physical sample in your hands, and only then cut the run.
Get Your T-Shirt Quote on WhatsApp
