The full womenswear production workflow · Nine stages · Follow the links below to read the adjacent stages
1. Pressing happens at two stages
- Intermediate pressing (in-process): during sewing, seams are pressed open and facings are set — this is what builds a component's “skeleton”. Collars, lapels and pocket flaps all take their shape here;
- Final pressing: after finishing is complete, the whole garment is steam-set into its shelf-ready form. This uses a steam generator plus a vacuum buck / breathing table (the station shown in the video): press, then immediately vacuum out the moisture and cool to lock the shape in.
2. Temperature vs. fabric: a life-or-death table
| Fibre | Safe temperature | Key point |
|---|---|---|
| Cotton / linen | 180–210°C | Heat-tolerant, can take firm pressure |
| Wool | 150–180°C | Use a pressing cloth to prevent glazing |
| Silk | 120–150°C | Low heat, light pressure, press on the reverse |
| Polyester / synthetics | 120–150°C | Melts above the limit — never press hard |
| Acetate | ≤120°C | The most delicate; test-press first |
3. The three big press-fault accidents and how to prevent them
- Scorching / melting: temperature over the limit, or the iron left in one spot too long — the fix is to test-press every fabric and post a temperature label at each station;
- Glazing (shiny marks): on wool and wool-blend fabrics, hard pressure makes the fibres flatten and catch the light — use a pressing cloth, or switch to steam-only finishing;
- Distortion: pulling and stretching while pressing makes a garment “grow” longer and larger — shape comes from steam and moulds, not from muscle.
How LIUYU presses: every fabric is test-pressed on a corner swatch and its temperature logged before it reaches the table; the pressing area is divided into zones, each with its own temperature label; and every flat-pressed garment is re-checked within 24 hours — distortion caused by fabric shrinkage can still be caught at that re-check.
Pressing is the “first-glance” stage of the customer's experience. However good the pattern, one bad press and it's all wasted; conversely, an ordinary pattern with crisp, clean pressing can command a 20% higher perceived price.