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PurposeSewing is the most widely used and preferred method for manufacturing clothing products for extreme weather conditions and other industrial insulation systems. Multiple layers of functional fabrics in combination with insulation materials are used to thermally insulate precious body heat from its surrounding cold environment. The sewing process fixes the insulation material between the fabric layers. During conventional sewing, the insulation material is compressed along the stitch line. With the compression of the insulation material, entrapped air is forced to leave the insulation material internal structure, and heat loss occurs along the entire length of the stitch line. It results in the deterioration of thermal properties of the end product along the stitch line.Design/methodology/approachThe amount of air, which is a decisive factor for thermal properties of any insulation system, was investigated at the level of a unit stitch length of a lockstitch. Conventional microscopy methods are not suitable to study the compression along the stitch line. With the help of X-ray tomography, the three-dimensional data of a stitch was taken and studied to measure the volume of air. The samples were prepared with conventional lockstitch sewing and a newly developed innovative sewing method “Spacer Stitching.” The results are compared with each other in terms of the amount of air present in a unit stitch length.FindingsCalculations based on X-ray tomography images of lockstitch and spacer stitch revealed that, in the case of lockstitch, a unit stitch has a 15% of its volume made up of material and 85% of its volume by air. In comparison, the spacer stitch with the same sewing and fabric parameters has a material volume of 4.6 % and an air volume of 95.4% in a single stitch.Practical implicationsThe research can positively improve the thermal properties of sewn material made for insulating purposes of conventional clothing as well as of industrial insulations.Originality/valueThere is no literature available which investigates and calculates the amount of air and material present along with a stitch line.

One of the key lessons learned during the pandemic of COVID-19 is that the digital education and adaptation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) should not be viewed as an island on its own but should be considered as an integral part of all education and training. The ICT-TEX project is an EU-funded project which aims to integrate ICT in online education of textile and clothing. Within the framework of this project, deficiency areas have been identified with a comprehensive survey conducted across the project partner countries. A new course curriculum has been developed based on desk research, field research, surveys, and Gap Analysis. Eight modules (around 16 courses) according to the needs of the textile and clothing industry (TCI) will be developed within the framework of the project. This paper discusses the methodology of applying ICT in new course content for Apparel Design and Production which is a pilot course and serves as a benchmark for further development of other courses.

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