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FlatspecGarment spec sheets

Step 01Chat

Describe it the way you would say it

No form to fill in first. Write what you have in mind, in whatever order it comes out, and the structure gets applied afterwards.

The entry prompt is one line: Describe the garment. I’ll ask for the things a factory will ask for. What comes back is not a finished document. It is a first draft with the gaps made visible.

Example promptTyped by the user

I want an oversized boxy shirt, mid-weight cotton, dropped shoulder, no darts, single chest pocket. Sizes S to XL. It's my first time sending anything to a factory and I don't know what they need from me.

Typed as-is. Nothing about this needed to be phrased in industry language for it to work.

01What comes back

Structured, and honest about its gaps

Every field below is editable. The two lists at the bottom are the ones that make this different from asking a general-purpose model the same question.

Draft specification — returned fields
FieldWhat it holds
garment_typeThe category, resolved from your description. Shirt, in this case, not top.
fitThe silhouette: oversized, boxy, with a dropped shoulder.
construction[]Each construction point you mentioned, listed separately so it can be corrected one at a time: dropped shoulder, no darts, single chest pocket.
fabricSuggested composition, a weight range in g/m², and usable width. A range matters more than a fabric name, because a mill quotes on weight.
trims[]Buttons by count and size in millimetres, thread, interlining, labels — anything bought separately from the shell fabric.
measurements[]Every dimension in cm and inch, with a tolerance and a written measuring method. One row is all five of those things or it is not a row.
open_questions[]Key outputWhat a factory will ask that you have not answered. This is the part that saves the week of email.
missing_for_quote[]Key outputWhat is still outstanding before anyone can price it.
measurements[] — first rows, sample size M
MeasurementcminchToleranceWhere it is taken
Half chest58.022 7/8± 1.0Measured flat, 2.5 cm below the armhole, side seam to side seam.
Body length, CB72.028 3/8± 1.0Measured from the centre back neck seam straight down to the hem edge.
Shoulder to shoulder52.020 1/2± 0.6Measured across the back, shoulder seam point to shoulder seam point.
Sleeve length58.523± 0.6Measured from the shoulder seam point along the top of the sleeve to the cuff edge.
Pocket width12.04 3/4± 0.3Measured flat across the pocket opening, edge to edge.

fabric — as returned

Composition
100% cotton, or a cotton-rich blend
Weight range
170–200 g/m²
Usable width
145 cm minimum
Finish
Enzyme washed or unwashed — not yet decided

“Mid-weight cotton” became a weight range because that is the form a mill can quote against. The exact weight inside the range is a decision for you, and it stays open until you make it.

02open_questions[]

The list of what it does not know

Ten questions on a shirt that seemed fully described. Every one of them would have arrived as an email from a production room, three days apart.

We are not filling these in for you. Most are decisions about your garment rather than facts to look up, and a plausible guess presented as your intention is worse than an open question.

Answer them in the same conversation and the draft updates. The pack’s front page carries the count of anything still outstanding, so a factory opening it knows what has not been settled.

Next: work back from a garment you own

open_questions[]

10 unanswered
  1. 01Is the collar cut in the body fabric, or a contrast?
  2. 02Does the hem have side vents, and if so, how deep?
  3. 03Collar and cuff interlining: fusible or sewn-in, and what weight?
  4. 04Two-hole or four-hole buttons, and what finish?
  5. 05Is the chest pocket lined, and is the top edge bar-tacked?
  6. 06Placket construction: cut-on, separate, or French front?
  7. 07Which side does the placket button on?
  8. 08Is there a back yoke, and is it one piece or split?
  9. 09Where do the care and composition labels sit?
  10. 10Which size in the run is the sample size?

missing_for_quote[]

4 outstanding
  • Fabric weight range in g/m² and usable width
  • Quantity per size
  • Button size and finish, thread count, label specification
  • Destination for the costing
Line drawing of a collar area with red question-mark markers connected by leader lines to empty margin boxes.