Send Orders for Reprints to reprints@benthamscience.net Current Materials Science, 2021, 14, 168-178 RESEARCH ARTICLE 2666-1462/21 © 2021 Bentham Science Publishers Thread Type and Stitch Density Suitable for Seams in Ghanaian Public Basic School Uniforms Patience Danquah Monnie 1,* , Docea Fianu 2 and Efua Vandyck 2 1 Department of Vocational and Technical Education, Faculty of Science and Technology Education, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana; 2 Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana Abstract: Background: The serviceability of a sewn garment is influenced by the quality of its seams, which form the basic structural element. The factors that affect seam quality in garments include, sewing thread type and stitch density. Their right choice helps with the achievement of qual- ity seams in garments. However, the choice of suitable sewing threads and stitch densities for partic- ular fabrics can only be determined through testing. Objective: Problems associated with the poor performance of school uniforms include seam failure. The aim of the study was to determine sewing thread brand and stitch density suitable for seams for a selected fabric (79% polyester and 21% cotton) for Ghanaian public basic school uniforms. Methods: A 2×3 factorial design was employed, which involved two brands of sewing threads labelled A` and B` and three ranges of stitch density, 10, 12, and 14. The total number of specimens prepared from the selected fabric was 81. The parameters investigated included fabric weight, strength, and elongation, seam strength, seam elongation, and efficiency. The data were analysed using the Predictive Analytics Software (SPSS). Means and standard deviations of the fabric’s yarn count, weight, strength, elongation and the linear density of the sewing threads were determined. Analysis of Variance and Independent samples t-test at 0.05 alpha levels were employed in testing the hypotheses. Results: Differences in seam strength, efficiency, and elongation were significant for the two sewing thread brands and the three stitch densities in both warp and weft directions of the fabric sample. The sewing thread brand B′ with stitch density 14 performed best in terms of seam strength, elongation, and efficiency. Conclusion: The sewing thread brand B′ and stitch density 14 are recommended to be used for the construction of uniforms with the selected fabric to achieve quality in uniforms. A R T I C L E H I S T O R Y Received: November 13, 2020 Revised: January 28, 2021 Accepted: March 13, 2021 DOI: 10.2174/2666145414666210428104623 Keywords: Ghanaian, basic school, uniforms, seaming properties, seam efficiency, seam strength. 1. INTRODUCTION The serviceability of a sewn garment is influ- enced by the quality of its seams, which form the basic structural element [1, 2]. Seams are formed when two or more pieces of fabric are held togeth- er by stitches [3]. The seam of a garment is the most important parameter to maintain a garment’s quality [4, 5], and a poor quality seam renders a garment unusable even if the fabric is undamaged *Address correspondence to this author at the Department of Voca- tional and Technical Education, Faculty of Science and Technology Education, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana; Tel: +233244163168; E-mail: patience.danquah@ucc.edu.gh [6]. The performance and quality parameters of seams include seam strength, elongation/elasticity, durability, slippage, puckering, efficiency, appear- ance and yarn severance [1, 5, 7-11]. However, priority given to any of the parameters may vary, depending on the garment's end-use [5, 12]. For example, a school uniform requires high seam strength as it goes through frequent washing due to the play activities of school children. For a perfect fitting and the look of a garment, seaming proper- ties such as appearance and strength have to be appropriate to enhance the garment’s quality to meet its required end-use [13]. Seam quality pa- rameters depend on the interrelationship among the type and weight of fabric, the type of needle, seam and sewing thread selected and stitches per inch/2.5cm (SPI) [12, 14-16]. Fabric weight, Current Materials Science 168 This is an Open Access article published under CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by /4.0/legalcode