Analysis of the modeling methodologies for predicting the sewing thread consumption

PurposeThis paper aims to provide a rapid and accurate method to predict the amount of sewing thread required to make up a garment.Design/methodology/approachThree modeling methodologies are analyzed in this paper: theoretical model, linear regression model and artificial neural network model. The predictive power of each model is evaluated by comparing the estimated thread consumption with the actual values measured after the unstitching of the garment with regression coefficient R2 and the root mean square error.FindingsBoth the regression analysis and neural network can predict the quantity of yarn required to sew a garment. The obtained results reveal that the neural network gives the best accurate prediction.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is interesting for industrial application, where samples are taken for different fabrics and garments, thus a large body of data is available.Practical implicationsThe paper has practical implications in the clothing and other textile‐making‐up industry. Unused stocks can be reduced and stock rupture avoided.Originality/valueThe results can be used by industry to predict the amount of yarn required to sew a garment, and hence enable a reliable estimation of the garment cost and raw material required.