Chapter 17 - Seams And Seam Finishes

Seams are the lines of stitching which hold two pieces of fabric together. In general, we try to make seams as inconspicuous as possible, and in most cases, as strong as possible. The type of seam we use depends on the strength and the appearance we want to give. In some cases the seam may be used as part of the decoration, or for a functional purpose.

Plain seams are simplest and are used most often. Put two pieces of material, right sides together, and stitch on wrong side at required seam allowance, usually ½ inch to ⅝ inch from edge. Open and press flat. Edges may be pinked.
 
Stitched plain seam is made in the same way as a plain seam and then stitched again on the right side ⅛ inch from seam line on one or both sides for a tailored effect.

Flat fell seam is used when you need a flat finish, as in shirts and pajamas. Make a plain seam, trim one edge to ⅛ inch, turn in other edge ¼ inch. Baste to position over trimmed edge and edge stitch . This is usually done on the right side.

Hemfelled seam is made like flat fell except that seam is hemmed, rather than edge stitch ed, for a softer effect.

Flannel fell seam is used on heavier fabric, like wool. Make a plain seam, trim one edge to ⅛ inch, and fold other part over without turning in raw edge. Catch stitch.

Welt seam is used for flat finish on heavy material. Make a plain seam on wrong side, trim one edge, fold the other over it without turning in the raw edge, and stitch on outside. For double welt, stitch a second line close to original seam stitching.

Slot seam is a decorative seam, sometimes to show another color or design underneath. Turn both seam edges under on sewing line, lap them over a strip of material, with edges meeting or not as desired, and stitch the proper distance from the fold on both sides.

French seam is used for sheer materials and underclothes. Make a plain seam on right side (with wrong sides together), ¼ inch outside the seam allowance. Trim edges to ⅛ inch, turn to wrong side and stitch on seam allowance to make this seam within a seam. Do not allow any frayed edge to show.

Upholsterer's seam is made like a French seam except that you start on the wrong side and the finished seam shows on the right side. The effect is like that of cording and is often used for slip covers.

False French seam is made with a plain seam on wrong side. Turn edges under ¼ inch and sew together with running stitch or by machine.

French fell is made with a plain seam and one thickness is then trimmed to ⅛ inch. Fold other edge over cut edge, turn in ¼ inch, and hem to machine stitching.

Fagoted seam has a space between fabric edges. Decide how far apart edges are to be, turn edges back one-half the width of the finished open space, baste them to a slip of paper, and fagot (see pp. 179, 180). Very decorative.

Hemstitched seam is basted as for plain seam, and pressed to one side. Have seam hemstitched and trim seam allowance close to hemstitching. A line of machine stitching can be done ½ inch from stitching on wrong side. Decorative.

Lapped seam will look like a fell seam when finished. Turn one piece of material under on the seam allowance. Baste the folded edge on to the right side of the other piece, at the seam allowance. Edge stitch . Tucked seam is similar to lapped seam except that the final stitching is done not at the edge, but at a distance from the fold. The effect is like that of a tuck.

Lapped hemstitched seam is done by lapping seams, as explained under lapped seam. Hemstitch over the basting, trim away seam on wrong side.

Machine picoted seam is like hemstitched seam, but the hemstitching is cut through the center to picot.

Rolled whipped seam. Make a plain seam, trim the allowance to half, roll edges tightly a little at a time, putting needle under roll, not through it.

Strap seam is used for decoration. Plain seam is made and pressed open. On the right side, baste a strip of material with edges turned in, and edge stitch both sides. Braid and other trimmings may also be used.

Corded seam uses cord which has been basted inside a bias strip (see pp. 50, 167). Place bias covered cord on the right side of one piece of material with basting directly on seam line, cut edges towards edge of fabric. Baste and place second piece of fabric, right sides facing, edges together, in position as for plain seam. Baste and stitch on seam line, using cording foot.

Piped seam. Fold bias strip (see pp. 50, 127) in half and place on the right side of fabric with fold ⅛ inch inside seam line. Baste and place other piece right side down on top; baste and stitch. Trim seam, press so that piping falls along edge of seam. Decorative.

Curved seam must be clipped or slashed in several places to make it lie flat. This is important for smooth finish.

Enclosed seams are plain seams used in double thicknesses, as in collar and cuffs. Trim very close, clip edges to lie flat, press, and turn.

Crossed seams are two seams that cross. To avoid bulkiness, press seams open and clip away edges of under seam.

Whipped seam is used for piecing when fabric is not wide enough to cut full pattern. Be sure grain of piecing is the same as the grain of garment, turn in edges, and overcast with tiny stitches.

Seams with inserts. Place lace or trimming on right side, baste, and hem edges by hand, or use zigzag attachment or zigzag stitch on zigzag machine. On wrong side, cut fabric away, and roll edges, or turn the edges back and stitch them, but not to the garment.

Bias seam should be sewed over paper to avoid tightening. Tear paper away.

Raw seam edges are finished to prevent fraying and raveling and to act as stay lines so that seams do not pull out of shape. Finish must be suitable for the texture and transparency of the material.

Pinking is done with pinking shears and is a very simple finish. However, pinking should be done only on firmly woven fabrics.

Clean finish is the name for seam edges which are turned back ½ inch and stitched. The seam so finished is called a silk seam.

Binding is done by enclosing edges in binding and stitching.

Overcastting is explained and illustrated on p. 10.

Hemstitching and picoting are done on transparent fabric seam edges. Picoting gives a very decorative effect, and is sometimes used to finish seam edges which are going to be fagoted together.

Are You Ready To Move Onto The Next Lesson? Click Here...