SEAMS AND THEIR TYPES

S.MAGDOOM SABEEMA
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
DEPARTMENT OF COSTUME DESIGN AND FASHION
V.V.VANNIAPERUMAL COLLEGE FOR WOMEN
VIRUDHUNAGAR

1. SEAMS AND THEIR TYPES S. MAGDOOM SABEEMA ASSISTANT PROFESSOR DEPARTMENT OF COSTUME DESIGN AND FASHION

2. A seam is a method of binding two or more pieces of fabric together. Seams are an essential element to every garment and fabric accessory, as they join the material together to create the item Seams are used for hems and to finish necklines and edges. Seams are used to gather fabric and create pleats. SEAM

3. The type of seam to be used on a garment will depend on various factors. There are several different types of seams, they are Plain seam Single top seam Double top seam French seam Flat fell seam Welt seam Lapped seam Piped and Slot seam Types of Seams

4. A plain seam defined as any seam that attaches two pieces of fabric together with the wrong sides facing. The wrong side is the side of the fabric that doesn’t face outward when the garment is completed. The stitch length or type of stitch doesn’t matter , as long as it is one stitch line and it attaches two pieces of fabric. PLAIN SEAM

5. Stitch a plain seam, press the seam edges to one side and work a row of machining close to the seam line on the right side catching the seam allowances. SINGLE TOP SEAM

6. In this double top seam, two extra lines of stitching is done on the right side of the garment, one on either side of the seam line, after the seam allowances are pressed open. DOUBLE TOP SEAM

7. A french seam should only be used on delicate, light weight fabric. It is a neat and durable finish as the raw edges are completely enclosed. The two pieces of materials to be joined are placed together with wrong sides facing. Work a row of stitching 1/8 inch outside the seam line towards the raw edges. After stitching, trim the seam allowances to less than 1/8 inch. Press the seam and turn the work so that the right sides are together. FRENCH SEAM

8. Crease the first row of stitching so that it is directly on the edge. Pin or tack and stitch along the seam line about 1/8 inch from the fold. In this seam, care should be taken to see that there are no ravels visible on the right side.

9. A flat fell seam is an extremely strong closed seam that is often used for items like jeans. It covers the fabric’s raw edges well and keeps the seam flat. FLAT FELL SEAM

10. A welt seam is also frequently used for jeans, as it is very strong, but it is less bulky than the flat felled seam because it is not enclosed and the raw edge of the fabric is visible. WELT SEAM

11. A lapped seam is typically used with fabrics that don’t fray, such as leather and fleece. For a lapped seam, the right side of the fabric faces up and the pieces overlap, instead of right or wrong sides together. LAPPED SEAM

12. Slot seam is a variation of lapped seam and is often used down the centre front or centre back of skirts, coats and dresses primarily inverted pleat. Cut a strip of fabric of the same length as the seam itself and having a width more than twicw thw width of the seam allowance. Work a row of tacking down the centre of the strip. Take the two parts of the garment to be seamed and fold their seam allowances to the wrong side. SLOT SEAM

13. Now with right side up, place the folded edges over the strip so that the folds fall exactly on the tacked line of the strip. Tack in position close to the folded edges and top stitch carefully along each side of the seam about ¼ inch from the centre line. Finally remove all the tacking. The backing strip may be of the same fabric as the garment or a contrasting coloured fabric and may be cut on the bias.

14. THANK YOU