Types Of Seams – How To Sew Seams With Step By Step Procedures

Types Of Seams – How To Sew Seams With Step By Step Procedures

A seam is the stitching line where two fabrics are sewed together. Sewing a seam is the most basic sewing skill to learn. It is pretty easy to do, but there are certain things that you should keep in mind that will make your sewing go smoothly. In this article, we will explain how to sew seams and also about various seams.

Seams form the garment’s structure and help make the garment, and are also a decorative feature. The stitching line along the seam is the seam line. The seam allowance is the space between the fabric edge and the seam line. Here is how to sew seams:

Different Types of Seams And How To Sew Seams

1. Plain Seams

In this type of seam, two fabrics are joined along the seam line by a line of stitching. Once the seam in the plain seam or a single needle Butterfly stitch is ready, the seam allowances are spread out to either side of the seam line to look like a butterfly.

It is one of the most accessible seams to make and can be put up by hand or machine. Straight stitches are put together use of to make this seam, even though sometimes a tight zigzag stitch can also make use of.

How To Sew Plain Seams

  • Keep the two fabrics in conjunction with the right sides together and ensure that stitching lines align together, then pin it in place.
  • Start stitching along the line where you marked the seam line.
  • Start stitching and then do a backstitch for strength, and at the end, also do a backstitch and then a forward stitch.
  • Don’t forget to press the stitch open. (Just press with a hot iron).

The best process to hand sew a plain seam is to use a saddle stitch or a backstitch.

2. Plain Seam With A Single Stitch

This seam is strong, and it also is a decorative one. It is a single topstitching seam.

How To Sew Plain Seam With A Single Stitch

  • To get this seam effect, after doing a plain seam, press both the seam allowances to one side and give topstitching on that side.

3. Plain Seam With Double Topstitch

A double topstitching seam is a decorative seam that also provides excellent strength to the seam line.

How To Sew Plain Seam With Double Topstitch

  • To obtain this seam, after making the plain seam, press the seam allowances open on both the sides and topstitch on both sides of the hem at equal distances.

4. Lapped Seam Or Tucked Seams

This seam is a handy seam when sewing with heavy fabrics like artificial leather, suede, felt.

How To Sew Lapped Seam Or Tucked Seam

  • Decide on which piece of fabric will be on top of the seam. Turn under the seam allowance of that piece along the seam line and press it in place.
  • Keep the fabric on top of the other material along the seam line such that the seam lines align. Pin together to keep it in place—Edgestitch close to the folded edge and then press.
  • When sewing with heavy fabrics, you can make this seam by trimming the whole seam allowance of the top piece.

5. Hairline Seams

This is a form of enclosing seam which is mainly making use for collars and other enclosed areas. The seam allowances are not prominently visible from the outside as it gets confine.

How To Sew Hairline Seam

  • Make a plain seam using a very taut straight stitch with the fabric’s right side together.
  • Crop away very close to the stitching line.
  • You can also clip the excess seam allowance to the stitching line and then press the seam.
  • Make sure that the stitching line is not cropping as you clip.
  • Turn right side out
  • To secure the seam, you can make a topstitch.

6. French Seams

This is the best seam that mainly makes use for sheer fabrics. As this seam surrounds and encloses the raw edges in a fold, the raw edges are not visible outside without adding much bulk. This seam is generally on straight edges, but it can also be put together on curve edges if you clip nicely.

How To Sew French Seams

  • Unlike other seams for this seam, you have to start with the wrong side of the fabric together, matching the stitching lines to make a plain seam.
  • First, on the right side of the fabric, mark the stitching line with ½” seam allowance. Then, on the wrong side, draw a line half wat through the original seam allowance, that is, for a ½” seam allowance, keep a stitching line at ¼.”
  • Stitch the plain seam through this ¼” line.
  • Crop the seam allowance a little bit
  • Now fold the fabric above the seam right sides together, cover the raw edges, and press.
  • Stitch on the original line right sides of the fabric together and then press flat and then to one side,
  • Now the raw edges are nicely enclosed in the back.

7. Mock Flat Fell Seam

This seam looks like a flat fell seam, but it is much easier to make. In this seam, the raw edge is not pivoting under, unlike the flat fell seam. So this seam will have to expose raw edges of the seams on the wrong side. So, it is better to use fabrics that don’t fray or wear seam will not be prominent. This is an excellent seam for bulky material like synthetic leather or felt.

How To Sew Mock Flat Fell Seams

  • Stitch a plain seam like usual with right sides together.
  • Settle on the side you will be stitching the seam allowance to.
  • Crop the seam allowance of that side to half of what it is.
  • Press the seam allowance to that side.
  • Now turn to the right side of the fabric.
  • Edgestitch close to the seam line.
  • Then turn to the other side and stitch along with the raw edge.
  • Now there will be two rows of stitching parallel to the seam line.

8. Run And Fell Seam Or Flat Fell Seams

It is usually used for sportswear, jeans, kid clothes, men’s shirts, pajamas, etc. it gives adequate strength to the seam line. one can stitch this seam from the inside and the outside of the garment.

How To Sew Fell Seams

  • Make a plain seam.
  • Press the seam allowance on both sides to one side. Trim one seam allowance to 1/8 inch.
  • Turn the larger seam allowance up and over the smaller one, all the way nearly to the seam line which you stitched earlier, and then press the iron to this.
  • Now fold the whole seam over on itself to the other side so that the raw edge is now hidden and press again.
  • Edgestitch over the fold. Ensure that an exact distance is kept from the original seam line.

These are some of the basic seams which one should learn before moving on with the complex seams. We hope that with this article, you have learned how to sew seams. You should keep patience and practice as much as you can to get the best results. Happy stitching!

What are the 4 kinds of seams?

All basics seams used in clothing construction are variants on four basic types of seams:

  • Plain seams.
  • French seams.
  • Flat or abutted seams.
  • Lapped seams.

What are the 3 types of seams?

The Finished Edges of the Seam – The seam finish, making it a closed seam, or an open seam, with a finishing edge is part of the different seam types. The Fabric Needs – This is a very important aspect of choosing the type of seam.

Which seam is most used?

The superimposed seam is the most common method of seaming in garments manufacturing. This seam is formed by superimposing the edge of one piece of material on another. Superimposed seam has various types which are- plain seam, French seams, and Double machine seam.

What is corded seam?

Corded Seam It is sewn by layering cording between two layers of a fabric, right sides together, and sewing a Plain Seam underneath the cording so that the cording is visible from the right side of the garment but the stitching and seam are not. 

How many types of tucks are there?

There are types of tucks

1. Pin tucks-When the fold is very narrow, they are called pin tucks.

2. Spaced tucks–Spaced tucks are folds of cloth sewn at regular intervals.

What is the difference between seam and stitch?

As verbs the difference between stitch and seam is that stitch is to form stitches in; especially, to sew in such a manner as to show on the surface a continuous line of stitches while seam is to put together with a seam.

What are flat felled seams?

Felled seam, or flat-fell seam, is a seam made by placing one edge inside a folded edge of fabric, then stitching the fold down. The fold encases the raw edges protects them from fraying. The fold may be secured with a topstitch or a whipstitch. It is useful for keeping seam allowances flat and covering raw edges.

What is a super imposed seam?

The superimposed seam is the class 1 seam according to British standard 3870; 1991. This seam is widely used in apparel manufacturing. It is equally important that the superimposing seam is formed by sewing the edge of one piece of material on another. It is simply used to join two or more plies of material. 

What seam is used on jeans?

Typically, the leg seams are made with either busted seams, overlocked and top-stitched seams, or flat-felled seams. Busted seams are usually used for the outseams. They’re made by stitching the fabric ‘right-sides’ together. For indigo-dyed denim, the ‘right’ side is the blue side.

Which seam is used for gathering clothes?

Lapped Seam (aka Tucked Seam): Description- The lapped seam is often used for joining a gathered or unfinished part to a straight or folded edge – most commonly seen in a yoke. 

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