Sewing techniques

A seam is a method of binding two or more pieces of fabric together, usually using thread to form stitches. However, glue and other forms of adhesive can also be used.

 

Open seam techniques

Open seam is one where the seam allowance, the piece of fabric between the edge of the material and the stitches, is visible.

• Plain seam is the simplest type of seam and can be used on almost any item. A plain seam is defined as any seam that attaches two pieces of fabric together with the wrong sides facing.
• Double-stitched seam is just like a plain seam except there are two lines of stitching securing the fabric for extra strength.
• Flat-felled seam or English 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-Felled Seams start with a Plain Seam to sew a right and wrong side together, and then the edges are tucked into each other in a way that locks them in. The fold is then sewn down again with another Plain Seam along the other side of the seam’s width. This is the strongest type of seam and a method that is used on heavier fabrics that need more security to hold them together.
• Lapped seam is used with fabrics that don’t fray. For a lapped seam, the right side of the fabric faces up and the pieces overlap, instead of right or wrong sides together.

 

Closed seam techniques

Closed seam incorporates the seam allowance within the seam finish, making it invisible.

• French seam is a seam that is stitched twice. The first seam connects two pieces of fabric together with the wrong sides facing. The second seam connects the right sides together to create a tunnel between the two seams to hide the seam allowance.
• Bound seam looks like a French seam on the right side of the fabric. There are no visible stitches on the right side of the fabric, and on the opposite side, the fabric edges are enclosed by bias tape.

 

Seam techniques to finish fabric edges

• Binding is sewing a narrow strip of fabric or elastic that can be folded over an exposed seam to secure and hide the edges.
• Serging is done with a special type of sewing machine that cuts the raw edges of the seam and creates overlocked stitches around the edge as it is sewn.
• Overedging is sewing the raw edges together for decoration and to prevent fraying.
• Stitch down involves pressing seam allowances to prevent them from fraying. Press seam allowances to one side and trim away the underside allowance. Press seam allowances to one side and stitch them to the wrong side of the cloth.

 

Contact us to learn more about which kind of seam is the best fit for your project.

To enable fast switching from a design to production, we follow a set step-by-step plan. Each step in this process is needed to develop a high-quality textile product that can be easily scaled up in production.