COMMON SEAMS USED FOR GARMENT MAKING

1. Prepared by
Rasmin Thahani Z,
Assistant Professor,
Syed Ammal Arts and Science Colle
Ramanathapuram

2. SEAM - DEFINITION
 A seam is a method of joining two
or more pieces of materials
together by a row of stitching.

3. The commonly used seams are:
 Plain seam (Finished or unfinished)
 Top stitched seam
 Flat fell seam
 French seam
 Mantua Maker’s seam
 Piped seam
TYPES OF SEAMS

4. WORKING OF COMMON
SEAMS

5.  This is the most widely used seam
because it is easy to make, requires
less time and is pliable and
inconspicuous.
 It is used on all types of fabrics
except on very transparent kinds and is
especially suitable for firm fabrics
that do not ravel and will not be
subjected to hand and frequent
laundering.
PLAIN SEAMS

6.  On skirts, coats, petticoats, blouses,
etc. plain seam is used especially for
side seams, under arm seams and arm hole
seams.
 Various methods of finishing the raw
edges of a plain seam are discussed.
 To make this seam, place the two pieces
of fabrics to be joined together right
sides facing, matching the seam lines.
PLAIN SEAMS – CONTD…

7.  Insert pins at right angles to the seam
line and work a line of tacking
following the seam line.
 Remove the pins and stitch the seam
exactly on the seam line.
 Remove tacking and press the seam open.
 If the fabric is fine, both the seam
allowances can be pressed to one side.
PLAIN SEAMS – CONTD…

8. PLAIN SEAMS – CONTD…

9.  Top stitching adds strength and
decoration to the seam.
 The top stitches seams are discussed
below
1. Single top stitching
2. Double top stitching
3. Welt seam
4. Lapped seam
5. Slot seam
TOP STITCHED SEAMS

10.  Stitch a plain seam, press the seam
edges to one side and work a row of
matching close to the seam line on the
right side catching the seam allowances.
SINGLE TOP STITCHING

11.  In this, 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 STITCHING

12.  This is similar to single top stitching
but it is wider and is used on heavy
coats.
 Stitch a plain seam and trim one raw
edges to about ¼ inch width.
 Press the two raw edges to one side with
the narrow one enclosed under the wider
one.
WELT SEAM

13.  Now stitch on the right side, so that
the stitching will come just outside the
narrow seam edge, but inside the wider
seam edge.
WELT SEAM – CONTD..

14.  This seam is commonly used for joining a
gathered section to a straight edge as
in a yoke.
LAPPED SEAM

15.  Take the part of the garment which is to
be laid on top and turns its seam
allowance to wrong side.
 Place this piece on top of the second
place, right side facing and matching
the fold to the seam line accurately.
 Tack in position and machine close to
the folded edge.
LAPPED SEAM – CONTD..

16.  This is a variation of lapped seam and is
often used down the centre front or centre
back of shirts, coats and dresses primarily
for decoration.
 Sometimes it is combined with an inverted
pleat.
 Cut a strip of fabric of the same length as
the seam itself and having a width more than
twice the width of the seam allowance.
SLOT SEAM

17.  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 allowance to the
wrong side.
 Now, with the 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.
SLOT SEAM – CONTD..

18.  Finally remove all the tacking.
 The backing strip may be of the same
fabric as the garment or a contrasting
colored fabric, and may be cut on the
bias.
SLOT SEAM – CONTD..

19.  This is a flat durable seam used on
men’s sport shirts, work clothes,
children’s clothes and pyjamas.
 However, it is time consuming and
difficult to make on curved edges and on
bulky fabrics.
 Place the pieces to be joined wrong
sides facing, ad stitch on the seam
line.
FLAT FELL SEAM

20.  Press both seam allowances together in the
same direction and trim the under seam
allowances to 1/8 inch and the upper one to
3/8 inch.
 Turn under the raw edge of the wide seam
allowance so as to make a smooth fold ¼ inch
wide.
 Keeping this fold in position with one hand,
tack the fold down flat to the garment.
FLAT FELL SEAM – CONTD..

21.  Machine stitch close to the folded edge
on the right side of the garment.
 The right side of the seam will show two
rows of stitching and wrong side will
show only one row of stitching.
FLAT FELL SEAM – CONTD..

22.  This is made in a similar manner, but
the first row of stitching for making
the plain seam is done on the wrong side
o the garment and the last stitching is
done by hemming instead of machining.
HEMMED FLAT FELL SEAM

23.  This is a ridged seam and is used on
transparent and light weight fabrics,
especially on baby clothes and delicate
blouses.
 It is a neat and durable finish as the raw
edges are completely enclosed.
 However, it is time consuming, and too bulky
when used on thick materials.
 Do not use this seam on curves such as
armholes and yokes.
FRENCH SEAM

24.  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.
 Crease the first row of stitching so that it
is directly on the edge.
FRENCH SEAM – CONTD..

25.  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.
FRENCH SEAM – CONTD..

26.  This is also a ridged seam which is not
suitable for bulky fabrics.
 Keeping the right sides facing, tack the
garment on the seam line.
 Trim one seam edge to 1/8 inch from the
tacking line and the other seam edge to 3/8
inch.
 Make a 1/8 inch turning on the wide edge so
that this edge nearly touches the narrow
seam allowances.
MANTUA MAKER’S SEAM

27.  Now make a second fold
to make the folded
edge lie along the
original tacking line.
 Machine stitch or hem
through all
thicknesses and remove
tacking.
MANTUA MAKER’S SEAM – CONTD..

28.  Sometimes a piping or bias binding is inserted
in a plain seam to give a decorative finish to
the garment.
 This type of seam is very often used at the
waist line and yoke line of dresses.
 If a cord is enclosed in the bias strip, the
seam is called corded seam.
 Prepare the bias strip, fold it in the middle
and tack it to the right side of the pieces to
be seamed in such a way that the bias fold
extends 1/8 inch inside the seam line.
PIPED SEAM

29.  Place the second piece on top of the
first piece (right sides facing) with
the bias lying in between and stitch
along the seam line.
 When the seam is turned to the right
side, the piping or binding will extend
between the two pieces of material.
 To be most effective the bias material
should be of contrasting colour.
PIPED SEAM – CONTD..

30. PIPED SEAM – CONTD..