Home >> Sewing Seams is Not a Herculean Task
Sewing seams is a simple task when the basics are known. All the practical applications can be used as decorative techniques. Sewing has five basic essential seams and each of them have its own purpose and a difficulty level.
It becomes important to keep in mind that, while sewing seams, pressure needs to be exerted on the fabric. There is no need of pushing or pulling through the machine. Rather it should glide with minimum effort and urging. Your hands should gently hold the edges of the fabric together and they should also maintain an even seam allowance. The fabric is bound by a single continuous seam, generally sewn in a straight line. Two pieces of fabric are joined and the seam allowance can either be pressed to the open or to one side. One can stitch from anything from pillows to pants.
Plain seam is the most used and also simple of all. If one can master the plain seam, he/she can also conquer the more advanced ones. Start off with this seam. Take it forward with the rest. Getting your basics right is very important for the art of sewing. Let this plain art be a stepping stone for the more complicated ones.
French seam is the best to use for a clean and finished look. It can be created by sewing one plain seam, then covering the seam allowance by pressing all the fabric to one side and sewing another plain seam. This technique is a useful way to prevent the woven fabrics like voile or organza from unraveling.
The welt seam is a great variation on the plain seam. It is used to add an extra bit of strength to the seams. It is achieved by sewing seams that are plain and pressing the seam allowance in any one direction and then a second topstitch is sewn from the fabric’s topside to lock the seam allowance. This seam works very well as a decorative inflection and can offer just the perfect touch to a yoke or a style line.
The curved seam is the most difficult of all the seams. It is the most widely used wherever a bust line or shoulder seam come together. The best way to learn this seam is with the use of pins to hold the fabric. You will have to start with a concave piece of fabric and clip the seam allowance every half inch. Care should be taken that the seam allowance is no clipped beyond three quarters of the way.
The flat-felled seam is the best for garments that will receive a lot of wear for example children’s clothing or jeans. It is very simple to sew the flat felled seam. First, you have to sew a plain seam and then press it open with the help of an iron. Then, press both the layers of the fabric to one side and trim the inner layer of the fabric to 1/8th of an inch. Press the top fabric layer under 1/4th of an inch and then finally stitch this folded edge to the garment. You should keep the stitches as straight as possible, as they will be seen on the right side of the garment.
Sewing seams is not difficult at all if the basics are clear.
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