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Whether you own a clothing business or love designing clothes for yourself, you must know the significance and functionalities of different types of seams. Every kind of seam stitch serves a unique purpose and enhances the garment's appeal.
Sewing is all about intricate details, so it is important to familiarize yourself with different seam variations. For instance, flat-felled seams offer durability, while French seams look sophisticated and elegant.
Usually, clothing producers utilize different stitches based on the fabrics such as plain, double-stitched, and lapped stitches. They provide strength and form to clothes, impacting their longevity and appearance. They envelope the fabric edges with binding strips, resulting in a neat and polished appearance commonly seen in high-quality attires.
Comprehending the various stitching techniques and their uses is paramount for accomplishing successful sewing projects and producing visually attractive clothing items for your collection.
What is a seam?
In simple terms, it's the line where two pieces of fabric are joined together by stitching. Typically, sewing involves two categories of seams, including open and closed seams.
Open Seam
When exploring different types of seams, you will surely encounter an open seam. This seam shows the raw edges of the fabric for a distinctive look. This particular seam is often used for decorative purposes or when a raw, unfinished look is sought. While the open seam might not be as sturdy as other types, it adds a distinct touch to the finished garment.
Closed Seam
The second one is a closed seam, known for its durability, contributing to the stability of your garments. This method neatly tucks the fabric's raw edges within the seam, creating a clean and durable finish. This technique offers a professional look, making it a go-to choice for high-quality sewing projects. Due to this specialty, closed seams are preferred by many clothing producers to ensure garment quality and achieve a tidy finish.
What are the 7 Different Types of Seams?
There are seven different types of seams, each with different characteristics.
French Seam
A French seam is perfect for hiding seam stitches like in any underlined jacket or waistcoat. With its fine and clean finish, clothing manufacturers use it for premium quality garments. Since this seam uses bulk sewing material, it is best suited for light, delicate fabrics like silk, organza, or chiffon.
Plain Seam
Plain seam is one of the simplest yet versatile types of seams used in garment manufacturing. It is created by placing two fabrics with their right side facing together. Both fabrics are then stitched by maintaining a decent seam allowance. It covers the raw edges and gives a clean finish. Plain seam is used to sew a variety of garments like different types of t-shirts, shorts, or formal wear.
Bound Seam
When it comes to functionality and elegance, bound seams have their special identity in the sewing world. It is best known for its professional look and feel that is achieved by enclosing the unrefined edges of fabric within the binding strip. Bound seams demand skill and attention to detail which afterwards bring a decorative appearance to the clothing piece. With bound seams, you get the durable, polished, and premium quality tailored finish of the garment.
Lapped Seam
Lapped seam also offers a very sturdy and neat finish. It is ideal to sew fabric that doesn’t fray. For instance, leather or fleece fabric apparel is sewn by lapped seams. In the lapped seam, one fabric's right side faces upward while overlapping the second fabric. It is typically used for tailored manufacturing of home decor items and outerwear.
Welt Seam
Welt seams are also pretty durable and used to secure the edges of thick fabrics. It provides a very polished finish which makes it a top choice for high-quality apparel. The seam allowance for the welt seam is kept a bit wider to achieve the right stability level. It is best for hard-wearing materials like leather or denim, typically used to make bags, cushions, and jackets.
Flat-felled Seam
Most clothing producers use flat-felled seams to get extra strength and durability in their garments. It is very long-lasting and provides a clean and professional look. This seam suits thick fabrics like denim, chambray, or calico. The flat-felled seam is created by folding the edges of one fabric over the other and stitching it together for a strengthened finish.
Double-stitched Seam
The double-stitched seam resembles a plain seam except that two stitching lines go parallel to each other. It is used to achieve an extra layer of strength and durability. Clothing producers consider this seam as one of the strongest seams, perfect for heavy-duty garment manufacturig.
How Do Clothing Producers Use Seams for Different Garments?
The selection of a particular seam for a garment is based on several factors. It includes the type of fabric used and the final finish that is desired to achieve.
The flat-felled and welt seams are best suited for thick sturdy fabrics, offering structure and durability to the maximum extent.
French seams are better for lightweight fabrics. Clothing producers use French seams while designing and crafting kids' wear collections.
Similarly, the lapped seam is used with leather fabric to craft custom jackets or pants.
While the right seam selection is vital for every type of clothing item, the seam length is equally worth consideration. A shorter seam length may result in an undesirable strain on the fabric and a longer seam may compromise the finish and durability of the seam.
Which Type of Seam is the Strongest?
When it comes to the strongest seam, flat-felled seam takes the top place. It is popular for its maximum durability and steadiness. With its ability to cover the raw edges of the fabric and give a high-end finish to the garment, it is widely used by many professional clothing manufacturers in the fashion clothing industry.
Final Words
Seams serve as the backbone of any apparel, from the simplest pillowcase to the most intricate attires. Knowing the different types of seam stitches will help you refine the shape and appearance of the clothing piece.
In sewing, a seam is essential for a fine and polished finish of the garment. Without the concept of seams, imagining a garment in a desirable shape is impossible. So it is crucial to have a comprehensive knowledge about the purpose and different types of seams. This knowledge will assist you in launching a chic and durable clothing line.
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