Stitching And Finishing Seams

A tailored seam implies an outside stitching. There are numerous ways of making this effective. Following are methods of finishing several types of tailored seams:

1. Plain, Seams. - While not a tailored seam, it is used at times in tailored skirts where one wishes to have the seam invisible (hip seam or center back). When so used, it is stitched, bastings removed, and the edges overcast together, or the seams opened and each edge overcast separately. It is the foundation of a number of the tailored seams (Fig. 198).

2. Cord Seam. - Stitch a plain seam, remove bastings, turn the edges of the seam toward the front, baste close to the folded edge on the right side, stitch one-sixteenth inch from edge. Trim seam to five-eighth inch on wrong side and overcast edges together. Used on hip seams or elsewhere, if simple stitching is desired (Fig. 199). Single and double stitched seams. A modification of the cord seam may be made by opening the plain seam and stitching close to the edges on both sides of the seam. Another method is to use the stitch-ings close to the edge and stitch again once or twice or more and as far apart as desired. Such stitchings are purely for ornamentation, so judgment must be used as to spacing in order to secure pleasing results.

3. Tuck Seam. - Baste the same as panel (p. 332) and stitch only on the outside as far from the edge as may be desired. Use quilter gauge or presser foot as a guide in stitching. The edges are finished the same as a cord seam. If using heavy material, the edge of the seam next the skirt may be trimmed narrower than the other to avoid a ridge on the outside of the garment after pressing

FIG. 200. - Tuck seam; basted as for panel; stitched any desired depth.

(Fig. 200).

4. Welt Seam. - Same principle as cord seam. First stitch the seam as a plain seam, remove bastings, turn seam toward front of skirt and baste close to the turned edge. Trim the edge of the seam next to the skirt narrower than the other and stitch again any desired width (Fig. 201).

5. Fell Seam. - Stitch as plain seam on the right side of skirt, remove bastings, turn seam toward the front, trimming the under edge to one-quarter inch and the upper edge three-eighth inch in width. Turn the upper edge under the lower, baste, and stitch

(Fig. 202).

6. Lapped Seam. - In effect this is much the same as the fell seam, but more difficult to make. Lap the edges of the gores, so that the seam lines exactly meet, baste through these lines. Having the edges of the seams exactly even, turn first the edge on the right side of the skirt, then the one on the wrong side. Both edges must be most carefully turned in order to have good seam lines; baste and stitch on each edge (Fig. 203).

Fig. 201. - Welt seam, right and wrong side.

Fig. 202. - Fell seam, right and wrong side.

7. Slot Seam. - Edges on both sides of gore turned in on seam line; a lengthwise or crosswise strip of material set underneath to hold edges of seam together; stitching any desired width from the edge, like tuck seam (Fig. 204).

All raw edges should be trimmed evenly and overcast neatly, unless the material is so closely woven that it needs no further treatment than the outside stitching. Seams are sometimes bound with bias seam binding to match in color the material of the skirt. The great objection to the binding is that it mars the outer surface of the skirt when pressed. The color also washes into the skirt sometimes when laundered.

Better results will always be secured if the seams are pressed just before the outside stitching is done. Always test your stitch and tension on double thickness of cloth and same grain before stitching directly on the skirt. A tailor finish necessitates a fairly long stitch in order to be effective. It is well to get away from the idea of the small fine stitches on undergarments.