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From: SewLo
Date: 04-23-2005, 09:39 AM (1 of 10)
| How does one do flat-fell seams to men's shirt sleeves? Do you need a special machine attachment (I can't sew "inside" the sleeve to finish the seams). |
User: SewLo
Member since: 04-23-2005 Total posts: 2 |
From: DorothyL
Date: 04-23-2005, 04:01 PM (2 of 10)
|
I don't know how you can do it without getting inside there. Sometimes if you sort of wad it up and start from the center and go to the end then turn it and start from the center and go to the other end it works. I've done it a few times but we don't have any skinny arms around here. Dorothy |
User: DorothyL
Member since: 12-09-2002 Total posts: 3883 |
From: Sheri
Date: 04-25-2005, 01:07 PM (3 of 10)
| A "felling foot" helps, and Dorothy is right about how to do it. |
User: Sheri
Member since: 12-04-2000 Total posts: 126 
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From: MaryW
Date: 04-25-2005, 01:11 PM (4 of 10)
Hi SewLo and welcome to Sew Whats New. 
MaryW
owner/editor of Sew Whats New |
User: MaryW
Member since: 06-23-2005 Total posts: 2542 
|
From: auzzi
Date: 04-26-2005, 06:39 AM (5 of 10)
|
The part of a man's shirt that is flat-fell stitched is around the armsyce where the sleeve is attached to the body. A shirt style has a flatter sleeve head than a blouse or top. The sleeve needs to be attached to the body before being sewn up - it really can't be done "in the round".. To Sew a Flat Fell Seam 1. with wrong sides facing together, sew a seam of 1/2 inch [make sure your pattern seam allowance is this, or wider..] 2. finger-press the seam open [or use an iron, as long as you don't press in wrinkles.] 3. trim the sleeve seam allowance to approximately 1/8 inch [careful] 4. fold the wider seam allowance back towards the stitching until it is half it's width [1/4 inch] 5. flip it towards the other side, and lay the upper [still wider] folded seam over the trimmed seam. Press. 6. horizontally pin, then carefully top stitch the seam - slowly until you get the hang of it. My husband has a larger neck so I buy shirts to fit the neck. To alter: 1. unpick the sides, around armsyce [removing the sleeve] and two-thirds down the sleeve 2. shorten the shoulder length 3. trim the shirt-body width/circumference 4. the sleeve is partially open, so using the flat method, I flat-fell stitch the sleeve head back onto the shirt body 5. pin the altered body back/front together, then the partially-unpicked sleeve. The sleeve is usually a good length, but I narrow it by 1/2" as I sew the shirt back together 6. sew a nromal seam from the shirt hem, up the sides and down the sleeve This adjustment seems long and tedious but I do not have to do a collar/neck adjustment or a cuff adjustment, his shirts fit, and I do not have to make them from scratch. |
User: auzzi
Member since: 10-28-2003 Total posts: 56 |
From: niko20
Date: 04-26-2005, 12:45 PM (6 of 10)
|
I think she was asking how you could flat fell all the way down the sleeve seam. Some shirts (and most pants, like jeans!) have a flat fell seam the whole length. How in the heck do they get in there - do they bunch up the fabric and just feed thru or what.. Problem is on a skinny arm (arms usually are pretty small) I don't see how you could "fold" up the extra cloth to get it out the way for the flat fell stitches. It's like you have to sew "inside" (so you don't sew the sleeve together lol). actually I just noticed on my jeans it's only flat fell on the inside of the leg, in this case they could flat fell it first, then stitch the outer seam and turn all right side out finally. Perhaps the only way to do this then is to have a 2 piece sleeve. -niko |
User: niko20
Member since: 03-23-2005 Total posts: 19 |
From: Sheri
Date: 04-26-2005, 01:20 PM (7 of 10)
|
To flatfell seam inside sleeve and down the side of shirt: on skinny arms this would be a real bear. This is where a felling foot would make is easier, but it's still going to be a bear. On one side, you would start at the bottom of the shirt and sew up and into the sleeve as far is you can go, pushing the fabric up and out of the way as you go. When you can go no farther, cut your threads and continue from inside the sleeve, from where you left off. (This is easier if you sew on the wrong side of fabric with the fabric turned right side out.) Pull all cut threads to the inside and tie them off. On the other side start at the cuff part of the sleeve and sew into the sleeve as far as you can, cut the threads and continue from where you left off inside the sleeve and on down the side of the shirt. With a felling foot it takes 2 passes of the needle for each sleeve/side, the first is easy because you don't have to do anything inside. Without the felling foot, I wouldn't attempt it. I'd sew the seam normal, then serge it and press it to the back. With jeans, I sew my seam normal, serge it, press it to the back, then use a twin needle and topstitch it from the right side. I think I read somewhere that this is a "quick" flat-felled seam. It looks good, and nobody is going to be inspecting the inside of the seam, so it works for me. 
|
User: Sheri
Member since: 12-04-2000 Total posts: 126
|
From: paroper
Date: 04-26-2005, 07:07 PM (8 of 10)
|
You turn the sleeve inside out and then gather it like panty hose, starting at the cuff end. You sew inside the hole and move slowly and steadily upward, adjusting as you go.
pam
Bernina 200e, Artista V5 Designer Plus, Explorations, Magic Box, Bernina 2000DE & 335 Bernette Serger, Bernina 1530 Sewing Machine, Bernina 1300 DC Overlock (with coverstitch) |
User: paroper
Member since: 02-03-2004 Total posts: 3775 |
From: SewLo
Date: 04-27-2005, 03:04 PM (9 of 10)
| The replies I received for my question were great! I feel much more confident about trying again! I don't have a felling foot but I'm about to go out to buy one. It's so good to know that there's a place to come to for answers to sewing questions. |
User: SewLo
Member since: 04-23-2005 Total posts: 2 |
From: paroper
Date: 04-27-2005, 04:15 PM (10 of 10)
|
Goodness me! A run and fell foot is nice, but I always forget to use mine. You can use a standard foot. Like most things, they are for convience more than a necessity. They are trenched so that you felled seam goes under them smoothly. Many of the speciality feet are trenched so that the foot hugs the fabric as the bulk feeds through.
pam
Bernina 200e, Artista V5 Designer Plus, Explorations, Magic Box, Bernina 2000DE & 335 Bernette Serger, Bernina 1530 Sewing Machine, Bernina 1300 DC Overlock (with coverstitch) |
User: paroper
Member since: 02-03-2004 Total posts: 3775 |
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