This document is a project report submitted by Dimpal Chouhan, a student at Dezyne E'cole College, on stitches and seam classes. The report begins with an acknowledgment and introduction. It then discusses stitches per inch, different types of seams suitable for various fabrics, and 7 classes of seams as defined by the British Standard. Each seam class has multiple seam types described in detail. The report concludes with applications and advantages/disadvantages of different stitch types. In summary, the document provides an in-depth overview of various stitches and seam constructions as part of Dimpal Chouhan's coursework at Dezyne E'cole College.

1. PROJECT
GARMENT TECHNOLOGY
Dimpal Chouhan
2nd Year Diploma In Fashion Design
NSQF Level 6, Of NSDC

2. Project Report on
StitchesAndSeam Classes
At
DezyneE’coleCollege
Submitted to
DezyneE’coleCollegeTowards The
partial fulfillment of the
Twoyear diploma in FashionDesign NSQF
Level6, NSDC
By
Dimpal Chouhan
DezyneE’coleCollege
2017-18

3. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I take this opportunity to express my profound gratitude and deep regards to Dezyne
E’Cole College for taking us to this visit.
I also take this opportunity to express a deep sense of gratitude to the mentors of
Dezyne E’Cole College for their cardinal support, valuable information and guidance.
Dimpal Chouhan
2nd Year Diploma In Fashion Design
NSQF Level 6, Of NSDC

4. Dezyne E’ cole College
Civil Lines, Ajmer
www.dezyneecole.com
This project of Ms. Dimpal Chouhan student of Fashion Technology with two years
Advance Diploma program has been checked and graded as
Thanks
Principal
[Seal & Signature]

5. 1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Stitchperinch
Seams
Seamssuitablefor sewing
Seamstype
Stitches class
Bibliography
Thankyou
CONTENT

6. ProjectReport On
In thisproject We have to makeAreport specifyingvariousbasicclassesof stitchesin British
Standard3870 part oneandthe varioustypesof seamsasper BritishStandard 3870:1991.
SPI
Perfect machine stitching is easy to achieve if you thread the machine properly and use the correct needle and thread suitable for the fabric
used. Aperfect stitch depends on the delicate balance of pressure on fabric action of the feed and tension on the stitch formation. The correct SPI or
stitch per inch gives you aseam, which is neither too right nor too loose.

7. SI. No. Weightof the fabric Typeofcloth Thread
Size
Needle
Size
SPI
1 . Light Muslin, cambricandothe thin
fabrics
r 50 9-11 14-20
2. Medium Shirting,poplins, etc. 40-50 14 12
3. Medium Heavy
Brocade,
Corduroy Light woolen 40 16 10-12
4. Heavy
Upholstery
Fabrics
Woolen 20 18 8-10

8. Seams:-
Seam is a term which refers to the stitching line where two fabrics are stitched together. It is the basic building block of a garment. They from the
structure of the garment and help to create the garment. Theyare also usedasa decorative feature.
The stitching line along the seam is called the seam line. The seam allowance (SA) is the space between the fabric edge and the seam line. Seamsshould
be carefully done for a beautifully finished garment. Knowledge of the seamfinishes will enhance the look of your sewn garment.

9. • SeamSuitableFor Sewing
• There are some things to take into consideration when deciding what seamsto use.
• Type of fabric – “what kind of fabric is it?” is a top consideration. If it is a sheer fabric the seam finish you select will be very different from what it will, if the fabric is a
heavy weight Brocade cloth. Aloosely woven cotton seam will be finished differently from a rayon blend fabric seam. Alace cloth will have a different seam than a denim
cloth.
• Seam placement – Acurved seam will be differently treated from a straight seam. If it is exposed seam as in a pant, it will be different from an enclosed seam as in a
yoke or a collar.
• Sewing machine – What is your sewing machine capable of? What attachments do you have?, are also important – if you have a serger or at least a zig zagmachine you
have more possibilities than asimple straight stitch machine.
• Garment purpose and use–Achild’s dress will need amore sturdy seamthan acamisole top. Awedding gown will not have the seamfinish asa biker’s gear.
1. Plainseam
2. Plain seamwith asingle stitch
3. Plain seamwith double top stitch
4. Hairline seam
5. Lapped seam(also called tucked seam)
6. French seam
7. Flat felled seamor Runand fell seam
8. Mock flat fell seam(also welt seam)
9. Corded or piped seam
10. Facedseam
11. Hemmed fellseam
12. Mock Frenchseam
13. Sergedseam
14. Slot seam
15. Counter seam
16. Butt seam
17. Sheetseam/ linen seam

10. Thisis the simplest and easiest seamto make. It canbe made by hand or machine. Straight stitches are used
to makethis seamespeciallyfor knit or stretch fabrics.
Thisseamrequire aseamfinish for its exposed edges.
Theadvantage of aplain seamis that this seamdose not add bulk of the seamlines. But asit hasonly a
single line of stitch the strength of the seamisnot that great.
Asingle top stitching seam; this seamisastrong
2. Plainseamwith asingle stitch
seamaswell asadecorative one.
3. Plainseamwith doubletop stitch
Double top stitching seam; this is a
decorative seamwhich also provides great strength to the seam line.
4. Hairline Seam
Thisis atype of enclosed seamwhich ismostly used for collars and other
enclosed areas. Theseamallowances are not visible from the outside asit gets enclosed.
Thisis avery useful seam when
5. LappedSeam(alsocalledtuckedseam)
sewing with heavy fabric like suede, artificial leather,felt.
When sewing with heavy fabrics, as the edges of these fabrics do not fray, you can create this seam by
trimming the whole seam allowance of the top piece. Now the bulk is eliminated as there is no fabric to turn
under.
6. FrenchSeam
This is the best seam for sheer fabrics. As this seam enclosed the raw edges in a
fold, the raw edges are not seen from outside without adding much bulk. This seam is usually done on
straight edgesbut if you clip nicely it canalso be done on curved edges.
Plainseam
LappedSeam
FrenchSeam
1. Plain seam
In aPlainseam, two fabricsare joined together alongthe seamline by aline of
stitching.
It is also called a single needle Butterfly stitch as once the seam is made the seam allowance are
pressed open to either side of the seamline to look abutterfly.

11. 7. Flatfelled seamor Runandfell seam
Mostly used in sportswear, men’s shirts,
jeans kids clothes, pajamas etc. it provides adequate strength to the seam line. This seam can be stitched
inside aswell asoutside the garment.
8. MockFrench Seam
This is a seam which can be used in places of French seam may not be
possible like in acurved seam line, for eg. Armhole of a transparent dress. This will neatly finish the seam line
also.
9. Cordedor PipedSeam
Flatfelled seam
In this seamafabric covered cording isinserted between the
seamlines. It isadecorative seamand ismostly used in collars, cuffs, pockets and home decorating fabrics.
10. FacedSeam
Afaced seamisusually used in the seamsof armholes, necklines and waistlines.
It creates avery good finish to the seam line.
11.Hemmedfell seam
Make aplain seam. Oneseamside is trimmed to half of the other side. Theother seamis turned down and hemmed by
hand.
12.SewMockFrench Seam
Unlike the French seam, here aplain seamwith right side together is made first. Placethe fabrics right sidestogether. Stitcha plain
seamalong the stitching line. Pressthe seamopen and then close.
Turn in the edge of the seamallowance of each seam¼inch. Edgestitch along the folded edge, sothat the raw edge is enclosed inside.

12. 13. Mockflat fell Seam(AlsoWeltSeam)
This is a seam which looks a lot like flat fell seam but is easier to make. Unlike the flat
fell seam here the raw edge is not turned under. So this seam will have exposed raw edges of the seams on the wrong side. Hence it is better to be used
with fabrics which do not fray or where the seamwill not be seen.Thisis agreat seamfor abulky fabric like felt or synthetic leather.
14. SergedSeam
Youneed aserger or overlock machine for this seam. In this seaminstead of aplain straight stitch the serger stitch isused on
the seamsallowance is trimmed by the machine. Thisseamgives stretch and flexibility to the seam.
Thisseamcanbe used under the following conditions
1.If it is not important that seamare kept flat or open.
2. Forloose garments
3. Onlightweight fabrics
4.Whensewing with knits
SewASerged Seam
Placeright sidesof the fabrics together and enclosed the fabric edgesin a thread.
A3 thread serged seamwill give stretch to the seam and a4 thread serged seamwill give strength to the seam.A3 thread serged seamis usually used for
knit fabrics for its stretching property.
14. SlotSeam
Thisseamwhich issimilar to the lapped seam, isused for its functional aswell asdecorative properties.
Avery suitable seam for heavy materials, in this both the raw edges are enclosed by both the seam allowances along the
15. CounterSeam
seamline.
SewACounter SeamTurn under the seamallowances of both the fabric piecesto the wrong side. Pressplace the wrong side of the first piece of fabric on
the right side of the secondpiece along the edges, keeping the seamallowances. Pinin place stitch along the folded edge.
16. ButtSeam
Thefabric edgesare folded and joined together by azigzagstitch or chain stitch. Thisisused when joining seamswhere you do
not want any bulk. Forexample when sewing lingerie. Youcanmakethis kind of seamwith the help of asewing machine.

13. 17. SheetSeam/ LinenSeam
This is a seam where we use an embroidery stitch to join the seams. It looks absolutely beautifully though not as the other seams the
stitches can be set horizontally or slanting. Antwerp edging stitches, fishbone stitch, blanket stitch or herringbone stitch can be used in this manner joining the seams. These stitches are
called insertion stitches.
How to do this seam
1. Finish the fabric edges
2. Tackthe edgesof the two fabric andswith abutting=hole bar stitch
3. Cutastrip of paper of 1 inch width and the length equal to the fabric edge
4. Bastethe edgesof the fabric to the paper sothat the distance between them is ½inch
5. Workthe stitchesbetween the fabric edges; interlacing, knots, twisting all work between the edges.
Class1 (SuperimposedSeam)
This seam is constructed with a minimum of two components and is the most widely seam used seam construction in this class. Among
others, safety stitched and Frenchseamsare covered by this class.
Thisclassis the commonest construction of seamand it hasthe following types. Superimposed seam
Frenchseam Pipedseam
Class1 (SuperimposedSeam)
Frenchseam Pipedseam LappedSeam

14. The simplest seam type within the class is formed by superimposing the edge of one piece of material on another.
Asexample of a superimposed seam with an additional component would be one that contained an inserted piping
and even her more than one construction is possible.
Class2 (LappedSeam)
Thissimplest of asuperimposed seamtype in this classis formed by lapping
two pieces of material as shown.
Much more common on long seamson garments suchasjeans and shirts is the so-called lap-felled seam, sewn
with two rows of stitcheson atwin needle machine equipped with afoldingdevice.
Class3 (BoundSeam)
In this class, the seam consists of an edges of material, which is bound by
another, with the possibility of other components inserted into the binding. The simplest version of this class is
again unusual, asit cannot be constructed with self-fabric binding becauseof the problem of raw edges.
Abound seamisoften used usadecorative edge and the binding may continue off the edge of the garment to
provide tie ends. Examplein common useon underwear and leisure wear and on skirts, jeans and ladies trousers.
LapFelledSeam
WeltedSeam
Class3 (BoundSeam)
BoundSeam CommonBoundSeam

15. Class4 (FlatSeam)
They may be butted together without a gap and joined across by a stitch
which has two needle sewing into each fabric and covering threads passing back and front between these
needles on both sidesof the fabric.
Class5 (DecorativeSeam)
This is the first to the two classes of seam which, in the old British
Standard, were not regarded asseams at all and were given the name ‘Stitching’. The main use of the seams is
for decorative sewing on garments where single or multiple rows of stitches are sewn through one or more
layers of fabric. The tucks must, however, be set to face one way or the other and a decision as to which must
be made in relation to the design of the garment.
Class6 (EdgeNeatening)
This is the other seam class that was called a edge stitching. Seam
type in this class include those where fabric edges are neatened by means of stitches (as opposed to finding
with another or the same fabric) as well as folded hem and edges. Is typical of the hem on a dress or a pair of
trousers in awoven fabric which hasbeen neatened and then sewn up invisibly (blind stitched).
EdgeNeatening
Flat Seam Decorative Seam EdgeNeatening
Class4 (FlatSeam) Class5 (DecorativeSeam) Class6 (EdgeNeatening)

16. Class7
Seams in this class relate to the addition of separate items edge of a garment part. They are similar
to the lapped seam except that the added component has a definite edge on both sides. An example where the
additional item isself-fabric plus interlining is another version of the buttonhole band on ashirt, shown in figure.
Class8
The final seam class in the British Standard is another where only one piece of material need be
involved in constructing the seam. The comments seam type in this class is the belt loop a used on jeans,
raincoats, etc. this is shown.
The use on the belt loop of the stitch type mentioned before which has two needles and a bottom covering
thread ensure that the raw edges are covered over on the underside while showing two rows of plain stitch on
the top.
Theseare chain stitchesformed from aneedle thread only. There are following three sub-
Class100
classes:
Class101
Onethread basting.
Class103
Onethread felling for hemming.
Class104
Onethread Blind stitch for Hemming.
ShirtButtonholeBand
Belt LoopAnd Belt
ButtonholeStitch

17. Stitchtype 301 : two-thread lockstitch
Class200
Originally, hand stitches, these are mostly formed by single threads passed from
one side of the material to the other with each successive penetration of the needles. There are
following sub-classes:
Class202
Aspecialtype of stitch which isformed by Pique Stitch Machine using thick thread.
It is used in Cowboyjeans.
Class205
PrickStitch
Class300
Theseare also referred to aslock stitches becausethe top and under groups of
threads are interlaced to form the stitch. There are following sub-classes:
Class301
Twothreads seamsMultiple plies.
Class304
Twothread ZigZagStitch,Astretchlockstitch.
Class306
Twothread Blind Stitch.
Class315
Twothread “Three StepZigZag”,Astretch Lockstitchwith more stretch.
Class400 (Multi Thread Chain Stitch)
Class200 jeanslabel

18. Applications:
• Stitch type – 401 isused for long sewing in the jeans and trouser.Alsothis type of stitch is used with over edge stitch.
• Stitch type – 406,407 isused for joining lace, braid, elastic with the garments.
Advantages:
• Strength of 401 ishigher than 301.
• Lesspossibility of producing seam pucker.
• Extensibility is seamaslockstitch.
• Chainstitch canbe made by comparatively lasstension of thread, sothat this classesof stitch is produced with high speed.
• SPMof chain stitch machine is8000, where SPMof lock stitch machine is 6000.
Disadvantages:
• Lower resistanceto runback and have increasethe bulk under theseam.
Class600
There are many complex stitch formations in this classbecause
the stitchescanbe formed form three to nine threads and usesup to four
needles. Sub-classesare asfollowing :
Class602
Four thread cover stitch or seaming knits.
Class605/607
Fivethread cover stitch or butt-seams.
FlatButted Seam

19. Class700
This is a single thread lock stitch similar to class 300, which has very limited applications because of its inherent weakness. Sub-class is
asfollowing :
Class701
Onethread typical useslockstitch tacking.
Class800
Thisclasscovers combinations of two or more stitch classeswhich are sewn simultaneously, like the five thread safety stitch. Different
variations of this classare used for the assembly of swin wear.
Class400
Formed by two or more groups of threads, the loops of which are
interlaced and interloped, stitch no. 401 is a chain stitch formed from two threads and is
widely used for knitted materials because the stitch formation makes for good
extensibility and lateral strength.
Class401
Twothreads seamsmultiple piles with moderate stretch.
Class500
These are known as over edge stitches because at least one group of
threads covers the edge of the material. In this class stitch no. 504 is a three-thread
overclocking stitch used for assembling light weight knits and also for cleaning and
finishing the seamand hem edgesof garments.
Twothread over edge stitch for sewing with crossover on edge of the
Class503
fabric.
Stitchtype 401 :
two-threadchain
stitch
Class503 two thread
stitch

20. SuperimposedSeams
SSa
Sse
SSf
SSk
SSp
SSq
SSz
Ssae
Plain seamson dresses,blouses trousers
Enclosedseamsat edgesof collars and cuffs
Strapseams,taping or staying
Piped seam
Hemor single-needle Frenchseam
Sandwichseamusedto set waistbands
Plain seam,busted and top stitched on cachside
French seam
Lsa
LSc
LSd
LSf
LappedSeams
Seamsfor leathers and suedes(real of synthetic)
Sideseamson better men's dressshirt
Setpatch pockets, labels
Yoke/black seammen’sdressshirt

21. BoundSeams
Bsa Binding an edgewith ribbon on leather
Bsc Binding an edgewith baysbinding, setting sleeve placket
BSf Binding an edgewith fabric (raw edgeon bottom)
Bso Binding an edgewith fabric
BSk Binding an edgewith fabric welting
Fsa
Flat Seam
Flat seamson sweatshirts and underwear

22. Bibliography
TextBox
CorelDraw
BasicStitchesFile
Book- GarmentTechnologyForFashionDesign
Mall SurveyGarmentPictures

23. THANK YOU
DIMPAL CHOUHAN
2nd Year Diploma Fashion Technology (NSQF Level-6 Of NSDC)
Dezyne E’cole College, www.dezyneecole.com