136: How to Use Directional Sewing

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Effective Use of Directional Sewing

To prevent twisting in a garment, all seams should be sewn up from the bottom of the garment, or sewn down from the top of the garment. High-end sews up.
High-end garments are sewn up from the hem.

Sewing up from the bottom of the garment, is more difficult than sewing down, as the seam’s two plies must meet, notch-to-notch, both at the beginning and at the end of the seam. Operators who sew up are generally paid more than operators who sew down as they as a rule are highly skilled.

Low-end garments are sewn down to make sure they meet at the top of the seam.

Sewing down from the top of the garment, is easier than sewing up from the bottom of the garment.  If the seam’s two plies do not meet at the hem, the hem can just be sewn a bit off skew. Operators who sew down are generally less skilled than operators who sew up.

Zippers are except from this rule

Zippers are sewn first one direction and then the other.   Zippers are sewn up and down, instead of always in the same direction.

The zipper is sewn up in this diagram to prevent the underlying fabric from stretching as the zipper is sewn
The seam allowance has more ease than the zipper tape. The zipper tape is always the top ply, allowing the seam allowance’s ease to be eased in as the zipper is sewn.
The zipper is sewn down in this diagram to prevent the underlying fabric from stretching.

Which direction a zipper is sewn depends on which direction allows the ply with the most ease to be sewn down to the feed.

Zippers are sewn first one direction and then the other. Unless fabric is fused, it has give; zipper tapes have almost no give.

Laying the ply with the most ease down to the feed enables the feed dog to ease in the slight stretch in the bottom ply, allowing the two or more plies to be sewn together correctly. This is why industry sews zippers first one direction and then the other.  Zipper tapes have almost no ease, making it almost impossible to sew a zipper correctly to a seam allowance if the zipper is down to the feed.

Here are the six high-end zipper sets used in the industry. All 215 884 7065 to order this book.

 

All zipper sets are also in Sewing Techniques from the Fashion Industry.

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Laurel@CFashionEdu.com
215 884 7065
© Laurel Hoffmann, 2020

 

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