How to Grade Standard Sewing Seams

Grade seam allowances to eliminate ridges and create professional looking garments.

Most likely one of the biggest fears of a home sewer is making a garment that looks homemade. It's the small details and extra effort that give sewn-at-home garments a professional couture appearance. One technique is through grading seams. Grading layers of heavy fabrics such as wool, canvas and duck in the seam allowance reduces bulk in the finished garment. The process involves trimming layers of fabric narrower than the previous one, resulting in a flat seam.

Things You'll Need

• Iron
• Ironing board
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Stitch a straight seam through all layers of fabric and interfacing of the article you're constructing. In general, a standard seam is one where the right sides of fabric are placed together and a 5/8-inch seam is sewn along the raw edges of the fabric using a straight stitch.

2. Press the seam allowance in one direction. Pressing a seam sets the stitches and helps the garment maintain a professional look. Pressed seams are also easier to manage.

3. Trim one layer of the seam allowance 1/8-inch from the seam line. Trim the next layer of the fabric seam allowance, interfacing or lining half the distance from the previous layer. Continue the same process with the remaining layers, cutting the seam allowance of each layer to a different width, thereby creating a staggered-layered effect. Press the seam flat when complete.

Resources

• The North Weft Territory Alliance: Stitches and Seams Techniques