How to Make a Dress Shirt Sleeve Seam
Dress shirt quality lies in the details, specifically the stitching details. While the side seams of a dress shirt's body aren't necessarily constructed using flat-felled seams, flat-felled seams are commonly used at the shoulder seams and around the armhole. The finished seam is strong and no raw seam edges show, giving the dress shirt a professional tailored appearance inside and out.
Instructions
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1
Pin the wrong sides of the shirt's front and back pattern pieces together at the shoulders, matching any notches. Stitch a 5/8-inch seam along the shirt's shoulder seams. Press the seam toward the inside of the shirt. Open the newly joined pieces and press again.
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2
Trim only the inner seam allowance of the seam to 1/8 inch from the original shoulder seam. Encase the raw seam of trimmed allowance by turning the longer allowance under, then over the trimmed allowance close to the seamline, concealing the raw edges underneath. Pin the encasement and press. Stitch the folded edge to the shirt close to the edge of the fold. This is a flat-felled seam. Stitch the shirt's body together at the sides using a 5/8-inch stitch, leaving the sleeve opening untouched.
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3
Create a flat-felled seam at the armhole after stitching a 5/8-inch straight seam along the shirt's sleeve edges, wrong side together. Ease the sleeve into the shirt's sleeve opening. Baste and stitch a plain seam along the curved edge of the sleeve. Clip the curved edges to make stitching easier and to help the seam lie flat. Press the seam away from the shoulder seam. Trim the lower seam allowance 1/8 inch from the seam line. Encase the raw seam by turning the longer allowance under, then over the raw edges of the trimmed allowance. Pin and press. Stitch around the armhole close to the folded edge of the flat-felled seam of the armhole.
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References
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