Taking In a Seam...Details
#1
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Mendocino Coast, CA
Posts: 5,012
Taking In a Seam...Details
When you take in a seam on a block, do you take out the old stitching? Do you re-trim that seam allowance? Do you make other adjustments so that the points look correct? What other factors do you consider when taking in a seam?
#2
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Southern USA
Posts: 16,515
If the seam is sewn to be wider then the first stitching then I don't take it out. Sometimes I will take a narrower seam to get a block to line up or not to lose a point. When I take a narrow seam I alway use fusible on the back of the seam allowance to be sure the seam does not pull apart. There are lots of fudge tips and tricks to use. Most I have picked up in classes over the years.
#4
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: The Deep South near Cajun Country, USA
Posts: 5,435
If the old seam is in the new seam allowance and I don't lose points or such, it stays in. Unless, it is a seam where a bunch are meeting and the bulk is too much. It's pretty much a personal choice. Now, if I have fabric that is tending to fray too much, I have been known to sew a wavy seam within the seam allowance to try to stabilize the fabric. And it works for me.
#7
most often I take it out.by insuring both sides meet up at 1/4" I can insure a perfect seam. I am the first one to admit that my seams are often off . My problem is making them to narrow so w hen they are narrow I will leave the thread in place and sew over to make the seams the right side. Either way getting that perfect 1/4" is the challenge. My seam ripper is always at my side.
#8
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 1,866
When making a Lone Star quilt, I had take in a few short sections of seams to get intersections to match exactly. Typically, the new seam would be only about 1 mm over from the original. I tied off the ends of the new seam and left the old seam alone. (I tapered both ends of the new seam into the old seam.) I ironed my seams open, and I was still happy with how flat it was. (I suppose that if I looked at just right spots there are very small areas with more than 2 layers of fabric, but when it's only 1 mm wide, it is hard to notice.)