Q&A
By Marla Stefanelli
I'm making a flannel shirt for my brother, but I can't sew a flat-fell seam all the way around the armhole like on ready-to-wear shirts. I also have this problem with jean legs.
Bettyjune A.,
Sellersville, PA
The trick to sewing the armhole flat-fell seam is to set in the sleeve flat before sewing the underarm and side seams.
With right sides together, stitch the shirt front and back together only at the shoulders; add the collar.
Sew the sleeve cap to the armseye with right sides together; press the seam toward the shirt body.Trim the seam allowance that lies next to the garment to 1/4", then fold the remaining seam allowance over the trimmed allowance, encasing the raw edges and pin in place.Topstitch close to the folded edge through all the layers. Sew the side and underarm seam in a long continuous seam.The fell will be on the garment wrong side.
To give the look of a felled seam without the bulk of encasing the seam allowance, sew the seam and trim to 3/8". Zigzag or serge the raw edges together then press the seam toward the shirt and pin to secure. From the right side topstitch the seam allowances in place, 1/4" from the seamline.
The same method is used for pants--sew the flat-fell seam before sewing the outer leg seam. For pants, sew the first part of the fell seam with the wrong sides together so the fell will be on the pant's right side.
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