The Sewing Place

French, normal or Flat Felled

Gernella

French, normal or Flat Felled
« on: July 31, 2017, 11:36:17 AM »
I've finally decided to get round to this pattern. 

http://www.sewdirect.com/acatalog/McCalls-M7365.html

I could have got the fabric  suggested or similar but in the end I've gone for linen/cotton mix, which will have slightly more body.  I'm going for C, and they indicate some seams are French, which would be okay with voile but with linen mix, would either normal or flat felled be more suitable?
Stash extension 2024- 6.1 meters
Left at the end of 2023 - 66 meters now (includes fabric found hidden out of sight)  Lining fabric not included

b15erk

Re: French, normal or Flat Felled
« Reply #1 on: July 31, 2017, 11:40:04 AM »
G, try a sample.  Sometimes it's difficult to tell unless you are using the fashion fabric.  I'm sure either will look stunning!  It's a lovely pattern.

Jessie
Jessie, who is very happy to be here!!  :),  but who has far too many sewing machines to be healthy, and a fabric stash which is becoming embarrassing.

arrow

Re: French, normal or Flat Felled
« Reply #2 on: July 31, 2017, 12:23:58 PM »
I think either seam should work. The jacket in the picture looks almost like a sheer blouse or shirt.

French seams (does anybody know why it's French by the way?) are easier, but makes a flap we have to iron down and in some cases I lean towards something that automatically stays flat or firmly in one place.

Flat felled seams are very neat and with light weight fabrics can be a  must. It can be the best way to enforce the fabric and seam to make it hold up. This is the type of seam I find the most work, but I like the result. I need to practice more.

With a regular seam (depending upon what you think if as regular), there usually has to be some sort of binding to prevent fraying and make it look neat, or it's folding the eges over. If the binding is done well and in the right material it can be nicer than a French seam, but either can work perfectly. A light weight woven linen is bound to fray?
« Last Edit: July 31, 2017, 14:40:21 PM by arrow »

Ohsewsimple

Re: French, normal or Flat Felled
« Reply #3 on: July 31, 2017, 14:11:36 PM »
I guess French seams are suggested because of the lightweight fabric used in the photo. I think they would be too bulky in a linen mix.  I think flat felled would be nice but normal......whatever you,re thinking......would be fine!

Ploshkin

Re: French, normal or Flat Felled
« Reply #4 on: July 31, 2017, 16:07:43 PM »
With a linen type fabric I would use a mock flat fell seam i.e. use zig zag or overclocking to finish the seam allowances together, press to one side and top stitch.
Life's too short for ironing.

BrendaP

Re: French, normal or Flat Felled
« Reply #5 on: July 31, 2017, 16:46:05 PM »
Flat felled seams down the length of a sleeve might be a bit tricky - depending on teh width of the sleeve you might need to do some of the top stitching from the arm scye down and the rest from the cuff up.

The shirt I'm wearing now (made for the White Sewalong) has mock felled seams; 4 thread overlock on seam line, pressed to one side and then stitched down.  I did manage to do those sleeve seams in one pass.
Brenda.  My machines are: Corona, a 1953 Singer 201K-3, Caroline, a 1940 Singer 201K-3, Thirza, 1949 Singer 221K, Azilia, 1957 Singer 201K-MK2 and Vera, a Husqvarna 350 SewEasy about 20 years old. Also Bernina 1150 overlocker and Elna 444 Coverstitcher.
http://paternoster.orpheusweb.co.

Catllar

Re: French, normal or Flat Felled
« Reply #6 on: July 31, 2017, 17:36:10 PM »
Over here in France, French seams are called English Seams - coutures anglaises! Funny innit?
If life gives you lemons, add to gin and tonic !

SkoutSews

Re: French, normal or Flat Felled
« Reply #7 on: July 31, 2017, 18:29:43 PM »
A long time ago I remember being told that these expressions came about in time of war.  Something strange was explained as being the sort of thing the enemy would do.  Hence back to front seams are French seams, something badly made is Gerry built, and gin is Dutch courage.  There are other examples, but those were the ones which sprang to mind.

arrow

Re: French, normal or Flat Felled
« Reply #8 on: July 31, 2017, 19:59:05 PM »
Very odd thing Catlar, I didin't know. There are a few expressions like these SkoutSews, but didnt know about Dutch currage, or Gerry made being a bad thing. German made to me leans towards well made, at least cars, sewing machines, thread, even their chocolate and white wine lol

I always wondered why the common brown rat is called rattus norvegicus. I know there are ethymological explanations for this, I have a dictionary for Norwegian words, maybe I should get an ethymological dictionary for English words too ;- )



 

elephun

Re: French, normal or Flat Felled
« Reply #9 on: July 31, 2017, 21:18:24 PM »
I knew about the French/English seams, but hadn't thought much about the other phrases mentioned.

In the US, people talk about things being jerry-rigged or jury-rigged. I haven't heard gerry-built, but it seems so close to the other two. It never occurred to me that these could be connected to wartime and Germans, but it certainly seems like a possibility. I found this interesting web page talking about several possible origins of the phrase(s). Really interesting stuff.

SkoutSews

Re: French, normal or Flat Felled
« Reply #10 on: July 31, 2017, 22:01:20 PM »
It had more to do with propaganda and nationalistic sentiment than truth or logic, no doubt.

elephun

Re: French, normal or Flat Felled
« Reply #11 on: August 01, 2017, 03:18:34 AM »
I sometimes see "American sleeve" tops when I'm looking at patterns from various countries around the world. Of course, I couldn't find any right now to use as an example, but I did find this top from Japan with American sleeves: https://global.rakuten.com/en/store/kawa/item/wft02934/

It was a little surprising the first couple of times I saw the name, since I don't think that kind of a cut has a special name in the US. I've been wrong many times before, though  ;)  Maybe people in the US call them American, too, and I'm out of the loop?

SkoutSews

Re: French, normal or Flat Felled
« Reply #12 on: August 01, 2017, 09:46:33 AM »
I always wondered why the common brown rat is called rattus norvegicus. I know there are ethymological explanations for this, I have a dictionary for Norwegian words, maybe I should get an ethymological dictionary for English words too ;- )
More school memories coming back....rats!  Black rats were native to the UK and carried the flea that, in turn, carried the plague virus.  One of the factors in the disappearance of plague was the larger brown rat coming across to the UK and displacing the smaller indigenous rat.  Maybe they came from Scandinavia?
Sorry, this is miles off topic and nothing to do with seams, french, flat-felled or normal  :[

Bodgeitandscarper

Re: French, normal or Flat Felled
« Reply #13 on: August 01, 2017, 10:35:27 AM »
I would say that as their fabric is see through, that is the reason it has French seams.  with a non-see though fabric, I would have thought you could do any seam you like.
And I love the language lesson here too  :)

Gernella

Re: French, normal or Flat Felled
« Reply #14 on: August 01, 2017, 11:19:25 AM »

And I love the language lesson here too  :)

That's women for you, love to go off piste.

Since it's unlined I think I might go with both dependant on where.  The last flat felled I did was with thick fabric so this  should be a piece of cake (famous last words).   
Stash extension 2024- 6.1 meters
Left at the end of 2023 - 66 meters now (includes fabric found hidden out of sight)  Lining fabric not included