APPAREL MANUFACTURING – II 3(3+0)

Lesson 35 : Alternative Methods of Joining Materials

Introduction

Over the years, many attempts have been made to join normal garment seams by method other than sewing, usually using some means of sealing or sticking the seam. A large proportion of seams used in garment construction are superimposed seams and when sewn with correct selection of stitch type and sewing thread these can be made adequately strong for a particular fabric and garment end use. When this type of seam is joined with any kind of adhesive or some method of melting a thermoplastic fiber fabric and bonding the material together, the seam may easily pull apart. Further properties of sealed or adhesive seams also cause problems.

The seams tend to be less flexible and have less stretch and recovery than sewn seams and both these problems can cause the seam to break down. All these difficulties however do not mean that there is no scope for using such methods of construction. There use is limited but very important where it is used. The main areas of use are:

1. The welding of decorative motifs to garments
2. The sealing of edges of sewn garments parts and other garment components to prevent fraying and avoid the need for additional sewing.
3. The water proofing of previously sewn seams in garments made from waterproof materials
4. The attachment of garment parts by means of adhesives where subsequent stitching, such as topstitching will prevent parts from peeling apart.