SEWING Accent wool crepe with welt seams to create '60s style

The treatment gives a clean, decorative line to garments.
By SUSAN KHALJE
SCRIPPS HOWARD
A student called me the other day and mentioned that she was interested in sewing a garment with wool crepe. It's one of my favorite fabrics, and I started thinking about what she should do with it. Later, paging through a fashion magazine, I saw a shift with welt seams, and thought how perfectly its design and that particular decorative seam treatment would work with my student's wool crepe.
I always think of the '60s when I think of welt seams -- those clean, Jackie Kennedy-inspired fashions whose design lines were so often highlighted with seam treatments. A welt seam is a seam treatment in which a row of machine stitching parallels the seam line.
Generally, there is a single row of decorative stitching to one side of the seam line, or there can be two rows, one on either side of the seam line. A somewhat padded, three-dimensional result is achieved by pressing both seam allowances to one side, so that the decorative stitching goes through three layers (the fashion fabric plus the two seam allowances).
Or, the seam allowances can be pressed open, and the stitching can go through 2 layers (the fashion fabric and the seam allowance). A little strip of fabric can be sandwiched between the fashion fabric and the seam allowance for a little extra loft, making the effect even more pronounced. And one clear advantage, beyond the decorative, is that seam allowances stay perfectly in place.
Thread choices
Naturally, the choice of thread and the size of the topstitching have an effect. Buttonhole twist is a great choice, especially in a contrasting color. And the stitches can be lengthened, too. One trick I learned from my sewing colleague Roberta Carr is to adjust the bobbin thread so that it shows through on the right side of the garment. If you're applying white topstitching to navy blue fabric, for example, use white thread with a navy blue bobbin thread.
Adjust the sewing machine's tension so that the bobbin thread appears on the surface on the fabric -- the tiny bit of navy thread between each stitch gives the effect of separating the white stitches.
And don't get too enthusiastic with your pressing -- you don't want to flatten the loft you've created. And if you're having any trouble with layers that shift as you stitch, either use a walking foot or do a little hand basting to keep all the layers in place. Otherwise, drag lines will appear and spoil the effect of your cleanly accented seam line.