Seaming crocheted garment

[Horsy]

Suppose you are making (which I am) a 5-piece garment.  That means the segments must be sewn together.  Suppose, further, that it has set-in sleeves, just to make things more interesting. 

Now, suppose that the edges of all these pieces are thin and weak because they consist of chain-3's all the way.  (Normally, I would make this turning  stronger by substituting: SC, then SC once again into the vertical part of that first SC, but this did not work with this particular thick 'n' thin yarn).    

What to do, what to do.  Has anyone ever been faced with this? I can't see making a good seam by connecting 2 weak edges together. Thanks! 

Edited February 25, 2022 by Horsy

[Granny Square]

There are garments that consist of mostly mesh fabric  (thinking of a beach cover-up for example). So all the connections holding the very fabric together are 'weak', too. 

The seams that need to be the strongest would be the shoulder seams, because the whole garment hangs off of them when you wear it, or put it on a hanger.  I would probably slip stitch these together (right sides together, so the seam is on the inside, it will still show on the outside but won't be 'sticking out').  Same with the set-in sleeves, these are the second-most "need to be sturdy" seams for a top because people 'strain' these seams when they move their arms.  I think the only seam I've ever had fail in a woven fabric upper garment has been in the sleeve area.  

A purchased mesh (or any) garment is going to have seams that will 'show', so having seams show at the shoulder and sleeve or even sides will not cause anyone to blink an eye.  Or, at least that's my way of looking at it, and I would not hesitate to do it this way unless what I'm going to describe in the following paragraph wouldn't work for some reason.

The side seams have the least 'need' to be sturdy.  I'm may make you cringe with my next sentence, unless you haven't started the project yet.  I don't think I have ever crocheted a garment that had a front, back, and 2 sleeves (or a cardigan with 2 fronts) without making it in 1 piece up to the armpits--even if it says to make it in 2 pieces. (I usually don't bother with waist shaping, I'm, um, not a runway model...)  I work a pullover armpit-up front and back in a turned tube (turning at what would be one of the underarm seams, because again, that's where you'd expect a 'seam' to be--and it's unlikely for someone to notice there's no seam on the other side).  Or, a turned rectangle if it's a cardigan, and for either working the fronts and back armpit up.  You have to pay attention that your armpit-up stitches are oriented to continue in the same way (without interruption) where the transition line is, so it is a good idea to put a marker in the right side.

There is a way to work sleeves into an armhole, it's called 'contiguous' sleeves, where you pick up stitches at the top of the armhole and work across, back and forth, 'picking up' stitches at each side as you work to the armpit, then work in a tube.  Basically you follow the sleeve head pattern top-down except slst into the side of the armhole at each side, and then work in a (turned) tube from there, following the increase pattern in reverse as decreases if the sleeve was written to work cuff up flat.

I hope all that makes sense.

 

 

 

[Horsy]

 I don't think I have ever crocheted a garment that had a front, back, and 2 sleeves (or a cardigan with 2 fronts) without making it in 1 piece up to the armpits

What might be the benefits of doing it this way (as opposed to following instructions to make 5 separate pieces for a cardigan)?  I am not as experienced as you and don't find it a burden to make 2 panels for the front and then sew them on to the back.  With set-in sleeves I need someone to do my thinking for me, as I have only ever crocheted a few of these kinds of garments.  I have to place my work in front of me and read your comments and see what I can figure out for future projects of this  kind.   I've completed the back of my short sleeved cardigan so far with standard-issue shaping of neckline and armholes. 

Further response to come! ☺️  

 

😊😊

Edited February 27, 2022 by Horsy

[Granny Square]

Avoiding seaming, mostly.  I don't HATE seaming, but I'd rather work around it if feasible.  I also knit more sweaters than crochet them, and you don't have the stitch bias in knitting like you would with crocheting in the round same side facing.  Plus, I'd be doubly inspired to avoid side seams in a mesh 'body tube' just by the nature of the fabric and (I'm guessing) the bias might be less obvious in mesh than with solid fabric.

[Horsy]

You sure are on the right track if you are knitting more sweaters than crocheting.  Knitting produces a flatter, more woven-like fabric so it's  going to be less problematical when you are trying to shape something to wear, whereas crocheting is a series of lumpy little knots, so crocheted garments could be said to be in the funky, slightly offbeat, quirky category, so there's that, anyway.  However, there sure are a LOT of ugly crochet designs around.  So when I find a pattern for something designed by a pro, I have an urge to take a crack at it.  

[Horsy]

The seams that need to be the strongest would be the shoulder seams, because the whole garment hangs off of them when you wear it, or put it on a hanger.  I would probably slip stitch these together (right sides together, so the seam is on the inside, it will still show on the outside but won't be 'sticking out').  Same with the set-in sleeves, these are the second-most "need to be sturdy" seams for a top because people 'strain' these seams when they move their arms.  I think the only seam I've ever had fail in a woven fabric upper garment has been in the sleeve area.  

I forgot to thank you for the above advice.  

 

[Granny Square]

You're welcome, no problem! 

I've been machine sewing my own clothes since middle school and learned to crochet and knit in early high school (we won't talk about what reunion of mine is coming up  ) and I've picked up a lot of clothing construction 'stuff' along the way.  Not claiming to be an expert, just have run across a lot of situations.