Other causes of puckering

Uneven feeding and pulling during sewing can lead to unwanted puckering of the seam. Manual processes are subjective and therefore not reproducible. This can be remedied by additional machine equipment, which can be provided by the respective machine manufacturers depending on the machine type and class.

Particular attention should be paid to the coordination between the machine and the material. For example, if the top feed is set too slow or too fast, a puckered seam can easily occur. When piping edges or sewing in zips, it is also quickly apparent if the piping tension has been set too tight. See also the following image.

Some fabrics that are prone to puckering cannot tolerate multiple topstitched seams. This exacerbates the issues of tension and displacement puckering. The only way to achieve a smooth seam appearance is to omit any topstitching. See the photos below.

In the case of non-congruent seam lines, such as the Viennese seam or sleeve insertion seams, pucker-free topstitching is technically not possible. In this case, it makes most sense to avoid topstitching. Where topstitching is still desired, it is recommended to stitch as close as possible to the closing seam, where the excess fabric is still as small as possible.

The same applies to hems on curved cut edges ( curved hems, etc.). One way to achieve pucker-free seams in such cases is to bind the edges with a matching facing.

If seam puckering occurs due to the properties of the outer fabric, such as density, weave, raw material or finish, sewing tests prior to production are strongly recommended. This is the only way to determine whether this material can be processed to achieve the desired look.