National Institute of Fashion

Technology, Navi Mumbai

SPME-2

SEAM
PUCKERING

Ishika Malu

BFT/19/62

SEMESTER 4

BACHELOR’S OF FASHION TECHNOLOGY

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Overview
Seam puckering refers to the gathering of a seam during sewing, after sewing, or after
laundering, causing an unacceptable seam appearance. Seam puckering is more common on
woven fabrics than knits, and it is prominent on tightly woven fabrics.

The gathering effect of fabric along the seam line is known as the seam puckering problem. It is
the most common problem of the garments manufacturer which sewing the garments. The
problem is not the only concern of garments manufacturer, but also a concern of fabric finisher,
sewing machine manufacturer, and sewing thread manufacturer. That’s why, today I would like
to discuss the seam puckering problem in garments.

It is one of the most aggravating and persistent problems encountered while making fine seams
in woven or knitted fabrics.

Since the thread is an essential part of any seam, it is often blamed for creating seam pucker.
There are, however, other contributing factors which include fabric structure, seam construction,
thread/needle size, and feeding problems – both mechanical and operator-induced.

Most puckering is the result of a combination of many causes, which are explained in this
bulletin post, along with tests to identify them and their corresponding solutions.

Puckering is usually caused by one or more of the following

conditions:
1. Yarn Displacement (structural jamming of fabric yarns).

2. Tension Puckering (excessive thread tension and recovery).

3. Machine Puckering (uneven ply feeding).

4. Shrinkage (where seam components have differential shrinkage).

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Factor Responsibility for Seam Puckering Problem:

1. Weave / Construction of fabric

2. Types of fabric

3. Types of sewing thread

4. Types of sewing machine

5. Tension of sewing thread

6. Stretch applied on fabric

7. Shrinkage of sewing thread and fabric

8. Feeding mechanism

9. Stitching condition

10. Sewing thread behavior

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Tension Pucker
Occurs due to: incorrect sewing tension

Cause
Tension pucker is caused while sewing with too much tension, thereby causing a stretch
in the thread. After sewing, the thread relaxes. As it attempts to recover its original
length, it gathers up the seam, causing the pucker, which cannot be immediately seen;
and maybe noticeable at a later stage.

Tension is also referred to as seam shrinkage or thread relaxation pucker.

Test to identify
Carefully cut both the top and bottom threads of all stitches along a few centimeters of
the seam, without distorting the thread loops in the fabric. If the pucker is relieved over
this length, then it was caused by thread tensions.

Solution
• Reduce the tension applied to the thread while it is being wound onto the lock
stitch bobbin.

• Set the needle thread tension to be as light as possible while achieving a

balanced stitch at the same time. This will reduce the amount of puckering while the
thread is stretched and improve the sewability.

• Use a high-quality sewing thread with a low-friction lubricant applied to it. This
will allow the thread to run smoothly through the thread guides and tension controls.

• Use a high-quality sewing thread with even unwinding tension for the smooth
flow of thread to the sewing area.
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• Ensure that the sewing machine feed timing is correctly set, as incorrect feed
timing can lead to the need to apply excessive tension to the needle thread. Incorrect
timing may lead to an imbalanced stitch.

Inherent Pucker
Occurs due to structural jamming

Cause
If the fabric is densely woven, there may be insufficient space to accommodate a sewing
thread without distorting the woven yarns. Stitching along a straight line will distort and
stretch the adjacent fabric yarn(s), setting up stresses which cause the seam to pucker.
This is known as structural jamming or inherent pucker.

The severity of this condition depends primarily on the characteristics of the fabric fiber,
the closeness of the weave or knit, and the fabric finish.

Relatively coarse fabrics of natural fibers are less likely to experience inherent pucker
than tightly woven synthetics, delicate microfibres, or fabric with pucker-sensitive
finishes or treatments.

Test to identify
Carefully cut and remove the stitches in a short length of the seam, after first checking
for the tension pucker. If both faces of the seam revert to a smooth surface, structural
jamming has occurred.

Solution
• Cut and sew on the bias when possible. By sewing at a biased angle, the needle
displaces different sets of warp and weft yarns, thereby significantly reducing the
incidence of pucker.

• Opt for finer needle and thread sizes.

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• Reduce the stitch density (stitches per inch), thereby reducing the yarn
displaced in the stitch line.

• A chain stitch or an overedge stitch will produce less structural jamming than a
lock stitch.

• Avoid multiple rows of stitching which causes more pucker because the stresses
in each row are cumulative.

• Use the finest thread size possible to assemble the panels before the
topstitching operation when topstitching a seam.

Pucker caused by fabric and thread instability

Occurs due to dimensional change in fabric and thread

Cause
Dimensional changes in thread or fabrics during post-sewing treatments or washing can
cause pucker, primarily because threads and fabrics react to these processes differently.

For example, soft cotton threads increase in diameter and shorten in length when wet, as
they absorb moisture. This can distort the fabric. Even though the thread may return to
nearly original dimensions when dry, the fabric can remain puckered.

Test to identify
As such, there is no accurate scientific method to determine this type of pucker.
However, a trained eye can find the pucker with a simple visual check – the pucker will
appear on the garment after treatment/ finish or washing.

Solution
• The best way to avoid this kind of pucker is by using synthetic threads with low
wet shrinkage properties. Also, ensure that all components of the garment are
compatible. For example, if a lining or reinforcing tape shrinks more than the base fabric,
the base fabric will pucker along the stitch line.
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• Similarly, if two pieces of material with different extensions are stretched

during sewing, different relaxations can cause seam pucker on one face of the
composite.

Feed Pucker
Occurs due to poorly controlled fabric feed

Cause
When two plies of material are not fed uniformly, the variations are held captive by the
stitches and cause feed pucker

It generally occurs:

• If the foot pressure on the machine is too high, excessive friction can stretch the
top ply. If the foot pressure is too low, the foot can bounce, momentarily losing control of
both plies.

• When the operator stretches one-ply more than the other as they are fed into the
machine.

• Many seams exhibit both conditions when the operator attempts to correct the
unequal feeding of the fabric into the machine.

Test to identify
Make two cuts across the seam, and then remove all sewing threads between the cuts. If
one ply is longer than the other, then the pucker has been caused by unequal feeding.

Solution
• Use a low friction presser foot

• Adjust presser foot for optimum pressure, whilst still achieving positive and even
feed of the fabric
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• Raise the back of the feed dog slightly to create a pulling effect away from the
needle

• Check the feed dog for correct height, teeth per inch, and number of rows of teeth
that are appropriate for the particular fabric and operation

• Make sure the operator is not holding back on either the top or bottom ply

• Check for fabric hanging in any folders that may be in use

• Match up feed and foot

• The throat plate and presser foot should have needle holes approximately twice
the size of the needle

• If the machine has both top and bottom feeders, ensure that the timing is correct
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Prevention of Seam Puckering

Thread Tension
If a thread is sewn into the seam with excessive machine thread tension, the thread will
try to recover or return to its original length. This will cause the seam to pucker
immediately as the seam comes out from under the presser foot. Excessive thread
tension during sewing will not only cause puckered seams but also cause other sewing
problems including thread breakage and skipped stitches (A&E, 2010). Properly
maintaining under thread and needle thread keep relaxation pucker away. In a lockstitch
machine, the bobbin thread tension should be considered as a basis for the thread
tension setting. While using finer sewing threads, the thread tension should be set as low
as 20cN. The needle tension should be set approx. 2 to 3 times higher than that of the
bobbin thread. Basic thing is that needle thread and bobbin thread tension must ensure
that their interlocking takes place in the middle of the fabric. Maintaining proper tension
during winding of sewing thread onto the bobbin helps in minimizing relaxation pucker. It
is to have ensued that bobbin is evenly filled and thread is freely withdrawn for
trouble-free sewing. Uneven and carelessly wound bobbins provide uneven under thread
tension, which ultimately causes relaxation pucker (Rao, 2006). For sewing fine fabrics,
you can use the following thread tension values for a rough calculation:

Pressure Foot Pressure

Correctly adjusting pressure foot pressure minimizes the risk of transportation pucker.
Use the minimum presser foot pressure that will maintain uniform feeding. Make sure
the presser foot is clamping the fabric properly both in front and back of the needle.
When the feed is up and moving the fabric, the seam should be clamped by the entire
bottom surface of the presser foot. This can be checked by inserting a piece of paper
under the foot from different angles and observing if the foot is clamping the fabric
properly (A & E, 2010).

Feed Dog Setting

Proper feed dog setting helps in minimizing transportation pucker.
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The height of the feed dog is to be adjusted according to the type of fabric and its
weight.

Deep pile fabric requires feed dog to stand high to ensure proper feeding of fabric.

Lightweight smooth fabric requires feed dog to stand low so that pressure on the
pressure foot can be reduced to minimize the risk of transportation pucker (Rao, 2006).

To reduce the feed pucker use the floating presser foot. With this system, only the
sewing foot itself – and not the entire presser foot system – has to be moved together
with the feed dog lift. This makes it possible to work with much lower pressure. This
method also allows much higher sewing speeds, because of the much lower inertia of
the moving parts(Aman Group, n.d).

Throat Plate
Proper setting of throat plate helps in minimizing the transportation pucker and damage
to the fabric.

Stitch Length
Maintaining optimum stitch length helps in minimizing the risk of relaxation as well as
displacement puckers. It is observed that excessive stitch length is also one of the
reasons for relaxation pucker. When low stitches/inch (SPI) i.e.more stitch length is set,
there is excessive tension around the stitch holes.

Fabric Thickness
The thickness of fabric directly influences the sewing thread storage in the seam and
consequently the ability of sewing thread to adapt to the fabric. More thread storage
inseam offers better elastic characteristics to the seam, which ultimately helps in
reducing the relaxation pucker.

Thread and Needle Size

Thread and needle size should be according to the type of fabric used. If the needlepoint
is damage, may cause the seam puckering.
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Thread Shrinkage
A sewing thread should possess the same shrinkage property as the fabric into which it
is stitched. If the sewing thread used is dimensionally unstable in washing or wetting or
permanent pressing or hot box laundering, then the seam pucker may be visible due to
sewing thread shrinkage. This problem mainly arises when the cotton thread is used. To
avoid this type of defect, it is better to use spun polyester threads which are
dimensionally stable in washing, wetting, and at temperature up to 150

Cotton thread with special finishes may also be used. If cotton threads are required to
use, a slight looseness of stitches is necessary to compensate for thread shrinkage
when wet.

Mismatched Patterns
Seam puckering will create when two different size patterns are sewn together.

The designer is responsible for this. But can be occurred due to the wrong selection of
patterns.

Operator Negligence
The casualness of the operator restricts the fabric from flowing smoothly through the
machine and such unnecessary restricted movement, results in puckering. The operator
must be able to control all the work elements related to his job. This includes positioning
the fabric, guiding the fabric, accelerating the machine, extracting the fabric (Rao, 2006).
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Pucker caused by fabric and

thread instability
Dimensional changes in thread or fabrics during post-sewing treatments or washing can
cause pucker, primarily because threads and fabrics react to these processes differently.
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FEED PUCKER
When two plies of material are not fed uniformly, the variations are held captive by the
stitches and cause feed pucker

It generally occurs:

• If the foot pressure on the machine is too high, excessive friction can stretch the
top ply. If the foot pressure is too low, the foot can bounce, momentarily losing control of
both plies.

• When the operator stretches one-ply more than the other as they are fed into the
machine.

• Many seams exhibit both conditions when the operator attempts to correct the
unequal feeding of the fabric into the machine.
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TENSION PUCKER
Tension pucker is caused while sewing with too much tension, thereby causing a stretch
in the thread. After sewing, the thread relaxes. As it attempts to recover its original
length, it gathers up the seam, causing the pucker, which cannot be immediately seen;
and maybe noticeable at a later stage.

Tension is also referred to as seam shrinkage or thread relaxation pucker.

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TENSION PUCKER
Tension pucker is caused while sewing with too much tension, thereby causing a stretch
in the thread. After sewing, the thread relaxes. As it attempts to recover its original
length, it gathers up the seam, causing the pucker, which cannot be immediately seen;
and maybe noticeable at a later stage.

Tension is also referred to as seam shrinkage or thread relaxation pucker.

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INHERENT PUCKERING
If the fabric is densely woven, there may be insufficient space to accommodate a sewing
thread without distorting the woven yarns. Stitching along a straight line will distort and
stretch the adjacent fabric yarn(s), setting up stresses which cause the seam to pucker.
This is known as structural jamming or inherent pucker.

The severity of this condition depends primarily on the characteristics of the fabric fiber,
the closeness of the weave or knit, and the fabric finish.

Relatively coarse fabrics of natural fibers are less likely to experience inherent pucker
than tightly woven synthetics, delicate microfibres, or fabric with pucker-sensitive
finishes or treatments.