Hello,
The seat seam is ripping open under fairly extreme movement e.g. lifting foot right up to put a shoe on, crouching right down. They feel completely comfortable otherwise and look good.
Following Rory's comment on a video (can't remember which!) I always use weakish cotton thread so the cloth never rips. However should I be either making an alteration here, or using stronger thread?
Thanks!
Robbie
I had the same problem with a pair of trousers earlier this year. I ended up reinforcing the machined seam with a row of hand-stitching. I used thicker, cotton thread: Guterman 30 wt (though it might have been 12 wt, I can't remember). It's sometimes referred to as 'Sulky' (a type of embroidery thread, apparently). I used stem stitch. It's the same as back stitch, but done from the other side of the cloth (so to speak), which allows one to direct the thread and make a neater job of it. Outline stitch is the same, but the thread is directed from above, rather than below (check some youtube vids and you'll see what I mean). Which one you use depends on any curvature. You direct the thread in the opposite direction to a curve in the seam, otherwise the end row of stitching will have an angular look. Hand-sewing supposedly has more give, which was my reasoning for doing the above. It worked, but the material was quite sturdy (cotton drill). Might simply be better to add a little more ease across the seat. Or stay the seam and use stronger machine thread?