The finishing styles
3 Types of Vehicle Upholstery Closures: Flat Felled Seam, Double Top Stitch Seam, and Piping
When it comes to vehicle upholstery, how the fabric edges are joined plays a significant role in both durability and design. The right seam not only enhances the appearance of the vehicle interior but also contributes to its long-term performance. In this post, we’ll explore three common types of vehicle upholstery closures: flat felled seams, double top stitch seams, and piping.
1. Flat Felled Seam
The flat felled seam is a popular choice in vehicle upholstery for its durability and clean finish. This technique involves folding the raw fabric edges over each other and stitching them down, creating a strong, smooth joint. It's ideal for areas of the vehicle that experience heavy use, such as seat cushions, side panels, or any part of the upholstery that is exposed to friction.
The key advantage of the flat felled seam is that it conceals the raw edges inside, offering a neat appearance while preventing fabric fraying. This provides both an aesthetic benefit and practical durability, ensuring that the upholstery withstands the test of time.
2. French Seam / Double Top Stitch
The upholstery world calls it French seam when it shouldn’t as the real French seam is quite different.
The double top stitch seam is widely used in vehicle upholstery for its polished, professional look. This technique involves two parallel rows of stitching placed on either side of the seam, creating a finished, symmetrical appearance. It’s often used on visible seams where aesthetics are just as important as functionality, such as along the edges of seats, armrests, or trim.
The double top stitch offers a clean, decorative finish that emphasizes the lines and contours of the upholstery. This seam is ideal for high-visibility areas where you want to add a refined, tailored look to the interior.
3. Piping
Piping is another decorative yet functional element commonly used in vehicle upholstery. It involves encasing a strip of cord (the welt) in fabric, then sewing it into the seams. Piping is often used to accentuate the edges of seats, cushions, or panels, adding a sharp, tailored finish to the upholstery.
It is a staple mark if you want a vintage or timeless design in your car or camper.
In addition to creting a more structured, clean look, especially when used to highlight the contours of seats or other upholstery features, piping can be customised in a range of colors to either complement or contrast the upholstery fabric, adding a sophisticated detail that enhances the vehicle’s interior design.
Conclusion
The choice of seam in vehicle upholstery is crucial not only for the durability of the material but also for the overall design of the interior. Whether it's the strong and durable flat felled seam, the visually striking double top stitch seam, or the elegant, structured piping, each technique offers unique benefits. Understanding these options allows upholsterers to select the best method for creating a high-quality, stylish, and long-lasting finish.
