Felled seam, or flat-fell seam, is a seam made by placing one edge inside a folded edge of fabric, then stitching the fold down. The fold encases the raw edges protects them from fraying. The fold may be secured with a

topstitch Topstitching is a sewing Sewing is the craft of fastening or attaching objects using stitches made with a sewing needle and thread. Sewing is one of the oldest of the textile arts, arising in the Paleolithic era. Before the invention of sp ...

or a

whipstitch __NOTOC__ The blanket stitch is a stitch used to reinforce the edge of thick materials. Depending on circumstances, it may also be called a ''cable stitch'' or a ''crochet stitch''. It is "a decorative stitch used to finish an unhemmed blanket. ...

. It is useful for keeping seam allowances flat and covering raw edges. The flat-felled seam is the type of seam used in making

denim Denim is a sturdy cotton warp-faced textile in which the weft passes under two or more warp threads. This twill weaving produces a diagonal ribbing that distinguishes it from cotton duck. While a denim predecessor known as dungaree has been pr ...

jeans Jeans are a type of pants or trousers made from denim or dungaree cloth. Often the term "jeans" refers to a particular style of trousers, called "blue jeans", with copper-riveted pockets which were invented by Jacob W. Davis in 1871 and paten ...

, although it appears inside-out to reduce stitching. It is also used in traditional

tipi A tipi , often called a lodge in English, is a conical tent, historically made of animal hides or pelts, and in more recent generations of canvas, stretched on a framework of wooden poles. The word is Siouan languages, Siouan, and in use in Dakot ...

construction. There are flat-felled seams and lap-felled seams. A flat-felled seam can be used on various fabrics, not just denim. It can even be used on delicate fabrics such as

voile Voile is a soft, sheer fabric, usually made of 99% cotton or cotton blended with linen or polyester. The term is French for ''veil''. Because of its light weight, the fabric is mostly used in soft furnishing. In tropical climates, voile is used ...

References

Sewing Needlework Seams {{Textile-arts-stub