One of the problems with a lot of factory-made clothing is that everything revolves around costs and keeping them down. As a result, manufacturers find the fastest and cheapest way to put the garment together. If you're lucky, this will never cause you any embarrassing moments. But if you're not lucky, you could end up in a situation that is truly seamless, in the worst possible way!
The photos posted show some of these problems. In manufactured clothing, the seams are edged by a process known as serging, to stop the fabric from fraying and the seam is usually sewn at the same time. Trouble is, this work is often not properly finished off. When you sew by hand or on a hand-operated machine, it's possible to finish off by back stitching or some similar method to secure the seam. This way, there are no dangling threads which can get caught...
In the picture of the white garment, the serged edge is starting to fray. This happened while the garment was in the washing machine; the threads caught in some way and started to come undone. Too bad if this process happens while you're actually wearing the garment...
In the red garment, an even worse problem exists because the seams are sewn with clear plastic thread. Manufacturers like this thread because, obviously, when it's clear, it can be used with garments of any color. Problem is, such seams are rarely stable and very easily unravel. The same is true when hems are sewn in this fashion, but that will be the topic of a future post...
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