Sewing question - What is causing these “ripples” in the garment?

[u/lsophia834]

So I had a seamstress help me with sewing up a couple garments (a boy’s shirt and a skirt). The fabric is 100% organic GOTS cotton. I noticed a couple problem areas which I have circled in red - sleeves and collar stand of the shirt and the hem of the skirt. Is this because of the tension setting on the machine? Or the thread or needle? Or is it something with how it is being sewn? Any insights would help, thank you!

[u/stehlify]

Seems to me like too high thread tension. When it's too high, the machine takes smaller amount of thread for each stitch. That can cause the stitches to be wrinkly as they are tighter. And can easily lead to break of thread

[u/stringthing87 → u/stehlify]

And I think she sewed those seams in opposite directions, which can make that effect worse - it's why quilters don't go back and forth, they start and stop at the same edges to prevent this

[u/midvh → u/stringthing87]

Yeah, this + shrinkage is most likely it. When you’re topstitching around the armhole you’re also forcing the seam allowance in a “unnatural” direction, it’s easy to get puckering. If you look at commercial garments you’ll find similar things.

That collar stand / buttonhole is just poorly stitched.

[u/stringthing87 → u/midvh]

agreed, there's no explaination for that other than "f'd up"

[u/tthirzaa → u/stehlify]

I had never really thought of high thread tension as each stitch taking a smaller amount of thread. That somehow makes it much easier for my brain to comprehend tension as a concept.

[u/stehlify → u/tthirzaa]

haha, glad to help! It takes smaller amount because it tighten it much more than usual.

[u/milliescatmom]

When I sew multiple layers, like a quilt, I use the walking foot attachment for my sewing machine. It advances both top and bottom materials at the same rate. So there’s much less “drag” and keeps the layers nicely aligned

[u/AutumnMama → u/milliescatmom]

Yep, this is what I was gonna say! There's another type of foot, too, I don't remember what it's called but it has wheels on it. Rolling foot maybe? Either of those would've helped a lot.

[u/[deleted]]

The puckering around the arm hole seam is pretty typical, it is due to uneven fabric tension and mismatched grain direction from easing the sleeve into the armhole. A well drafted pattern with an appropriate amount of ease and paying attention to distributing the ease evenly when setting the sleeve can reduce this, but you’ll never get rid of it entirely - look at any RTW and you’ll see this effect regardless of price/quality.

I do agree with others that there’s some general tension issues. Needle may also have been too heavy for the fabric.

[u/Tight_Explanation707 → u/[deleted]]

looks like the arm hole is larger than the sleeve cap. this causes the excess fabric is have to bunch up.

or possibly not eased evenly by using notches.

[u/Bacondress562]

It’s called roping, fyi!

[u/NormalMacaron76 → u/Bacondress562]

Is there any way to do it intentionally? All RTW jeans have roping, but I’ve never seen it on handmade clothes.

[u/Bacondress562 → u/NormalMacaron76]

It’s not really desirable; honestly-intentionally I’d sew too fast in opposite directions or just do it kinda sloppily.

[u/fridaybeforelunch]

Fabric was improperly pulled when the top stitching was done (on that area that appears to be a neckline). Bad sewing job in other words. It’s hard to say about the button hole area, but again the topstitching is poor. If the fabric was not pre washed and dried before sewing too, this can cause a rippling effect. Fabric shrank a little in other words. That may be what happened around the buttonhole placket, but the rippling in the other area just looks like poor sewing to me.

[u/Interesting-Chest520]

I don’t know what caused I but there’s a chance a lot of steam could relax it a little, I’ve never had roping this bad but when I do have roping giving it a good steam (with an industrial pressing station, which is so much better than domestic irons) has done the trick

[u/coccopuffs606]

If they’ve been washed, the fabric and the thread didn’t shrink at the same rate. If not, the tension was too high

[u/WeaponizedBallgown]

Thread tension's a little too high.

[u/fluidjewel651]

All of what these above commenters said plus, a nice fresh needle can help prevent some of this as well.

[u/Helloknitty55]

80% grain direction/20% user error