the.com/seam allowance
The fabric you sacrifice so the seam itself can survive.
means The narrow strip of fabric left between the stitching line and the raw edge, which lets a seam be sewn, pressed, and not fall apart.
from A straightforward compound: 'seam,' from Old English 'seam' (a joining, related to 'sew'), plus 'allowance,' from Old French 'alouance,' meaning a portion granted or allotted. In tailoring and pattern-making, 'allowance' kept its old sense of a deliberate, budgeted margin — extra fabric set aside on purpose, not left over by accident.
- standard width
- 5/8 inch in most commercial patterns
- too narrow
- seam unravels or pulls apart under stress
- too wide
- wastes fabric and adds bulk inside
- quilting norm
- quarter inch, much stingier than garment sewing