How to Properly Seal Seams When Working with Raincoat Fabrics

During the damp, rainy, and slushy weather of spring and autumn, many of us wonder why our clothes under a jacket or raincoat still end up wet. The reason is that improperly finished seams allow even minimal moisture to pass through, causing the clothing to get wet. To prevent this, let's look at how to properly finish seams on raincoat fabrics.

First of all, I would like to note that most raincoat fabrics are treated with a special membrane or polyurethane layer, which reduces the possibility of the fabric getting wet to zero. To make working with such fabrics easier, it is best to use special needles. For these materials, I use "titanium" needles, which prevent skipped stitches and needle overheating. Some crafters suggest using regular needles pre-lubricated with a bar of soap, but I haven't tried that myself.

To properly seal raincoat seams, you will need:

• seam sealing tape (available at any fabric and notions store);
• a sheet of plain paper;
• a wooden surface (ideally, a 3x3 cm block works well);
• an iron.

Before starting, I recommend testing the tape for compatibility with the fabric, specifically to determine the required temperature setting. Ideally, the tape should adhere firmly to the fabric and not peel off after cooling, even with significant effort on your part.

Turn off the steam function on your iron (if it has one). Set the optimal temperature and let the iron heat up.

Lay the seam allowances in one direction. To do this, fold the allowances to one side and press along the seam surface with your fingernail or a ruler, applying slight pressure. As a result, the allowances will look like this.

A wooden block or board should be placed under the seams, i.e., under the right side of the fabric. This is necessary so that the sealing is applied directly to the seam of the garment, rather than elsewhere. Try to position the garment so that the seam is centered on the block and does not shift to the sides.

Apply the sealing tape with the adhesive side facing the seam. Remember that the adhesive backing is matte, not glossy.

To prevent the tape from melting prematurely and sticking to the iron's soleplate, place a sheet of paper over the tape, and iron over the adhesive backing through the paper.

If any areas remain unsealed, carefully go over them with the edge of the iron to securely fix the entire surface of the tape.

After bonding and removing the protective paper layer, you get a result like this with a reliably finished edge on the membrane raincoat fabric.