We get it, and we love it: this pandemic has been all about comfort. Athleisure style has seen a surge in popularity, with most people opting for cozy joggers, tees, and sweatshirts when getting ready for their day lately. The exposed seam and stitching trend that’s been on the rise recently is a natural evolution of the athleisure trend as it’s a quick and easy way to add a cute detail to some otherwise simple garments.

Purchase Materials Used Below:

• 3 yards Heather Gray Fleece-Backed Stretch Cotton Knit
• 1 10 Black 500m Gutermann Sew All Thread

• MDF119 – The Lavender Tee Sewing Pattern (free download here!)

• MDF225 – The Hickory Ensemble Sewing Pattern (free download here!)

Alternative Suggested Fabrics:

• French Terry
• Bamboo Jersey
• Fleece Knits

The best part of this little style detail is that you don’t need a fancy machine to accomplish it. All machines have a zig-zag option, which you can certainly use, but many these days even have an overlock stitch.

The Mood machine has a couple of options on this front. First, there’s the basic overlock stitch, number 8 on the machine below.

There’s also a doubled version, number 7, which is the stitch that I went with for this project.

Take a straight edge and your preferred marking tool and simply map out where you’d like your ‘seams’.

For the crop top I made, I placed one horizontal line an inch down from the armscye. I then added two vertical lines emerging downward from that line at each apex.

Once your lines are marked, simply run your pieces through the machine using your preferred stitch. After the decorative stitches are added, you can then sew your garment following the original instructions!