Born from Frustration: Why We Created the ABC Seam Code System (ASCS)
How a product developer’s daily struggles led to the creation of a clear, easy-to-use seam coding system.
You open the sample. You turn the garment inside out. And you instantly know: this isn’t what you asked for.
It’s not the fabric. It’s not the pattern. It’s the construction. It’s that vague line in your tech pack that said “2 cm hem with tape.” And that’s when it hits you: the problem isn’t the factory… It’s the unclear message.
This article explains the origin and purpose of ABC Seams’ Seam Coding System (ASCS) not only as a technical solution, but as a response to areal, recurring, and personal challenges in product development: the ambiguous visual communication of seams.
It combines technical information about ASCS with insights from its founder, Belu Chi, who conceived the system from her own experience as a product developer.
The Story Behind ABC Seams
There’s an error in tech packs that can ruin an entire prototype. It’s not a pattern issue. It’s not the fabric type. It’s not the factory. It’s a poorly explained design detail. A construction that seems clear… but the prototype proves otherwise.
An ambiguous explanation, open to interpretation, can ruin your design from the very start.
When you need four prototypes to get the result you could’ve achieved in two, you’re wasting precious resources like time and energy… for yourself, your team, and your suppliers. And the frustration grows each time the garment fails to match the original idea.
That happens every day across companies worldwide, especially in brands where quality is a core value.
That’s exactly where ABC Seams began.
The Problem No One Seemed to See (Or Explain Clearly)
For years, many brands (both large and small) have been working with tech packs that include vague instructions like “Sew with overlock”, “1/2” NDL TPST, “Piped seam”, “2 cm hem”, “Add tape inside”, “Basic seam with topstitch”,… and the list goes on and on.
BUT… what type of overlock? What kind of finishing? How is the structure of the seam? Is the tape flat or enclosed? What type of topstitch?.
These are the questions your manufacturers will ask themselves when they receive incomplete or vague information.
The result: misinterpretations, unnecessary corrections, and loss of energy, time and quality in tech pack communication.
Garment construction is not just a list of stitches… It’s a data set for seam specification. It’s a data set that must be clear, specific, and universally understood, regardless of geography.
Seams Developed from the Designer's Perspective
At ABC Seams, we believe that seams can (and should!) be explained in a clear and precise way. Even if you’re not a sewing expert.
You don’t need to explain each step of the sewing process.
What matters is knowing how you want the seam to look in the finished garment, inside and out.
The ASCS system starts from there: from the user’s eye, the designer’s goal, and the factories’ need for clarity and precision.
The Problem Lived Firsthand
For over 20 years, Belu Chi, founder of ABC Seams, worked as a product developer for different types of companies, from luxury brands like Burberry, to fast fashion and independent emerging labels.
Across all these brands, one thing kept repeating:
“The prototypes were pretty good… except for the constructions and finishes.”
Basic garments rarely caused trouble. But trendy or high-quality pieces—those with complex constructions or quality requirements—needed much clearer explanations.
Without specific, visual guidance, the results often fell short: poor and badly executed details or generic products that stripped the original design value.
That’s when Belu, combining her technical experience as a teacher and product developer, began to design a structured system to help specify seams clearly, precisely, and in a simple way.
Those became the foundations of ABC Seams. Clarity, precision, and simplicity are our compass.
We want your job, whether you’re a designer or technician, to be easier, smarter, and more satisfying. We want to reduce stress and avoid preventable problems.
To do that, we needed a system that could be used both by sewing experts and creative professionals without deep technical experience.
We designed our seams from the designer’s point of view. We created a system that is easy to keep updated, practical to use, and ready for real-world design timelines and needs.
What Makes ASCS Easy to Use?
- It’s visual: Each seam is represented with a realistic cross-section diagram. It doesn’t show how it’s sewn but how it looks in the finished garment.
- It’s logical: Seams are categorized by their main function (construction, finish, or detail), making them intuitive to find.
- It’s accessible: Our Seam Gallery and Newsletter provide free access to over 100 seam illustrations (JPG format), ready to use in any tech pack. We also offer affordable tools and materials for both students and brands.
- It’s practical: It can be used across tech packs, quality manuals, emails, and any type of team communication.
- It’s precise: It helps designers, pattern makers, product developers, and QC speak the same language—eliminating confusion and reducing mistakes.
- It’s flexible: It adapts to different machines, materials, and garment types—and the coding structure is built to support new technologies as they emerge.
Instead of saying “overlock with topstitch”, you can write a precise ASCS code. Or even better, use one of our ready-made diagrams to show exactly what you want.
This system is designed to help you:
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- Make better decisions
- Save time
- Avoid mistakes
- Get better prototypes
- Improve garment quality
Beyond the Code: A Tool to Rethink the Way We Design
ASCS is not just a system. It’s a framework for designing and developing products more efficiently.
When constructions, details and finishes are well-understood from the beginning, everything flows:
- Samples arrive correctly made
- Decisions are clear and confident
- The team works with less stress
- The garment reflects your brand’s vision
That Is How ABC Seams Was Born
The seam coding system was our starting point. But behind it lies a bigger mission: to improve technical communication in the apparel industry with tools that are practical, accessible, and easy to use.
We want designers, developers, teachers, and students to have resources that allow them to express ideas with precision—no translation required.
Because a garment doesn’t start at the factory, it starts with a clear idea. And we’re here to help you translate that idea into the language of production.
Want to explore the seam coding system in more detail? Visit ABC Seams Seam Code System