Fusing shirt shoulder seams?

[DrLang]

I have decided to return to shirt making to hone my skills on something immediately wearable. One thing that I have noticed is that my shoulder seams are a pain to iron out on the finished piece. I don't know if this is an ironing skill/equipment issue or a seam construction issue, but I can eventually get it looking clean and neat.

I noticed that all of my off the rack shirts (all of the ones I didn't make) have somewhat firm shoulder seams. Taking one of them apart, I noticed that they fuse the outer edge of the lapped seam down before top stitching. Is this a cheap trick that would make ironing easier. Or does my top stitching probably just need more practice?

[Gerry]

I noticed that all of my off the rack shirts (all of the ones I didn't make) have somewhat firm shoulder seams. Taking one of them apart, I noticed that they fuse the outer edge of the lapped seam down before top stitching. Is this a cheap trick that would make ironing easier. Or does my top stitching probably just need more practice?

What type of shirting are you using? If it's a cotton-poly/whatever blend, then getting sharp/flat creases isn't going to happen (though you can get nice, crease-free drape with that sort of cloth).

Ready to wear firms mostly utilise a folder attachment, so a lapped seam is formed just prior to being fed to the needle. No need for fusing/whatever. There are a few high-end makers who used lapped seams too - Emma Willis springs to mind - but with a single-needle approach: the yoke's front shoulder seams are pressed first, aligned to the fronts then stitched. In that scenario, I can see that fusing would be helpful to keep things in place, but a skilled machinist rarely needs pins etc so it isn't necessary. I certainly haven't seen it before and I've carried out many autopsies on shirts.

Is there another reason for the fusing? How long are the strips? They might be there to prevent the shoulders from stretching out.

I use the burrito method. Not the rolling up cloth approach, but the shirtmakers way of holding the aligned shoulder tips - fingers in, thumbs out - then rotating the hands so that right sides are together. Pin and sew. I don't have the problems you mention.

[DrLang]

I use the burrito method.

I was confused by your reply until I got to this part 

I am referring to the seam around the sleeve cap. Probably not using the right terminology here.

Regarding material, I am using 100% cotton. Light weight broadcloth and poplin. Also some medium weight plain weave cotton that I used for some test pieces. The medium weight piece has less issues here, but it's still there. I can't help but wonder if I just don't know how to iron these out properly.

[Gerry]

Ah, you mean the armhole seam. Are you sewing your sleeves flat or setting them in once sewn? Personally, I find it easier to set them in. For me, it results in cleaner seams.

The fusing around the armhole? Possibly to stop it from stretching out. No idea. Folding attachments tend to be used for ready-to-wear so it isn't the norm.

[DrLang]

Ah, funny that you mention sewing flat vs setting in. The test piece has them set in and the other two, which have more issues in this regard, are sewn flat. I assumed the difference had more to do with the fabric weight, but I think I will try setting in the next couple shirts and see if it continues to make a noticable difference.

[Hendrick]

I attach the inner yoke to the body with a fine safety stitch (...) I stiffen  the edges of the outer yoke with spraystarch (...)

I know this is totally "non-artisan", but it works well for me.

Cheers, Hendrick