Sewing a Raincoat

Dear users, dear designers,
what should you keep in mind if you want to sew rainwear / a raincoat yourself?

Is that even possible? The seams have to be heat-sealed, right?

Best regards, Ina

Ina, sure, you can do it—and it actually works pretty well. You just need to use a flat-felled seam for a raincoat made of waterproof material, so no water seeps through the seams. At least that’s how it is with the rain cape I sewed for myself

Best regards, Inge

What is a flat-felled seam?

A flat-felled seam is a seam that requires more seam allowance than a conventional seam, because the seam edges are folded in opposite directions and then sewn close to the edge along both sides. This creates a double seam that’s more durable and doesn’t let water through. You can also find these seams on the outer seams of a good pair of jeans

Best regards, Inge

P.S.: Google *what is a flat-felled seam*; there are loads of videos about it

Best regards, Inge

I sew matching pants and rain pants for kids.
As “akela” mentions, I use a flat-felled seam, and I also glue or seal the seams with a special adhesive for rain pants (it’s actually meant for patching tent tarps)... 

Thank you for your explanations. 

Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Very interesting. I think it’s great that you can even sew your own mud pants and rain caps (if you know how).

Best regards, Ina

You can also—ideally in addition to a flat-felled seam—use special “waterproof” sewing thread. This is a thread that expands very quickly when wet, thereby sealing the seams.

I’m not (yet) familiar with waterproof sewing thread.... But is it also strong and tear-resistant?
It would be something worth trying out, though. Thanks

@bergli

Yes, it’s strong and tear-resistant.
It’s used, for example, in sailing gear.

Thanks, I'll have a look and try it out... you never stop learning 😊