Tuesday, March 2, 2010

How to make a french seam...Ohh La la..

This is a great tip for those of you who don't own a serger. You may not even know what a serger is, in that case its a sewing machine that sews and finishes seams off simultaneously , so you have a nice hem with a neat finished edge. For those of us who don't have access to a serger gone are the days when our seams look like a frayed mess after we wash our new creation once. That is unless you are going for the frayed, unkempt look. For some projects a little fraying adds texture and visual interest but in all the other projects where a clean seam is preferred you can follow this quick tip..the "french seam"....



Step 1. With fabric WRONG sides together, sew a seam with a 1/4 inch allowance down the right sides of your fabric. Again this is with the WRONG sides together!!




Step 2. Now turn your fabric RIGHT sides together. You will have a nice clean seam. Press this seam. ( I am a compulsive presser, I press everything.) This just helps it lie nice and flat.
Step 3. Go back to your machine and sew along that neatly pressed seam, with a 1/2 inch seam allowance. What you are doing is sewing in that raw edge and essentially hiding it.
Step 4. Press the finished seam to one side.
Step 5. Voila! Admire your french seam and congratulate yourself on a nice clean seam!



Très Magnifique!!

1 comment:

  1. Very nice post! Thanks Jamie! I have not tried a French Seam before, but I think I will give it a whirl ;)

    ReplyDelete