Your email address will not be published. Don’t sew to the garment). With right sides together, sew your seam and press open. 6 Consider finishing linen seams. As linen can be bulky, you would want to use a very light fabric for the bias strips. A seam finish is a treatment that secures and neatens the raw edges of a plain seam to prevent raveling, by sewing over the raw edges or enclosing them in some sort of binding. Look below to see the outside of the fabric with the overcast seam finish. This adds a minimal bulk to the seam edge. This technique resembles a French seam, except it can be completed after a … It doesn’t get much easier than this one. You can see how similar it looks to a serged edge. no. Required fields are marked *, By using this form you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website. I do what some people call a faux flat felled seam … Not to mention your garment will look professional! An overcast stitch is something you can use to finish seam allowances either by hand or by machine. Seam finishes will be necessary, as linen ravels. Log in. Elizabeth Made This is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, 13 seam finishes to make your garment insides sing. If you have grandmothers who sewed, you’ve probably seen this finish. Finishes. A Zigzag finish is a great multipurpose seam finish. This next round of seam finishes requires some specialty stitching. If you’re concerned about this happening, you might want to consider flat felled seams in those spots. Your email address will not be published. Finished dimensions do not include the drawstring casing. I found … The zigzagging will cut down on fraying without adding too much bulk. It’s because twill tape does a great job keeping neck edges from warping out of shape. After trimming, press the seam again to one side. A seam finish is a method used to secure the raw edges of the fabric and help them look neat while preventing them from raveling. I think there is another seam treatment that works well with linen particularly and it is the felled seam. To use twill tape to finish a neck seam, sew the seam as normal. The truth is that there is no one-size fits all seam finish for every fabric. Turn the seam allowances under and press. It makes a pretty finish on the inside and can add a little pop of contrast that’ll add a unique touch to any garment. French Seam Finish. Pinking shears are probably the easiest way to finish your seams and prevent raveling or fraying if you don’t have a… Trim the seam allowance on the under layer. Wrap the upper seam allowance around the trimmed edge and press again. These 2 finishes will get you there. They’re quick and won’t require any special machinery or techniques. It’s something that you’ll see on ready-to-wear occasionally on more casual garments. Next, with a pair of pinking shears, trim the seam seam allowance. Let’s sew something creative together! studio peeks: shoot prep - megan nielsen design diary, Tutorial : How to sew an Invisible Zipper - megan nielsen design diary, Sewing Tutorial: To An Absolute Beginner from a Relative Novice – Skaldsheim. Now all of your seams will be on the outside of your garment. The raw finish is nice on fabrics that won’t fray like knits. Above you can see the raw edges caught in the overcast stitch. Seam Finish: Bulk adds up with linen cotton blend. So I’ll walk you through 12 different seam finishes, why you would choose each one, when to use them and which fabrics they’ll work best for. After sewing your 1/4" seam and before pressing, sew a zigzag stitch along the raw edge of the seam allowances. Here’s how to topstitch and elevate all of your sewing now. If your linen is exceptionally light you could try a French seam, … A clean-finished edge requires two steps and takes a little-more time than simply zigzagging the raw edge, but it is worth the extra effort. Pinking Shears. You can sew it closer to the edge if you don’t want to trim the seam allowance, or you can trim past the zigzag stitching. The serger will make a nice clean, professional looking finish on the edge. Sometimes you want your seam finish to be noticeable on the outside. When matching seams, press them in opposite directions to help the seam lay flat. So if you’re sewing with a traditional 5/8″ seam allowance, the sew the first pass at 3/8″, and 1/4″ after trimming. Trim away the excess seam allowance past the second row of stitching. For a simple topstitched seam allowance, press open your seam allowance or press it to one side. These are the seam finishes that won’t require much extra work on your part. It’s a good alternative to more time consuming bias bound seams. The seams still fray when they go through the wash. An alternative to seam finishes, is to cut the pattern pieces along the selvedge of the fabric. Stitch again with a 1/4″ seam allowance. To make this seam finish, first sew a seam with your regular seam allowance. I particularly like this for ponte knits. You can trim away the excess bias. The stitching will keep the seam allowances flat and neat on the inside. What I do with linen I buy: Finish raw edges on piece, then wash and dry three times on hottest settings. For a turned and stitched seam, sew the seam, then press it open. This is a different kind of seam finish. Cutting Instructions. Thick, heavy fabrics often do better with other seam finishes, too. On light-weight and medium-weight linens, a clean-finished edge works well and looks neat. A French seam completely encases the raw edge of the seam allowance, creating a clean and professional finish on a garment where the seam … Stitch close to the pressed edge. For both finishes, sew the seams and press them open. Seam finishing is one key to a professional looking garment and all linen needs some sort of seam finish. To finish it off, stitch close to the top folded edge, making sure to catch the second layer beneath. Instead of pinking shears, you can also use a rotary cutter with a pinking blade. Hong Kong finishes work best with bias cut from lightweight silks and cottons. You can use packaged tape for bias bound seams. Even a simple clean seam finish can tame what seems like uncontrollable fraying fabric. That the tape keeps irritating seams away from your neck is bonus. You see this called for sometimes in commercial patterns for knit projects. For a Hong Kong finish, cut a 1-1.5″ strip of bias from a lightweight fabric. Used with a hem in this example, a catch stitch for a seam allowance must be combined with overlocking either with regular serging thread or specialty thread or yarn.I believe it could even add a little panache if zigzag-and-trim is your seam finish of choice. If your fabric ravels, could sew two parallel lines of stitching on the edges and trim any fraying. Knot a single length of thread and work stitches that wrap around the edge along the length of a seam. The pinking shears will make a dead easy bulk free finish. A Zigzag finish is a great multipurpose seam finish. 2. Next, sew a row of stitching close to the first. Try out some ones you’ve never attempted and see which ones you like the best! One of the simplest ways to prevent unraveling and finish seams would be to use … To serge with most fabrics, sew the seam, then run it through the serger. Sewing can be enjoyable and relaxing unless your sewing projects unravel after you finish! You only need your regular sewing machine for it, and it’ll work for a variety of fabrics. You need a special foot to do a real flat felled seam. Also inevitable is the day you’ll come across a fabric that won’t play nice with a serger. Sew the seam as normal, then press it open. Trim the seam allowance down to 1/8″. Take care to keep your stitching an even distance away from the seam. This is a great finish for heavy fabrics that you aren’t going to line. From here, press the seams to one side and stitch through both layers. 02 of 06. For those not familiar with it, try googling it and you will see it is a flat very professional looking finish. fabric tends not to fray as badly as linen and silk, due to wool’s tendency to felt. Cut with pinking blade in rotary for construction. All tutorials and patterns are copyrighted by Megan Nielsen. Seam allowance is 5/8" using French seams. Not only does this get all the shrink out, but even the wrinkles will be softer. Seam finishing is one key to a professional looking garment and all linen needs some sort of seam finish. Use cotton thread or cotton covered polyester thread for sewing linen. These usually work because linen presses really well, which controls the bulk. The seam allowance is folded back and top stitched down. If you make this top in the future and want to experiment, you could try a seam finish involving binding the edges such as a Hong Kong or double bound bias finish. Nothing crazy here! For bottomweight linens, use a 90/14 needle. These are really similar finishes. *. It seems funny to think of twill tape as a seam finish, but it’s one you’ll see a lot on neck seams. With a couple setting changes, you can switch to a rolled hem which can be a good seam finish on fabrics like linen that are fray monsters. If you want to pick the best seam finish for a fabric, I have two quick thoughts. Rayon seam binding is also popular. Linen has a tendency for a bit of “seam slippage” in stress spots. Ron Collins demonstrates 3 of his posh seam finishes - Hong Kong, flat felled and inside seams -- all of which you can do on your sewing machine. Seams, Seam Finishes, and Hems: Standard straight seams, medium length stitching (2.5) are good choices. A catch stitch does take time. Press the seam to one side. As you go along the seam, pick up 1 thread of the garment fabric every 1/2″ or so. This is a stitch that I learned about during my research for this post. You can see how similar they look. When to use bias bound seams or Hong Kong finish. Double stitched seam. For a bias bound seam, next sew a piece of double folded bias around the edge of the seam. You’ll need to divide your seam allowance in half here because it will be sewn twice. Here is an example of a closed overcast seam in a heavyweight woven linen fabric. Always wash/dry your linen fabric to account for shrinkage before cutting. All you do is either press a seam open or to one side. And don’t try to serge through sequins unless you really love breaking needles. My goal is that by the end you’ll walk away brainstorming different options for your next project. To do a double stitched seam, sew your seam. All images, text, and other content copyright Elizabeth Farr. From there, sew a line of zigzag stitches close to the stitching line. Sew your seams wrong sides together. Press open the seam and work the overcast stitches. I say almost because there are some fabrics that do not do well with a serger. If you did not use a larger seam allowance, I strongly suggest you finish all linen seams with a zigzag stitch to guard against unraveling. Hems can be done by machine topstitching, rolled hems (in the finer weights of linen), or by hand. Foldover elastic can work much like a bias bound seam. This is done by sewing over the raw edges, using certain stitches or enclosing them in some sort of binding. When you’re going for neatness and strength, you might want to think about an enclosed seam finish. Here’s how the two fare against each other in rotary cutter vs. scissors. This seam is a variant of the plain seam but it is made with only a … You can also overcast a seam allowance by hand. FRENCH SEAM. Try serging or zig-zagging raw edges and pressing seams open. Press the seam towards the neck. The serger stitch makes a seam with good recovery that’s perfect for knits. Stitch close to the fold with a straight stitch or a 3 step zigzag. When sewing clothing with natural fibers (such as cotton and linen) I haven’t had a lot of success using pinking shears. From there, lay the tape over the seam. We’ll start with the easy ones and build up from there. Next wrap the bias around the edge to the wrong side of the seam. While most knits will not ravel, this can be a neat way to clean up the seam allowances. Do not use any content from this site without permission and consent. The last seam finish I am going to talk about is the flat felled seam. You can use special feet like a blind hem foot to help you sew topstitched seams more accurately. When possible, I flat-fell instead of french seam. zigzag overlock stitch. The knife will trim away any excess fabric. It’s a fun finish. All you do is either press a seam... Zigzag finish. It is very neat,strong and encloses the seam allowence completely. This will keep the edges of the seam allowances clean and fray free. This type of seam is just like a plain seam except there are two lines of … 4 Simple seam finishes Pinked seams. It’s a simple way to do a machine finish. This is a great finish for neck seams on hoodies. A clean-finished edge requires two steps and takes a little-more time than simply zigzagging the raw edge, but it is worth the extra effort. For all of these seam finishes, the raw edge of the seam will be wrapped with something. HOW: This is a really simple seam finish. Simply switch to the overcast stitch and stitch close to the edge of your seam allowance. Stitch the bias 1/4″ from the raw edge. This is why I tend to stick with other seam finishing methods. I once saw the coolest denim jacket with exposed seams that were zigzagged on the second pass. With your machine, you’ll have to switch feet. We’re diving deep into one of my favorite topics today: beautiful seam finishes. Next press the seam to one side. Because this is a visible seam finish, wonky, wandering stitching is going to be obvious. This is a great enclosed seam finish for lightweight fabrics like silk and delicate cottons. Stitch through all layers close to the edge of the tape. If you have grandmothers who sewed, you’ve probably seen this finish. For example, if you’re making linen trousers, the weave of the linen can open up a bit around the seam at the rise, just due to stress on the seam when you sit down. I’m a wife and mama to 4, sewing nerd and refashionista with a passion for DIY. It shouldn’t be your first sewing goal, but eventually dreams of bias bound seams will invade your thoughts. 1. Sweater knits can get warped out of shape with a serger, and the stitching can be too bulky on some lighter weight fabrics. Pinked Seams. This can be a nice minimal finish on delicate fabrics. You’ll see these on jeans and men’s shirts. When you have a serger but don’t want to rethread it to match colors! Pinking shears are a common tool that can be used to finish seams. You can also use French seams, fell seams, mock welt seams, and hemstitching if … That's the seam most store bought men's shirts are sewn with. Small bag (finished dimensions: 6"x6"): Cut a rectangle of linen … Men’s shirts: on the sleeve seams for extra strength, Denim: a classic finish for denim for keeping it strong and keeping it from fraying. The trick is to accurately use the same measurements on the entire seam finish or mark the seam line before you sew the seam finish so you still maintain accurate lines. I would use a flat-felled seam, French seam or false French seam. You can use a straight stitch or a zigzag depending on the kind look you’re going for. Double-stitched seam. It’s a nice way to finish soft shell fleeces which can have irritating edges to them. Sew the seams wrong sides together. Wrap the elastic around the raw edge of the seam along the fold. You can use a straight stitch or a narrow zigzag. Sew close to edge (of seam allowance. Mock-French Seams. Episode 110: Seam Finishes; Episode 27: Fabrics 101 Blackbird Fabrics Linen products mentioned: Most popular Blackbird Fabrics fabric – Viscose Linen Noil Caroline’s favourite – Viscose Linen Slub; Blackbird Fabric’s Washed Linen; Blackbird Fabric’s Mid-Weight Linen; Lightweight linen (up to 5oz) is great for cooler summer garments! A. If seam allowances are exposed (and if very loosely woven fabrics are lined), serged and zigzag finishes are sturdy and quick remedies for raveling. Five Ways to Finish Seams without a Serger - french seam (and mock french seam for curves) (not good for heavy fabric) - serger french seam - felled seams (for casual dresses, would probably be odd on a dressy dress) - serger felled seam - clean finished seam (boring and bulky) The couture choice would probably be hand overcast. They’re similar to each other, but one uses your regular sewing machine or hand stitches. The Hong Kong finish is slightly less bulky since there’s one less layer of fabric. So there are 13 different ways you can finish a seam. Choose a 3-thread balanced serger stitch, or zigzag over both layers of seam allowances (if you do not own a serger). Here’s the thing: at some point in your sewing journey, you’ll start wanting to make the insides of your projects as pretty as the outsides. Stitch in the ditch from the right side to catch the underlayer of bias. All photos and contents on this site are copyrighted by the author, Megan Nielsen, unless otherwise noted. Whether you go simple or something a little fussier, in the end there’s a lot of different choices to explore. This is the one seam finish that’s *almost* all-purpose. This is a sure way to prevent the fabric from fraying, but there’s only so much selvedge on each yardage cut, so this technique is best for small segments. This will anchor the seam allowance open and keep it flat. Weird but true. Seams can also be bound (but watch out for bulk), and a Hong Kong finish can be beautiful— one dressmaker I know uses bias-cut strips of Ambiance lining for this. Fold the fabric wrong sides together and press lightly on the seam. I also like hand overcast finishes on heavier fabrics. It’s definitely has a specific look to it, but don’t knock it til you try it! WHEN TO USE IT: Sheer/lightweight/delicate fabrics. Simple is simple, and these 4 seam finishes are just that. Machine overcast feet have a little guide to keep you stitching right on the edge of your seam allowance. From the right side, stitch on either side of the seam. Plain Seam With A Single Stitch. Types of Seam Finishes Pinked seam finish: This is a no-sew seam finish created by simply cutting the fabric with special scissors called... Clean finish: This is a simple straight stitch. On light-weight and medium-weight linens, a clean-finished edge works well and looks neat. For each side of seam allowance, turn under 1/4” or less and press. With knits, you can get away with using the serger to sew the seam and finish the edge at the same time. Finish each seam as I go so I don't miss one! Sew the seam wrong sides together with a 3/8″ seam allowance. You will need a rotary cutter, cutting mat and straight ruler for this technique Turned and stitched seam, then run it through the wash Double-stitched seam for this post top edge! 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Unless otherwise noted ll start with the easy ones and build up from there re diving deep into one my. Lot of different choices to explore Elizabeth Farr go simple or something little. Your first sewing goal, but one uses your regular sewing machine hand! Fabrics often do better with other seam finishes, the raw edge of your seams invade! S a lot of different choices to explore stress spots beautiful seam finishes are just.! I also like hand overcast finishes on heavier fabrics I once saw the denim! Edges, using certain stitches or enclosing them in some sort of binding making!