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5 Ways To Finish Seams For A Professional Look

January 12, 2019/0 Comments/in Images, Sewing Tutorials, Tips & Tricks /by Sheila Sisco

Sewing handmade clothing is so much fun! You get the style, fabrics, and fit you always want but can never find in stores. And you can kick that clothing up a notch with these professional looking ways to finish seams WITHOUT a serger!

5 Ways To Finish Seams For A Professional Look

 

Pinking Shears

This is probably the easiest way to finish off your projects to prevent fraying, although I would caution that the other options on this list are more professional looking, this will definitely help your garments stand up to washing and wearing on a regular basis. If you don’t know what they are, pinking shears are scissors that cut in a zigzag pattern. This zigzag, when cut along the edge of your finished seam, will prevent the fabric from unraveling with time.

Zigzag Stitch

A zigzag stitch is the most common way to finish a seam. You can do this one of two ways. You can either run the zigzag down both layers of fabric together or separate the seam out and stitch each layer individually. These stitches, either way you do them, will prevent the fabric from fraying at the edges.

Overlock Stitch

An overlock is my preferred method of finishing seams. If you have a machine with overlock stitches, you simply stitch back down the edge of your seam, making sure the stitches go just off the edge. You will be sewing both layers at once using this method. I love the pretty and professional look it gives along with protecting the edges of your fabric.

Turn Under and Tack Down

This one is less commonly used but can give a fun detail to your work. You accomplish this by first pressing your seams open. Then, turn each edge under so you have a nice folded edge and edge stitch it down. This will leave some nice detail stitching along either side of your seams on the outside of your garment which can be fun if you use a contrasting thread! It’s really when you’re making things like pants, where detail stitching will really stand out.

French Seams

French seams are probably one of the cleanest ways to finish a seam, but it can get tricky at times and is definitely time-consuming. It also does not work well for bulkier fabrics, so keep that in mind when choosing how to finish your seams. Now, a french seam is where you enclose the raw edges completely within your sewing. In order to accomplish this, you will sew every seam twice. For example, Bella Sunshine patterns use a 3/8″ seam allowance. So, you would sew your seam first with WRONG sides together at 1/8″, then fold it back to the regular right sides together and sew it again at 1/4″, enclosing the raw edges. It makes for a very pretty and clean look, but sewing it all twice takes time and patience. Although, I do believe this method dates way back to (and beyond) medieval times when they would often hand stitch all of their garments this way. Interesting, right?

 

That’s all 5! Thanks for stopping by! Feel free to say “Hi!” in the comments below! And come visit us in Facebook land too! We love new friends!

8 Specialty Feet That Will Change Your Life

June 29, 2017/3 Comments/in Tips & Tricks /by Sheila Sisco

Have you ever wondered about all of those weird sewing machine feet you’ve seen or hear people talking about? Ever wondered what they do? If they’re worth the money or time to try them out? Here is a list of our FAVORITE specialty feet and how they will change your sewing life forever!

8 Specialty Feet That Will Change Your Life

 

    • Pintuck Foot

      Use a pintuck foot with a twin needle and will help create perfect pin tucks. Heirloom or vintage style clothing often have pintucks. They add beauty, texture, and interest to many different kinds of pieces.

    • Invisible Zipper Foot

      This invaluable foot is used in the installation of invisible zippers. While it is possible to sew an invisible zipper without this foot, you will be amazed at how much easier it is WITH it. You’ll never want to sew an invisible zipper without one again!

    • Teflon/Non-stick Foot

      A Teflon foot is an amazing thing if you sew with any fabrics of the “sticky” variety. Vinyl and laminated fabrics are two good examples. This foot will allow the fabric to pass through with ease where it would get hung up or stuck under a regular foot.

    • Rolled Hem Foot

      Use a rolled hem foot to create narrow hems with delicate fabrics such as chiffon, cotton voile, and silks. It can be a little difficult to get the hang of, but worth it. It will make beautiful hems in much less time when sewing with these types of fabrics.

    • Ruffler Attachment

      Do you hate making ruffles? Then this is what you need! The ruffler attachment will gather the fabric for you as you sew with ease. This is on my personal want list, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it. My little girl LOVES ruffles.

    • Adjustable Binder Foot

      Use an adjustable binder foot to fall in love with using bias tape for hems and finishes! It will allow you to line the binding up and sew right down the outer edge perfectly. It’s a game changer. A definite must for woven sewists.

    • Patchwork/One-quarter Inch Foot

      This foot is most commonly used in quilting, but is also great for little things like doll or pet clothes. Basically, anything with a 1/4″ seam allowance. This is the foot that makes lining up that 1/4″ a piece of cake. You’ll never use another foot for those tiny seams again!

    • Walking Foot

      A walking foot is an absolute dream for sewing with all things knit! This foot is designed to provide a second set of feed dogs above your fabric to help feed it through evenly and prevent unneeded stretching. The walking foot will make for beautiful flat knit seams every time, so if you’re a knit sewist and don’t have one, you should look into it!

 

Did you know there were so many cool sewing machine feet for your sewing machine? Which one can you not live without? Let me know in the comments!

*All Amazon links in this post are affiliate links. That means if you purchase something when clicking that link, we get a very small percentage which keeps this blog going. That being said, we only link to products that we actually use and recommend. 

 

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