Saturday 24 November 2012

How to Sew a French Seam

frenchseam

A french seam is a nice way to finish a seam. It hides the raw edges, and is a great alternative if you don't have an over-locker or cover-stitch machine, and is actually a nicer way to finish seams even if you do. The technique I have described is for a half inch seam allowance (12.5mm).

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Apparently, the French call this "Couture Anglaise", or English Seam.
I wonder why no-one is taking credit for it?
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To start with, take your fabrics and sew them together with the wrong sides facing each other. A 1/4 inch foot is a great tool to use if you have one. To get an accurate seam allowance, I need to adjust my needle position one notch to the right.

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Use thread to match your fabric. I have used black thread here so that it is easy to see what I have done.

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So, after you have sewed a 1/4 inch (6mm seam), give it a little press and trim off about half of the seam allowance.

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Press the seam open and then fold along the seam line, so that the right sides of the fabric are together.

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Sew another 1/4 inch seam, encasing the raw edges of the fabric inside.

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Press your new seam to one side (usually towards the back) and you are all done.

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You can see the seam from the back, above and from the front, below. Now that was easy, oui?

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1 comment:

  1. What a nifty set of instructions, Carmel. And it looks like you are being quite seriously pursued by an editor here! :-)
    How have you been since Blogtoberfest? I just wanted to let you know that I'm hosting another (albeit gentler and more introspective) blog challenge over the month of December called #reverb12.
    Would be so rapt if you joined us!
    
There's a little giveaway too. :-)

    Details here: http://isawyoudancing.blogspot.com.au/p/reverb12.html

    Take care,

    Kat xxx

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