Beginner here, I tried to felled a seam on a linen tuniek, and cut off the one seam too far. It is near impossible to get the other side around it.. It has been lying there now for months, till I get the courage together to try again. Meanwhile I am doing other things to improve my skills.. Thank you so much for this video, I have learned a lot! And thank you for all the others, I am learning a ton from you! Being 57 years old, I was told I can't sew by my mother, and when I went to a sewing class, the lady threw a pattern at me that made no sense to me. She too said, sewing, it is not for me. But, I am wearing my own made clothes now, be it only indoor sofar.. lol. At least it is warm and comfy! I will learn more, I am sure! Much love!
Some how I forgot to finish a short seam in a blouse when I was taking a required Home Economics Class back in High School. Rather than take all the seams near it out, to get to that short seam, I used a needle and thread to hand finish that seam with blanket stitches. My teacher took points away from my grade for doing this. The blanket stitches lasted as long as the zig-zag stitches and looked better.
Don't feel bad about home ec classes, I wound up teaching the classes whenever we got to the sewing parts, and I had all of 5 or 6 garments under my belt at the time. Kinda like my French teacher who took several seniors to France one summer. She actually came back into class that fall and told us not one person she spoke to in France could understand anything she said! Tenure isn't always a good thing.
Arvetta, I like your seam finishing fix-it! I,too, had at least ONE home Ec teacher that had a hard time with my (learned from Mom) make-do ways! She really balked at the idea of me using a discontinued pattern that was not my size as well as a piece of fabric that wasn't enough according to the pattern envelope! It did however work but I cannot remember what kind of grade I got for that double knit dress with a bound buttonhole project! It was 40 plus years ago!
A couple of thoughts... Some sewing machines have an "overlock" function and it's really nice. It's not fast at all but you get to reap most of the other benefits of overlocking without owning a second machine. My preferred seam finish is a bit off the beaten path. I guess it could be called a "hybrid-French seam". I sew normally, press the seams open, then turn them in, pressing them closed, clamp shut with binder clips, and then zig-zag on top of the little sandwich. I've never had one fail yet and it seems to work well with light and medium weights.
I thought its only me who has improvised this seams.narrow hem gives a neater finished and doing zigzag on top ensures that even inside the hem no threads will unravel.
It's well worth the investment, if you ask me. The amount of time and effort, it saves you...man. And everything just looks neat and tidy. I mean, I made do without one for years, too...back in the 90s and early 2000s they were still more of a luxury item here...but I would never want to be without one, again. And putting together a simple jersey dress or shirt for summer is just a breeze. I always hated sewing jersey in my sewing machine 😆
@@raraavis7782 It is totally on my list. Just got a few other things above it right now ❤ we live off grid...and didn't even have the ability to run a powered machine until recently. Until then I did everything on my treadle machine and by hand. I now have an old electric singer that is very basic, but gets the job done really well ❤
@@barefootwildflowers3209 My mother was a professional seamstress and her full metal Singer workhorse could only do forward, backward and zickzack, as well. And her clothes always looked impeccable. So don't let it stop you 😉
The serger definitely helps with knits, but really isn't at all necessary for wovens. Your actual skills are much more important for producing well made clothing than serged seams. I'm also a stickler for matching thread, so the idea of finishing everything faster with gray thread just isn't acceptable to me, so if you have to buy massive amounts of thread or spend time winding thread onto bobbins and then rethreading the machine for each project - where's the big savings of time?
I am a beginner who has been studying how to sew before I actually start, so I can avoid as many behinner mistakes as I can ^^; I've been binging all your videos, they are so helpful and you're so good at engaging with your audience. I never find myself bored. Thank you so much, Evelyn ❤ And I live your sense of style!
I’m doing the same thing. I’m a beginner too and I’m watching all the videos I can before I even start sewing. And I’ve been buying the must have tools (other than a serger because I can’t afford one of those).
Learning theory beforehand is great, but actually getting into it and making mistakes, and learning how the fabrics work is pretty darn helpful! I learned on a treadle machine making doll clothes from patterns my Granny made from newspaper when I was 7 or 8. Buy cheap or thrifted fabrics and make something simple like a shopping bag! It’s just like reading. Learn your ABCs first and then pick up a book. There’s nothing like hands on learning. It’s a lot of fun. I still learn something new when I sit down to do another project!
Also don’t forget the used market. Most sewing machine shops sell trade ins that’s where I got mine in the 80’s and I’m still using it! My serger was new in 1989 and is still going! You don’t need all the bells and whistles to sew. Sergers are great when your making form fit diapers and modern bathing suits. But as long as you have a zigzag you can make a bathing suit! Lycra doesn’t fray so seam finishing isn’t a problem. Thread tension is the tricky part!
Awww I'm so happy to hear you love the videos! I think your study will serve you very well and your on the right track for sure 😃 And don't forget that practice is what really makes a great sewist! Mistakes are part of the process too and it's how we really learn 😘 Happy sewing!
Getting an overlocker surely made my garments look more nice and the survival ratio after washing them got much higher. I used to zigzag before that, but it's just not as sturdy a finish...
Hmmmmmm.....almost 50 years of sewing and never a single failed seam with zigzag finish. Not once. 3 stitch zigzag prevents tunneling. Zig zag stitching also is always less bulky than overlocking because much less thread is used. I've even seen bespoke mens' trousers finished with a zigzag finish. Pinking? Why bother? Only good reason to pink is on heavy overcoat type woolens. Also, no quicker way for garment to look "homemade" than for pinked edges to show through a lighter weight fabric. I've always used hongkong finish strictly for unlined jackets. Only three layers of silk so as to reduce bulk. The silk on the backside is left raw as cutting on the bias reduces fraying. Once the seam is pressed open the unfinished side does not show. Also rather quick to do this way rather than a full 4 thickness binding.
@@cliftonmcnalley8469 Well, those zizagged raw edges always displayed a minimum of fraying, which made them less neat and more prone to further fraying. I do understand that an overlocked edge can become a bit bulky, however I prefer to keep the sturdiness of 3 or 4 threads and use something like thin serafil thread in those cases, rather than using a zigzag stitch. And if even that serafil would be too bulky (let's say I would be making myself a pair of boxershorts in a very light chiffon...) I would personnally turn to a french seam. Maybe that's because my zigzagging was never as neat as it should have been... It's not just the 3 or 4 threads of the overlocker that do it for me. It's the combination of that and the fact that the looper threads meet exactly on the edge that is made instantly by it's blade.
@@bartd4800 I actually only use a zigzagged finish where others use a serger/overlocker. I use a plain zigzag, a 3 stitch zigzag, a turned edge zigzag (instead of just straight stitching a turned edge), a felled seam, a french seam, a hongkong finish and a bound edge(usually just on the fly where extra durability is also needed). I decide on seam finishes based on the type of garment and type of fabric for each project. I have never had a zigzagged seam disintegrate in the wash, nor have threads come loose from the fabric edges, the width and length of the zigzag used prevents it all. I grew up in a time where serged seams were a sign of cheaply produced clothing. Better clothing had actual seam allowances, serged seams really don't. Plus, having studied clothing construction as the plethora of foreign made "fast fashion" was at its infancy, I learned that sergers were invented specifically to produce cheaper clothing faster. At that same time, higher end designer clothing sold in upper end department stores often had no seam finish at all to reduce bulk. This was the early 80's. Serging = cheap to me, because I know better. Anyone that has grown up later sees serging as "professional" because that is how almost all factory clothing is now made. I did purchase a pair of trousers 7 or 8 years ago, in an emergency situation for $40 - not a "sale" price. They had generous seam allowances and all of them were bound! So odd! Unfortunately like everything else OTR, they didn't actually fit. After getting me thru the emergency they went to Goodwill. If I were sewing for a living, I would probably use a serger just to finish edges and I wouldn't be so finicky about color matching the thread, but as I only sew for me, the serger is reserved for t-shirt duty.
@@cliftonmcnalley8469 I understand that for you (for historical reasons) there is a mental link between overlockers and fast fashion. However, for me (as I probably never did a good job zigzagging properly and using an overlocker makes my clothes last longer...) there is a link between my overlocker and the fact that the fashion I sew for myself got slower. It's true that using my overlocker also speeds up my sewing process. But that doesn't turn the clothes I make into fast fashion... So yeah, good for you that you're a champ at zigzagging. But not everybody is... and for those people an overlocker might just make their clothes more sturdy, which makes the kind of fashion they belong to... slower. Whether a garment is fast or slow fashion is not determined that much by the machines used during the production process (although I must say I use secondhand machines myself...), nor by the speed of the production process, but rather by the sustainability of the materials and by how long the life-cycle of the garment itself will last. (BTW, my vintage Bernina Record 530 doesn't boast a 3 stitch zigzag... yet another reason for me to turn to my overlocker...)
I started sewing with historical garments so I was chucked in the deep end when it comes to seam finishes. On my first garment I had to use French seams. On my 2nd it was flat felled 😂 I love a neat finish
I'm an overlocker convert, for sure. I made do without one for years, but they're such a game changer... I still do french seams occasionally, but that's pretty much it. Overlocking is fast, reliable and tidy. And sewing stretchy fabric suddenly isn't a nightmare anymore...and I quite like jersey dresses and such in summer.
Most of my patterns say to press seams open so that is what I do and I like that the seam lays flat-pinking shears are still good for flat seams. I use closed seam types for pillowcases etc but just don’t like the look or feel of any closed seam in garments. Zigzag on each edge separately are also fairly okay to keep flat depending on fabric used. Just my experience and opinion. The polyester double knits of the 70’s were a dream to sew, launder, and didn’t show wear for years. Of course the cotton lobby was not a fan of clothes that wore forever. ☺️
When I was a young girl and first learning I pinked into not only my seam allowance but a triangle hole into the garment. I stopped using pinking shears and went to zigzagging after that. Nowadays I usually overlock, but can do flat felled and prefer it for men’s shirts,
I have often used a serger for thin fabrics that are hard to control, I do a lot of heirloom sewing for my granddaughter, lightweight lawns, cottons and linens with the narrowest finish on the outside! Then I enclose them in a French seam! Cheating but sometimes I’m behind on getting them to her!
My tuppence-worth: From bitter experience, viscose needs an enclosed seam finish! Sometimes I love doing a bound (HK) finish in a totally wacky contrast to an unlined garment. I agree that planning is everything: if, for example, a careful choice of binding, such as bias cut silk is used on a fine fabric, it can add needed weight and even enough structure to stop droopiness ( I’m also thinking of substitutions for weights / chains to hold skirts down, where they may be just too heavy or rigid)
Yeah, I had a bit of trouble trying to remember to sew the seams wrong sides together the first few times I did a french seam! Working on flat felled seams right now and they are less bulky than french seams for sure & look nice!
Yeah, wrong sides together, goes against your sewing instincts doesn't it? I'm going to make a tissue linen shirt, trying French seams for the first time. Going to be so pretty.
My sewing journey started of watching these videos from this lady. I knew nothing and understood nothing. Many thanks to her my knowledge and skill set in sewing now is dangerous. Keep making videos for people like me, that come from nowhere. Thank you Evelyn 🤍🤍🤍🤍
Josie and Aimee- Bias binding along curved edges works best if the edge to attach first is pressed open while gently shaping it in a convex curve. When sewing it on do not stretch it. Press seam towards the binding then press bound edge on the inside, being careful to maintain an even width. Finish by hand or machine stitching binding to the garment. Having made quite a number of items with binding and attempted numerous shortcuts, the "extra" time is well spent.
I like to have fun with my bound seams. I buy used silk saris from Etsy, and use those to make binding strips. If I'm going to the trouble of binding seams, I want that beautiful pop of color.
Sewing a messenger bag I designed with thick fabric and having misaligned seams due to the bulk. Not by much but annoying to me. Lucky I have a heavy duty manual Janome so it could handle the bulk. It's a bag I use regularly for work.
My two most recent projects were vintage (WWII era) maternity dresses in super-fray-ey deadstock rayon. Most of the seams are french seamed, but the sleeve cuffs and facing piece are single fold bias bound (I find it looks cleaner than the turn and stitch method for single-thickness pieces), and the armholes are double fold bias bound (because french seams around an armpit are awful, plus there's a little extra structure that helps the tiny bit of puff on the sleeve stand up). I've found they hold up to machine washing on a delicate cycle, but wouldn't put them in with the normal wash (mostly because of the fabric, not the seam finish).
I usually use overcast stitching for seam finishes but often wonder if all these finishes are suitable for curves. So, can you do french seams on the rise of a pair of shorts, for example.
Hand felled seams are definitely my favorite when it comes to durability and clean insides. That said I can be very lazy so I often just do a zigzag stitch for anything that has longer seams (especially for trouser side seams).
I "made up" a skirt pattern in thick wool-blend fabric as a wearable mock up to trial whether I could make a skirt out of some pretty end-of-line wool I bought. The skirt had a reasonably nice drape... until I bound it. I made double fold bias binding out of sturdy cotton twill and it just made it so so bulky and stiff. Once I've overcome the pain of several days of hand stitching about 18m in length, I will probably unpick it all, hand zig-zag fell the vertical seems and maybe spend some money and buy a grosgrain ribbon to bind the hem (unless someone here steps in and warns me that this is yet another terrible mistake! Haha)
I’m getting ready to sew an unlined jacket, and would like to finish my seams by binding them with self-made bias tape. How wide should the tape be to do the job without adding extra bulk? The seam allowance for the jacket will be the standard 5/8 inch.
I'm relatively new to sewing and my favourite disaster was a shirt I made where I thought my new vintage pinking shears would look really tidy... They were blunt and I couldn't get through the fabric very well and realised that they would probably fray in the wash! I have a Singer 201 which of course doesn't do zig zags but I also have an attachment for that which moves the fabric as opposed to the needle itself .. what a mess! It wobbled all over the place... As a final insult, the shirt was far to small! Clearly didn't think anything through 😂 gave it to a friend who was the right size, he loved it and didn't notice the errors. Lessons learnt: always do a mock up, get the scissors sharpened regularly and actually plan seam finishes...
My funniest mistake was sewing a French seam on accident 😂 and the most frustrating I still have trouble with is cutting fabric- with mirroring and duplicate and what not. - from an extreme beginner who struggles with remembering all the terms!
I LOVE all your videos!!! ❤️ Did you make the blouse you’re wearing? So many times I see your videos and I think “I wish I had the pattern for what she’s wearing!!”😄
I love hand felled seams, do them all the time! Which seam finish is good for waist seams on dresses? I find this seam to be a little bulky (if the skirt is gathered) and a lot of tension is usually put on it(if the skirt is heavy) Any advice? Evelyn, you are great teacher, thank you for the amazing education!
Oh ... the worst seam finishes I've ever done ? .... that's something I still do, but I manage to make them look a bit better nowadays, but they are still bulky. It's a bound seam for thinner fabrics or a zig zag seam with a difference but instead of binding or zigging I feed the fabric through a roller foot. It needs mega precision to keep the rolling even and always feed in the same amount of seam allowance, which is why there's a risk of it being unevenly bulky and being wavy!!
When I realised that you had to finish ALL of your seams on a garment, it dawned on me that sewing was not such a "quick and easy" past time. Still enjoyable.
Another illusion shattered: I’ll save so much money by making my own clothes! Lol! I think you do save money compared to buying comparative quality once you gain skills but if your aim is just to not be naked, then not so much
@@rebeccacamacho-sobczak4282 I made my wedding dress at 17...I am going to pull it out of storage soon and look at all the things I did wrong 🤣🤦♀️🤣🤦♀️🤣🤦♀️🤣🤦♀️
Really new sewer here. My biggest finishing mistake was actually the very first step of a project. My grandma has been teaching me to sew, and she told me to be sure to pre-shrink fabric when you're using multiple types of fabric on one garment because you don't want them to shrink unevenly. Well, I took all my nice fabric to the laundry mat, got it going. Came out of the wash, threw it in the dryer without really looking at it . . . and it was a frayed mess when it came out of the dryer! I didn't think about zig-zagging the edge of the fabric before I washed it so it wouldn't fray. I lost a couple inches of fabric all the way around, and I had to give it a "haircut" and trim off all the tangled, frayed edges. I will not be making that mistake again!
I once made the mistake of trying to use French seams on a thick fabric and it made my machine work so hard that it blew a fuse 😬 luckily repairs were still covered by the warranty, but regardless you should be smarter than past me and use the correct finishings
Ah, pinking shears - I still use my 94 year old aunt's pinking shears, which she gave to me many years ago. They cost her £3/7 ($6-70 a small fortune back then) and are still in the original box. I keep all my off cuts to test finishes and button holes. I saw your posting on testing and thought it was just one of my own quirks.
Zig-zagging with an overlock foot on my regular machine is my go-to seam finish because I'm lazy! My biggest mistake was neglecting to trim the seam allowance on a set of French seams. So unsightly, totally defeated the purpose of choosing French seams in the first place!
Zig-zag, oh me too. I cut my seam down, then zig-zag, looks almost like a serger. I wish I could get a serger but I just don't have the room for yet another machine.
My preference has been French seams for lighterweight fabrics and flat felled for anything too bulky for French seam. I almost exclusively hand sew because I like to sit watching tv while sewing. So those are my go-to’s simply for that reason! Now that I’m used to it it’s hard to use anything else. If the fabric is extra bulky I whip the inside edge shut instead of top stitching it shut.
I've only recently learned that I need to finish seams, lol. I do find that sewing binding on the armhole-sleeve seams on medium to heavy weight fabrics has helped my garments be more neat. It also gives a little structure to the shoulders.
Not doing finishes! My favorite homemade skirt now has a fluffy fringe around the pockets and along the seams. Thankfully it's on the inside and the fabric isn't sheer, but I am worried that it isn't as structurally sound as it could be.
My first flat felled seam was one of those “wing it” tries….it was not pretty!!! The worst was being lazy and doing no finish….OMG..the inside became a stringy rag after the first wash. Lesson learned the hard way!
I once made a Halloween costume for my daughter that had a cheap polyester brocade fabric for the top of the dress. That fabric frayed like crazy, like it would just disintegrate if you breathed in its direction. Handling it at all was a nightmare, and I was super careful too. Just getting the pieces sewn together caused the 5/8" seam allowance to shrink to a 3/8" seam allowance, then as I tried to get the edges zigzagged it shrank to a 1/4" seam allowance in most places. At the end of the night after my daughter wore the dress the seam was actually pulling apart under the arms because the zigzag wasn't enough to stop the fraying. Fortunately you couldn't see it until she took it off and it was a costume she was only going to wear once. If I had to do it all over over again? I probably wouldn't have bought that fabric in the first place, lol! However, I think I bought it because it had the right look and it was in my budget, so if I did work with it again I would either fray check everything or cut all the pieces as a single layer of fabric and "cut" it out using a heat tool of some kind. That fabric was a little too thick to do a french seam, and I'm sure it would have unraveled far too fast to do a hand felled seam. Maybe a bound seam would have worked with the utmost care, but it would have been a real trick to get the seams bound before they had a chance to disintegrate. Melting or gluing the edges are the best options I can think of for such a terrible fabric.
What a nightmare!! This is a good example where there's always an exception to the rule. So instead, you could cut the pieces out and then finish them entirely before you sew. That way they are handled the least to minimise fraying. It's not a great way to do it, but it's still better than jabbering the seams fray out and seam allowances disappear 😃
I once used the turn and stitch finish on the side seams of a skirt, only to discover that the slight extra bulk created a visible lump on each side of the seams on the good side when pressed. Obviously the wrong seam finish for this fabric. Love the video, as always!
This was very informative 👏!!! When I first started sewing I bought a beautiful and expensive Chinoiserie fabric to use as part of a costume. I pinked it, used liquid fray check, and watched it unravel right in front of my eyes! Lesson learned the hard way!!
Another wonderful video. I now live off grid and have a very old treadle machine, so I love French seams which take away all the wispy threads forever! Been sewing, self taught, for many decades and have had the experience of pulling out a lovely, delicate, painstakingly-home-made garment from the washing machine only to find it in shreds because I used the wrong seam AND should have hand washed. Wish I'd had the internet and you when I was younger!! Love your channel. Thanks for being there. 😊😊💕
I miss your pretty curls, btw. Have you given up that look completely? I always hoped, you'd one day do a tutorial on how to get them to look so perfect. I've been playing around with foam rollers and other curling methods and I just can't seem to get it right. My hair is chinlength now, but it never curls as tightly as yours did. Even on small rollers, only the lower half ends up (very) curly, whereas the top half stays nearly straight. It's very frustrating and most heatless curls videos are for long hair and loose curls. It's so frustrating!
I miss my curly hair too! It was permed, but I had to wet set in rollers to style it. It just was not conducive to the tropical weather I now live in, so I'm embracing the natural hair!
@@Evelyn__Wood Oh, I see! Funnily enough, I've been thinking about getting it permed - but everyone seems to think, that's a rather crazy idea. Good to know, it would actually help me, achieve my desired hairstyle. I mean, I know the upkeep and styling is still work, but I'm just not happy with styling my hair straight. I want to have curly hair so badly 😄
I've recently had a minor disaster with French seams. I'm sewing a raglan sleeved blouse, but instead of making it in one go I'm experimenting with sewing for half an hour or so after work. I remembered to sew it wrong sides together, but forgot to reduce the seam allowance to account for the double seam until after I cut the seam allowance. Thankfully the blouse has a gathered neck, it just won't be as gathered as per the pattern, and the sleeves are very full so it should still fit! I think the flat felled seam is the only one I've not tried yet.
I'm watching this while making the Lichen Duster (Sew Liberated) in a heavy-ish linen, using a combination of hand-felled seams and contrast-bound seams (with binding I made myself from lightweight woven viscose). So a classic example of an exposed interior to a loose jacket :)
Even though I still have a lot of stress cutting my fabric, these type of video's help me get a feeling that that I can do it and make a great garment.
I bought an overlocker from Aldi ( Aldi sewing machines and overlockers are Janome rebrand, excellent quality and only half the price of Janome ones) in 2018 after a year learning sewing . and it’s one of my best Aldi purchase and sewing investments. It has made my homemade garment looks very professional and it survives in the washing machine. And btw I went to op shops that are a bit far from my home last week and I got so many second hand fabric( majority of them are doona covers, sheets, but they are floral so I thought they would be perfect for pretty lining) and sewing accessories
Many household sewing machines come with a special overcasting or "serge" foot. It has a little metal finger to prevent the bunching of zigzagged seams. This is a game changer, especially when used with a stitch that hast at least two stitches across, such as the triple zigzag or a "mock overlock" stitch. Sometimes I use that instead of my serger when the seams have awkward angles and curves. It holds up at least as well as a true overlock binding.
@@its_me_jen_jen9204 Just trim the seam allowance, select your stitch and position the presser foot so that the outside stitch is just outside of the fabric. At least on my machine there is no need to adjust the thread tensions. If the rightmost stitch appears to be a bit loose, it will be just right after ironing.
When I first started sewing I used to do "overcasting" by hand like my mother taught me. It took as long to finish the seams as it did to make the garment in the first place 😱 When I discovered how to use the overcasting foot on my new sewing machine it was a game changer! I also like French seams where appropriate. Best of all are stable knit fabrics that don't fray and don't need any kind of finishing! 🤣
I loathe overlockers so I use pinking shears on cottons and then sew along the edge. On almost everything else I just zig zag. I have had no more disasters with this than purchased garments with overlocked seams. I feel like off the rack clothes are so badly sewn most of the time. Thanks again Evelyn for a great overview.
Oh I have a good one. I thought I could add a long sleeve from a different pattern without considering the arm opening changes. Oh my, the sleeve TOTALLY DID NOT FIT. So stupid! LOL LOL. My new beautiful cloth, in the trash. LOL oh no!!!
I took the free crash course at Vintage Sewing School and it was so helpful and clear and enjoyable that I couldn’t become a full member quickly enough! If anyone watching this video is considering checking out Evelyn’s courses, I highly recommend you do so. There is no credit card required for the crash course, as with most “free” offerings, Evelyn wants you to enroll in full membership because you want to, not because you forgot to cancel some trial membership. Okay, I’m done gushing.💚
Greetings! Thank you for the video. I recall in the video you shared that your preference is a hand stitched felled seam. Have you tried using the blind hem stitch to catch the other side instead of the slip 0like hand stitching. When I saw your demonstration of the hand stitch it reminded me of how a blind hem look so I thought I would ask 😅.
I'm a beginner sewist, and recently sewed "The Easy Drawstring Bag" from Purl Soho. Per directions, the seams aren't finished in this bag, but if I were to finish them, I'm not sure which finishing technique to choose, since the first instruction is to sew up from a fold. Does this make a difference? I'd like to use the bags to practice different techniques. I probably won't buy pinking shears, since I don't have the budget for them right now. Thanks for anyone, who can advise me.
I have a 1941 singer and I will be making a super elegant top with some high sheen brocade. I don’t have an overlock machine so I’m going to have to do French seams MAYBE with Hong Kong finishing for the waist. It’s a looser fitting top so it should be just fine! 👍🏻
Hello! Off topic but your blouse (?) you’re wearing is simply gorgeous! I assume you sewed it yourself because you’re so good at sewing and have been practicing for a long time. Do you happen to have a pattern for it? I’d like to make it myself someday when I have the skill! Also a question. How machine washable hand felled seams are?
I did a project a little while ago, where I serged a medium weight upholstery fabric to speed up the project. Worst idea ever. Even before cutting into the fabric the selvage was fraying. But, smart me thought, "Surely this is going to be a cinch to lock those edges down?" Wrong, wrong, wrong! Did I say, "WRONG!" LOL! Instead, the fabric got caught under the blade and in the needles. I just could have died for even attempting this. Luckily, this was not a major project, but a very tiny one; as in a small section. So, I got a reprieve, finishing up, but returning to the sewing machine to add an extra stitch. I won't being doing that again, lol.
My first garment with hand-felled seams is holding together fairly well, but if I were to do it again, I would 1) leave myself more seam allowance, 2) especially on the more fray-prone fabric, and 3) iron in the fold for the felled seam before stitching, because it's pretty wibbly inside. Alternatively, you could just learn by my example and *not* make a 22-panel, 21-gore skirt out of quilting jelly roll.
Last year i was making an overdress for a costume, using brown muslin which was the only fabric i could find in that colour. I was concerned it would be too transparent, so i decided to double it - and "cheat" on finishing each piece - by sewing each piece into a bag and inverting it. Like a French seam on the edge of each piece! It did make the seams a little bulky, especially when i hadn't trimmed enough of the edges. Well, it all went well until i got to sewing in the sleeve ... which had a puff made of an extra piece on the outside... Making a total of twelve layers of my nice, fine muslin at the bottom of the armscye. I had to hand-sew those sleeves in - and then trim so much bulk that my "pre-finish" was completely wasted 😂 Still haven't finished those two seams!
My biggest mistake for seam finishes would be not trimming the seam down enough before doing the final seam process and having patches of ‘fluff’ as such down the right side of my seam
I'm autistic and have sensory processing disorder and overlocked and zigzag seams are often extremely painful to me, especially with stiffer fabrics. My favorite seams for shirts, and the least sensory-overwhelming, are felled seams. There's no extra pokey ridge of fabric as there are with almost all other seam finishes. Many times the thread itself is also extremely scratchy and painful, so often French seams are better than serged seams for me. My mom sewed when I was a kid in the 80s (which is wonderful for a sensory defensive kid, since she could buy just the fabrics I was comfortable with) and pinking shears were a common finishing tool! Pinked edges are just fine for fabrics like flannel and the like, but it becomes like jagged saw teeth when it's a stiffer fabric, haha. Every person with SPD is different on what bothers them but seams are a very common issue, along with types of fabric and tags. Some accessible fashion designers have incorporated visible outside seam finishes as part of the design and style of their sensory-friendly clothing lines.
Have you done a video explaining the various sewing machine feet. I have a 2nd hand machine with various bits but no instructions. What is a zipper foot?
I recently did a project with t-shirt jersey knit, and I don’t have an over locker. I tried zigzag stitch off the edge, but even with the knit foot there was stretching and buckling. I went with pinking shears for most, and encasing in a binding (looks like a felled seam, not Hong king binding). We will see how it holds up in the wash. Any advice for Jersey without an over locker is appreciated
Would you use different seams finishes within the same garment? I’m definitely thinking about seam finishes with each garment now rather than just serging every time. Thank you Evelyn - excellent video as always.
When I make an open seam zigzag finish it always end up like a long sausage. Probably tension, but the straight seam has the right tension soooo switching tension between seams is not going to happen. So closed seam zigzag which only get slightly sausagy is what I do. And never feel proud of my sewing. :( So I obviously have to experiment with other types of seam finishes. Big sigh....... (growling and rolling up sleeves). Thanks for showing alternatives :)
I really dislike the zigzag because mine never turn out pretty and also I used them on everything until now (this video is a game changer). I sewed the covers from the sitting banks I made and I used the zigzag on the weavy fabric (it was the only one I knew of) and of course after one washing they started getting undone. 😒🙄 but now I know better thanks to you. 😊 After 3 videos only you got me to follow you. 😇
Could u pls make a video on French seam with corded piping? I’m planning to use it for my 8 panels dress. Can’t thank you enough for all your tutorial videos.
I like to do French seams, but find French seams difficult to be accurate as even if sew the first line right, the fold must take some fabric and then you sew the second seam, and if its not pressed properly its either too big or too small... And then there's the whole fitting issue🤦🏻♀️I made a wrap dress with French seams and bound the wrap with bias tape, and I was so proud of my seams, but the wrap gapes😭 now I can't bear the thought of undoing it all!!!
Worst mistake - I cut a garment kneeling on the hard floor (my knees were quite unhappy) using pinking shears and no pattern weights or anything. The edges were “finished”, but the cuts were nowhere near straight. Pieces looked like the bands of a five year old who cut her own hair. Thank goodness it was just the mock-up.
So... Every French seam I have ever tried had at least one visible fraying edge visible on the right side of the garment 🤦🏻♀️, either my machine is too old (early 80's? it likes to pull at an angle even after servicing) or my straight lines are more intention than reality. However, I recently learned felled seams for an historical type linen garment. Yes it took ages, but I love it! The way the seams sit it feels like one piece of fabric, albeit with a flat ridge, the garment felt sturdy, neat and well finished. I had a go with it on a machine as well for practicality, and am now considering using these two seams finishings in more modern outfits, why can't my cotton summer dresses have visible stitch lines like men's shirts ?
My biggest annoyance was with more tightfitting clothes, like my satin dress, is the seam pulled the fabric apart at the threads...in public...how to avoid getting a hole every time you sit down!
Two wrongs don't make a right, but maybe three? When I first looked at seam finishing options, I looked back at my very first garment, wondering how it had survived or if I'd forgotten I'd finished them after all. There was absolutely no fraying despite no seam finishing... Because I hadn't known the difference between woven and knit fabrics and treated this knit like a woven. How did that not mess up my needle choice or lead to my seams popping? I had chosen to hand sew the seams and it was a garment with a lot of intentional design ease, so the seams were never under stress. I still think back to it and facepalm at how narrowly all my mistakes there worked out for me 😂
Hi Evelyn! I live in Portugal and the lady that thought me how to sew also called French seams English seams. But I think that was only her. Everybody tells me English seams are the ones like the ones in jeans and French seams like the ones you showed.
I once tried turning under 1/4” each side of the seam allowance and stitching. I thought it would work great. It was a mistake. I was working on a voile fabric and it was too lightweight for the seam finish; it waved all over and looked bad. Should have done a French seam.
Hello :_)) do you ever use the felled seam the wrong side out ? If wrong side of a felled seam has only one line of visible stitching ... it would be nice to have on the right side ...maybe ... or am I missing something?
Ok I tried to do a flat felled seam but somehow it kept unraveling and in the middle of the seam… could it have been the type of fabric? Or I dunno… it was a rayon challis.
I’ve been flat felling my seams but instead of cutting down one side, I press the seam open and fold/stitch down both sides 😶 I can’t remember if I learned that somewhere or if my brain saw someone do it and just completely skipped the fact I was supposed to be cutting off one side 🤪
I hope you try a new seam finish! 😃
Develop you your garment sewing skills with me at Vintage Sewing School www.vintagesewingschool.com/
I took your course and what a wealth of info you taught me so much 🙏
Beginner here, I tried to felled a seam on a linen tuniek, and cut off the one seam too far. It is near impossible to get the other side around it.. It has been lying there now for months, till I get the courage together to try again. Meanwhile I am doing other things to improve my skills.. Thank you so much for this video, I have learned a lot! And thank you for all the others, I am learning a ton from you! Being 57 years old, I was told I can't sew by my mother, and when I went to a sewing class, the lady threw a pattern at me that made no sense to me. She too said, sewing, it is not for me. But, I am wearing my own made clothes now, be it only indoor sofar.. lol. At least it is warm and comfy! I will learn more, I am sure! Much love!
Very useful, thank you. A similar guide to hemming would be great.
That a great idea!! Thanks for the suggestion!
Some how I forgot to finish a short seam in a blouse when I was taking a required Home Economics Class back in High School. Rather than take all the seams near it out, to get to that short seam, I used a needle and thread to hand finish that seam with blanket stitches. My teacher took points away from my grade for doing this. The blanket stitches lasted as long as the zig-zag stitches and looked better.
Don't feel bad about home ec classes, I wound up teaching the classes whenever we got to the sewing parts, and I had all of 5 or 6 garments under my belt at the time. Kinda like my French teacher who took several seniors to France one summer. She actually came back into class that fall and told us not one person she spoke to in France could understand anything she said! Tenure isn't always a good thing.
Arvetta, I like your seam finishing fix-it! I,too, had at least ONE home Ec teacher that had a hard time with my (learned from Mom) make-do ways! She really balked at the idea of me using a discontinued pattern that was not my size as well as a piece of fabric that wasn't enough according to the pattern envelope! It did however work but I cannot remember what kind of grade I got for that double knit dress with a bound buttonhole project! It was 40 plus years ago!
I would agree with you.
A couple of thoughts...
Some sewing machines have an "overlock" function and it's really nice. It's not fast at all but you get to reap most of the other benefits of overlocking without owning a second machine.
My preferred seam finish is a bit off the beaten path. I guess it could be called a "hybrid-French seam". I sew normally, press the seams open, then turn them in, pressing them closed, clamp shut with binder clips, and then zig-zag on top of the little sandwich. I've never had one fail yet and it seems to work well with light and medium weights.
I thought its only me who has improvised this seams.narrow hem gives a neater finished and doing zigzag on top ensures that even inside the hem no threads will unravel.
I use a French seam when I can. Zig zag or flat felled when I can't. I'll get a serger someday 🤞
It's well worth the investment, if you ask me. The amount of time and effort, it saves you...man. And everything just looks neat and tidy. I mean, I made do without one for years, too...back in the 90s and early 2000s they were still more of a luxury item here...but I would never want to be without one, again. And putting together a simple jersey dress or shirt for summer is just a breeze. I always hated sewing jersey in my sewing machine 😆
@@raraavis7782 It is totally on my list. Just got a few other things above it right now ❤ we live off grid...and didn't even have the ability to run a powered machine until recently. Until then I did everything on my treadle machine and by hand. I now have an old electric singer that is very basic, but gets the job done really well ❤
@@raraavis7782 I never even bother seeing knits. I get too frustrated 😞🤦♀️🤣🙄
@@barefootwildflowers3209
My mother was a professional seamstress and her full metal Singer workhorse could only do forward, backward and zickzack, as well.
And her clothes always looked impeccable.
So don't let it stop you 😉
The serger definitely helps with knits, but really isn't at all necessary for wovens. Your actual skills are much more important for producing well made clothing than serged seams. I'm also a stickler for matching thread, so the idea of finishing everything faster with gray thread just isn't acceptable to me, so if you have to buy massive amounts of thread or spend time winding thread onto bobbins and then rethreading the machine for each project - where's the big savings of time?
I am a beginner who has been studying how to sew before I actually start, so I can avoid as many behinner mistakes as I can ^^; I've been binging all your videos, they are so helpful and you're so good at engaging with your audience. I never find myself bored. Thank you so much, Evelyn ❤ And I live your sense of style!
I’m doing the same thing. I’m a beginner too and I’m watching all the videos I can before I even start sewing. And I’ve been buying the must have tools (other than a serger because I can’t afford one of those).
I also love Evelyn's videos.
Learning theory beforehand is great, but actually getting into it and making mistakes, and learning how the fabrics work is pretty darn helpful! I learned on a treadle machine making doll clothes from patterns my Granny made from newspaper when I was 7 or 8. Buy cheap or thrifted fabrics and make something simple like a shopping bag! It’s just like reading. Learn your ABCs first and then pick up a book. There’s nothing like hands on learning. It’s a lot of fun. I still learn something new when I sit down to do another project!
Also don’t forget the used market. Most sewing machine shops sell trade ins that’s where I got mine in the 80’s and I’m still using it! My serger was new in 1989 and is still going! You don’t need all the bells and whistles to sew. Sergers are great when your making form fit diapers and modern bathing suits. But as long as you have a zigzag you can make a bathing suit! Lycra doesn’t fray so seam finishing isn’t a problem. Thread tension is the tricky part!
Awww I'm so happy to hear you love the videos! I think your study will serve you very well and your on the right track for sure 😃
And don't forget that practice is what really makes a great sewist! Mistakes are part of the process too and it's how we really learn 😘 Happy sewing!
Getting an overlocker surely made my garments look more nice and the survival ratio after washing them got much higher. I used to zigzag before that, but it's just not as sturdy a finish...
🤣 I love this, ' the survival rate after washing' is what it will forever be referred to now!
Hmmmmmm.....almost 50 years of sewing and never a single failed seam with zigzag finish. Not once. 3 stitch zigzag prevents tunneling. Zig zag stitching also is always less bulky than overlocking because much less thread is used. I've even seen bespoke mens' trousers finished with a zigzag finish.
Pinking? Why bother? Only good reason to pink is on heavy overcoat type woolens. Also, no quicker way for garment to look "homemade" than for pinked edges to show through a lighter weight fabric.
I've always used hongkong finish strictly for unlined jackets. Only three layers of silk so as to reduce bulk. The silk on the backside is left raw as cutting on the bias reduces fraying. Once the seam is pressed open the unfinished side does not show. Also rather quick to do this way rather than a full 4 thickness binding.
@@cliftonmcnalley8469 Well, those zizagged raw edges always displayed a minimum of fraying, which made them less neat and more prone to further fraying. I do understand that an overlocked edge can become a bit bulky, however I prefer to keep the sturdiness of 3 or 4 threads and use something like thin serafil thread in those cases, rather than using a zigzag stitch. And if even that serafil would be too bulky (let's say I would be making myself a pair of boxershorts in a very light chiffon...) I would personnally turn to a french seam. Maybe that's because my zigzagging was never as neat as it should have been... It's not just the 3 or 4 threads of the overlocker that do it for me. It's the combination of that and the fact that the looper threads meet exactly on the edge that is made instantly by it's blade.
@@bartd4800 I actually only use a zigzagged finish where others use a serger/overlocker. I use a plain zigzag, a 3 stitch zigzag, a turned edge zigzag (instead of just straight stitching a turned edge), a felled seam, a french seam, a hongkong finish and a bound edge(usually just on the fly where extra durability is also needed). I decide on seam finishes based on the type of garment and type of fabric for each project. I have never had a zigzagged seam disintegrate in the wash, nor have threads come loose from the fabric edges, the width and length of the zigzag used prevents it all.
I grew up in a time where serged seams were a sign of cheaply produced clothing. Better clothing had actual seam allowances, serged seams really don't. Plus, having studied clothing construction as the plethora of foreign made "fast fashion" was at its infancy, I learned that sergers were invented specifically to produce cheaper clothing faster. At that same time, higher end designer clothing sold in upper end department stores often had no seam finish at all to reduce bulk. This was the early 80's. Serging = cheap to me, because I know better. Anyone that has grown up later sees serging as "professional" because that is how almost all factory clothing is now made.
I did purchase a pair of trousers 7 or 8 years ago, in an emergency situation for $40 - not a "sale" price. They had generous seam allowances and all of them were bound! So odd! Unfortunately like everything else OTR, they didn't actually fit. After getting me thru the emergency they went to Goodwill.
If I were sewing for a living, I would probably use a serger just to finish edges and I wouldn't be so finicky about color matching the thread, but as I only sew for me, the serger is reserved for t-shirt duty.
@@cliftonmcnalley8469 I understand that for you (for historical reasons) there is a mental link between overlockers and fast fashion. However, for me (as I probably never did a good job zigzagging properly and using an overlocker makes my clothes last longer...) there is a link between my overlocker and the fact that the fashion I sew for myself got slower. It's true that using my overlocker also speeds up my sewing process. But that doesn't turn the clothes I make into fast fashion... So yeah, good for you that you're a champ at zigzagging. But not everybody is... and for those people an overlocker might just make their clothes more sturdy, which makes the kind of fashion they belong to... slower. Whether a garment is fast or slow fashion is not determined that much by the machines used during the production process (although I must say I use secondhand machines myself...), nor by the speed of the production process, but rather by the sustainability of the materials and by how long the life-cycle of the garment itself will last. (BTW, my vintage Bernina Record 530 doesn't boast a 3 stitch zigzag... yet another reason for me to turn to my overlocker...)
I started sewing with historical garments so I was chucked in the deep end when it comes to seam finishes. On my first garment I had to use French seams. On my 2nd it was flat felled 😂 I love a neat finish
I definitely agree Hannah Bradshaw
I'm an overlocker convert, for sure.
I made do without one for years, but they're such a game changer...
I still do french seams occasionally, but that's pretty much it. Overlocking is fast, reliable and tidy.
And sewing stretchy fabric suddenly isn't a nightmare anymore...and I quite like jersey dresses and such in summer.
Most of my patterns say to press seams open so that is what I do and I like that the seam lays flat-pinking shears are still good for flat seams. I use closed seam types for pillowcases etc but just don’t like the look or feel of any closed seam in garments. Zigzag on each edge separately are also fairly okay to keep flat depending on fabric used. Just my experience and opinion. The polyester double knits of the 70’s were a dream to sew, launder, and didn’t show wear for years. Of course the cotton lobby was not a fan of clothes that wore forever. ☺️
When I was a young girl and first learning I pinked into not only my seam allowance but a triangle hole into the garment. I stopped using pinking shears and went to zigzagging after that. Nowadays I usually overlock, but can do flat felled and prefer it for men’s shirts,
I have often used a serger for thin fabrics that are hard to control, I do a lot of heirloom sewing for my granddaughter, lightweight lawns, cottons and linens with the narrowest finish on the outside! Then I enclose them in a French seam! Cheating but sometimes I’m behind on getting them to her!
My tuppence-worth:
From bitter experience, viscose needs an enclosed seam finish!
Sometimes I love doing a bound (HK) finish in a totally wacky contrast to an unlined garment.
I agree that planning is everything: if, for example, a careful choice of binding, such as bias cut silk is used on a fine fabric, it can add needed weight and even enough structure to stop droopiness ( I’m also thinking of substitutions for weights / chains to hold skirts down, where they may be just too heavy or rigid)
Yeah, I had a bit of trouble trying to remember to sew the seams wrong sides together the first few times I did a french seam! Working on flat felled seams right now and they are less bulky than french seams for sure & look nice!
Yeah, wrong sides together, goes against your sewing instincts doesn't it? I'm going to make a tissue linen shirt, trying French seams for the first time. Going to be so pretty.
My sewing journey started of watching these videos from this lady. I knew nothing and understood nothing. Many thanks to her my knowledge and skill set in sewing now is dangerous. Keep making videos for people like me, that come from nowhere. Thank you Evelyn 🤍🤍🤍🤍
Very helpful. I like the bind finish for jackets. Neat.
I have used several of these techniques. They are a great way to finish seams.
I was wondering what the purpose was for binding tape. I will use some to cover the seam on the inside of an obi belt I made🥋
You can also use binding tape for finishing arm and neck holes in lieu of a facing 😀 (that’s the more common use for bias tape)
Josie and Aimee-
Bias binding along curved edges works best if the edge to attach first is pressed open while gently shaping it in a convex curve.
When sewing it on do not stretch it. Press seam towards the binding then press bound edge on the inside, being careful to maintain an even width. Finish by hand or machine stitching binding to the garment. Having made quite a number of items with binding and attempted numerous shortcuts, the "extra" time is well spent.
Wish I could like this video more than once! Sooooo very helpful! Thank you!
I've been sewing for 50 years and seam finishes have always baffled me. This is the best video I've ever seen on this topic. Thanks!
I like to have fun with my bound seams. I buy used silk saris from Etsy, and use those to make binding strips. If I'm going to the trouble of binding seams, I want that beautiful pop of color.
Great video, I am familiar with all those finishes, but it is nice to know which garments to use them on!
Sewing a messenger bag I designed with thick fabric and having misaligned seams due to the bulk. Not by much but annoying to me. Lucky I have a heavy duty manual Janome so it could handle the bulk. It's a bag I use regularly for work.
My two most recent projects were vintage (WWII era) maternity dresses in super-fray-ey deadstock rayon. Most of the seams are french seamed, but the sleeve cuffs and facing piece are single fold bias bound (I find it looks cleaner than the turn and stitch method for single-thickness pieces), and the armholes are double fold bias bound (because french seams around an armpit are awful, plus there's a little extra structure that helps the tiny bit of puff on the sleeve stand up). I've found they hold up to machine washing on a delicate cycle, but wouldn't put them in with the normal wash (mostly because of the fabric, not the seam finish).
I usually use overcast stitching for seam finishes but often wonder if all these finishes are suitable for curves. So, can you do french seams on the rise of a pair of shorts, for example.
Hand felled seams are definitely my favorite when it comes to durability and clean insides. That said I can be very lazy so I often just do a zigzag stitch for anything that has longer seams (especially for trouser side seams).
I "made up" a skirt pattern in thick wool-blend fabric as a wearable mock up to trial whether I could make a skirt out of some pretty end-of-line wool I bought.
The skirt had a reasonably nice drape... until I bound it.
I made double fold bias binding out of sturdy cotton twill and it just made it so so bulky and stiff.
Once I've overcome the pain of several days of hand stitching about 18m in length, I will probably unpick it all, hand zig-zag fell the vertical seems and maybe spend some money and buy a grosgrain ribbon to bind the hem (unless someone here steps in and warns me that this is yet another terrible mistake! Haha)
I’m getting ready to sew an unlined jacket, and would like to finish my seams by binding them with self-made bias tape. How wide should the tape be to do the job without adding extra bulk? The seam allowance for the jacket will be the standard 5/8 inch.
I'm relatively new to sewing and my favourite disaster was a shirt I made where I thought my new vintage pinking shears would look really tidy... They were blunt and I couldn't get through the fabric very well and realised that they would probably fray in the wash! I have a Singer 201 which of course doesn't do zig zags but I also have an attachment for that which moves the fabric as opposed to the needle itself .. what a mess! It wobbled all over the place... As a final insult, the shirt was far to small! Clearly didn't think anything through 😂 gave it to a friend who was the right size, he loved it and didn't notice the errors. Lessons learnt: always do a mock up, get the scissors sharpened regularly and actually plan seam finishes...
Yet again, a very useful video ❤️😊
My funniest mistake was sewing a French seam on accident 😂 and the most frustrating I still have trouble with is cutting fabric- with mirroring and duplicate and what not. - from an extreme beginner who struggles with remembering all the terms!
I LOVE all your videos!!! ❤️ Did you make the blouse you’re wearing? So many times I see your videos and I think “I wish I had the pattern for what she’s wearing!!”😄
2:21 First kind of seam
I love hand felled seams, do them all the time! Which seam finish is good for waist seams on dresses? I find this seam to be a little bulky (if the skirt is gathered) and a lot of tension is usually put on it(if the skirt is heavy) Any advice? Evelyn, you are great teacher, thank you for the amazing education!
👋 hello What stitch is best for stretch satin
Oh ... the worst seam finishes I've ever done ? .... that's something I still do, but I manage to make them look a bit better nowadays, but they are still bulky. It's a bound seam for thinner fabrics or a zig zag seam with a difference but instead of binding or zigging I feed the fabric through a roller foot. It needs mega precision to keep the rolling even and always feed in the same amount of seam allowance, which is why there's a risk of it being unevenly bulky and being wavy!!
I always struggle with my Seam finishes
I beg to differ. The overlocker or the serger doesn't give the garment a "professional" look. It gives the garment a commercially mass produced look.
When I realised that you had to finish ALL of your seams on a garment, it dawned on me that sewing was not such a "quick and easy" past time. Still enjoyable.
🤣🤣 sounds like the shattered sewing dreams of many! It's definitely NOT quick right!
Another illusion shattered: I’ll save so much money by making my own clothes! Lol!
I think you do save money compared to buying comparative quality once you gain skills but if your aim is just to not be naked, then not so much
@@susanforbes8251 A really great alternative for this is to buy thrifted fabric!
Oh definitely not quick, sewing is a craft indeed.
@@susanforbes8251 "..but if your aim is jot not to be naked.." LOL!!!! too funny and too true!!!
I think my biggest mistake with seam finishes was just not using them. My poor neglected early made things.
Oh dear!😊
Well, when the 'easy' pattern you choose doesn't even mention this, it's hard to know your suppose to do such things right! 😅
I dare say we’ve all been there 😬
You are not the only one!
@@rebeccacamacho-sobczak4282 I made my wedding dress at 17...I am going to pull it out of storage soon and look at all the things I did wrong 🤣🤦♀️🤣🤦♀️🤣🤦♀️🤣🤦♀️
Really new sewer here. My biggest finishing mistake was actually the very first step of a project. My grandma has been teaching me to sew, and she told me to be sure to pre-shrink fabric when you're using multiple types of fabric on one garment because you don't want them to shrink unevenly.
Well, I took all my nice fabric to the laundry mat, got it going. Came out of the wash, threw it in the dryer without really looking at it . . . and it was a frayed mess when it came out of the dryer! I didn't think about zig-zagging the edge of the fabric before I washed it so it wouldn't fray. I lost a couple inches of fabric all the way around, and I had to give it a "haircut" and trim off all the tangled, frayed edges.
I will not be making that mistake again!
Been there, done that. We learn the hard way.
I’ve done this too! I thought I was being good, washing beforehand and everything, and my fabric was a mess of threads afterwards
Yep, been there also😳
I think we have all done that one!!
I'm glad I'm not alone!
I once made the mistake of trying to use French seams on a thick fabric and it made my machine work so hard that it blew a fuse 😬 luckily repairs were still covered by the warranty, but regardless you should be smarter than past me and use the correct finishings
Wow!! Lesson learnt early at least!
Hand felled seams also are a great way to keep your hands busy when you've got a show to watch 😉
Thanks for the information!
I like to hand sew while watching shows too!!
Ah, pinking shears - I still use my 94 year old aunt's pinking shears, which she gave to me many years ago. They cost her £3/7 ($6-70 a small fortune back then) and are still in the original box. I keep all my off cuts to test finishes and button holes. I saw your posting on testing and thought it was just one of my own quirks.
Zig-zagging with an overlock foot on my regular machine is my go-to seam finish because I'm lazy! My biggest mistake was neglecting to trim the seam allowance on a set of French seams. So unsightly, totally defeated the purpose of choosing French seams in the first place!
Zig-zag, oh me too. I cut my seam down, then zig-zag, looks almost like a serger. I wish I could get a serger but I just don't have the room for yet another machine.
My preference has been French seams for lighterweight fabrics and flat felled for anything too bulky for French seam. I almost exclusively hand sew because I like to sit watching tv while sewing. So those are my go-to’s simply for that reason! Now that I’m used to it it’s hard to use anything else. If the fabric is extra bulky I whip the inside edge shut instead of top stitching it shut.
I've only recently learned that I need to finish seams, lol. I do find that sewing binding on the armhole-sleeve seams on medium to heavy weight fabrics has helped my garments be more neat. It also gives a little structure to the shoulders.
Yes! I agree it's a lovely finish for armholes!
Not doing finishes! My favorite homemade skirt now has a fluffy fringe around the pockets and along the seams. Thankfully it's on the inside and the fabric isn't sheer, but I am worried that it isn't as structurally sound as it could be.
My first flat felled seam was one of those “wing it” tries….it was not pretty!!! The worst was being lazy and doing no finish….OMG..the inside became a stringy rag after the first wash. Lesson learned the hard way!
I once made a Halloween costume for my daughter that had a cheap polyester brocade fabric for the top of the dress. That fabric frayed like crazy, like it would just disintegrate if you breathed in its direction. Handling it at all was a nightmare, and I was super careful too. Just getting the pieces sewn together caused the 5/8" seam allowance to shrink to a 3/8" seam allowance, then as I tried to get the edges zigzagged it shrank to a 1/4" seam allowance in most places. At the end of the night after my daughter wore the dress the seam was actually pulling apart under the arms because the zigzag wasn't enough to stop the fraying. Fortunately you couldn't see it until she took it off and it was a costume she was only going to wear once.
If I had to do it all over over again? I probably wouldn't have bought that fabric in the first place, lol! However, I think I bought it because it had the right look and it was in my budget, so if I did work with it again I would either fray check everything or cut all the pieces as a single layer of fabric and "cut" it out using a heat tool of some kind. That fabric was a little too thick to do a french seam, and I'm sure it would have unraveled far too fast to do a hand felled seam. Maybe a bound seam would have worked with the utmost care, but it would have been a real trick to get the seams bound before they had a chance to disintegrate. Melting or gluing the edges are the best options I can think of for such a terrible fabric.
What a nightmare!! This is a good example where there's always an exception to the rule. So instead, you could cut the pieces out and then finish them entirely before you sew. That way they are handled the least to minimise fraying. It's not a great way to do it, but it's still better than jabbering the seams fray out and seam allowances disappear 😃
@@Evelyn__Wood I will definitely try that the next time I have to work with a badly fraying fabric!
I once used the turn and stitch finish on the side seams of a skirt, only to discover that the slight extra bulk created a visible lump on each side of the seams on the good side when pressed. Obviously the wrong seam finish for this fabric. Love the video, as always!
This was very informative 👏!!!
When I first started sewing I bought a beautiful and expensive Chinoiserie fabric to use as part of a costume. I pinked it, used liquid fray check, and watched it unravel right in front of my eyes! Lesson learned the hard way!!
Another wonderful video. I now live off grid and have a very old treadle machine, so I love French seams which take away all the wispy threads forever! Been sewing, self taught, for many decades and have had the experience of pulling out a lovely, delicate, painstakingly-home-made garment from the washing machine only to find it in shreds because I used the wrong seam AND should have hand washed. Wish I'd had the internet and you when I was younger!! Love your channel. Thanks for being there. 😊😊💕
I miss your pretty curls, btw. Have you given up that look completely?
I always hoped, you'd one day do a tutorial on how to get them to look so perfect.
I've been playing around with foam rollers and other curling methods and I just can't seem to get it right. My hair is chinlength now, but it never curls as tightly as yours did. Even on small rollers, only the lower half ends up (very) curly, whereas the top half stays nearly straight. It's very frustrating and most heatless curls videos are for long hair and loose curls. It's so frustrating!
I miss my curly hair too! It was permed, but I had to wet set in rollers to style it. It just was not conducive to the tropical weather I now live in, so I'm embracing the natural hair!
@@Evelyn__Wood
Oh, I see! Funnily enough, I've been thinking about getting it permed - but everyone seems to think, that's a rather crazy idea. Good to know, it would actually help me, achieve my desired hairstyle. I mean, I know the upkeep and styling is still work, but I'm just not happy with styling my hair straight. I want to have curly hair so badly 😄
I've recently had a minor disaster with French seams. I'm sewing a raglan sleeved blouse, but instead of making it in one go I'm experimenting with sewing for half an hour or so after work. I remembered to sew it wrong sides together, but forgot to reduce the seam allowance to account for the double seam until after I cut the seam allowance. Thankfully the blouse has a gathered neck, it just won't be as gathered as per the pattern, and the sleeves are very full so it should still fit! I think the flat felled seam is the only one I've not tried yet.
sometimes the solution (especially on fabrics that take a press well) is faux french seams!
Thank you! That was extremely helpful! And I love the detail about the "English seams."
Evelyn
Would you go through all the different interfacings someday?
That is a confusing works to me.
Lindsey from Inside the Hem has an entire video on interfacing. Check out her you tube channel.
I'm watching this while making the Lichen Duster (Sew Liberated) in a heavy-ish linen, using a combination of hand-felled seams and contrast-bound seams (with binding I made myself from lightweight woven viscose). So a classic example of an exposed interior to a loose jacket :)
What about curves? I always have a harder time with curved seams and wonder what seam finishes work best.
What is the best seam finish for gathering seams where you have attached skirt to bodice?
I am making a lill notebook of your tips .. 🤗🤗
Even though I still have a lot of stress cutting my fabric, these type of video's help me get a feeling that that I can do it and make a great garment.
I have no doubts you will! 🙂
I bought an overlocker from Aldi ( Aldi sewing machines and overlockers are Janome rebrand, excellent quality and only half the price of Janome ones) in 2018 after a year learning sewing . and it’s one of my best Aldi purchase and sewing investments. It has made my homemade garment looks very professional and it survives in the washing machine. And btw I went to op shops that are a bit far from my home last week and I got so many second hand fabric( majority of them are doona covers, sheets, but they are floral so I thought they would be perfect for pretty lining) and sewing accessories
Many household sewing machines come with a special overcasting or "serge" foot. It has a little metal finger to prevent the bunching of zigzagged seams. This is a game changer, especially when used with a stitch that hast at least two stitches across, such as the triple zigzag or a "mock overlock" stitch. Sometimes I use that instead of my serger when the seams have awkward angles and curves. It holds up at least as well as a true overlock binding.
My machine came with one of these and I’ve no idea how to use it. Sounds like it’s time for me to learn!
@@its_me_jen_jen9204 Just trim the seam allowance, select your stitch and position the presser foot so that the outside stitch is just outside of the fabric. At least on my machine there is no need to adjust the thread tensions. If the rightmost stitch appears to be a bit loose, it will be just right after ironing.
@@ClaudiaArnold Wow! Thanks so much for your help! Can’t wait to try!
Love this video! I'm new at sewing and had no idea what can I use not having a machine
❤🌷
When I first started sewing I used to do "overcasting" by hand like my mother taught me. It took as long to finish the seams as it did to make the garment in the first place 😱 When I discovered how to use the overcasting foot on my new sewing machine it was a game changer! I also like French seams where appropriate. Best of all are stable knit fabrics that don't fray and don't need any kind of finishing! 🤣
I loathe overlockers so I use pinking shears on cottons and then sew along the edge. On almost everything else I just zig zag. I have had no more disasters with this than purchased garments with overlocked seams. I feel like off the rack clothes are so badly sewn most of the time. Thanks again Evelyn for a great overview.
I love enclosed seams.
Oh I have a good one. I thought I could add a long sleeve from a different pattern without considering the arm opening changes. Oh my, the sleeve TOTALLY DID NOT FIT. So stupid! LOL LOL. My new beautiful cloth, in the trash. LOL oh no!!!
I took the free crash course at Vintage Sewing School and it was so helpful and clear and enjoyable that I couldn’t become a full member quickly enough! If anyone watching this video is considering checking out Evelyn’s courses, I highly recommend you do so. There is no credit card required for the crash course, as with most “free” offerings, Evelyn wants you to enroll in full membership because you want to, not because you forgot to cancel some trial membership. Okay, I’m done gushing.💚
😍 Thanks so much, I'm thrilled to hear your loving it so much, I can't wait to see your progress and what you make in the community!
Greetings! Thank you for the video. I recall in the video you shared that your preference is a hand stitched felled seam. Have you tried using the blind hem stitch to catch the other side instead of the slip 0like hand stitching. When I saw your demonstration of the hand stitch it reminded me of how a blind hem look so I thought I would ask 😅.
I'm a beginner sewist, and recently sewed "The Easy Drawstring Bag" from Purl Soho.
Per directions, the seams aren't finished in this bag, but if I were to finish them, I'm not sure which finishing technique to choose, since the first instruction is to sew up from a fold. Does this make a difference? I'd like to use the bags to practice different techniques.
I probably won't buy pinking shears, since I don't have the budget for them right now.
Thanks for anyone, who can advise me.
I have a 1941 singer and I will be making a super elegant top with some high sheen brocade. I don’t have an overlock machine so I’m going to have to do French seams MAYBE with Hong Kong finishing for the waist. It’s a looser fitting top so it should be just fine! 👍🏻
Hello! Off topic but your blouse (?) you’re wearing is simply gorgeous! I assume you sewed it yourself because you’re so good at sewing and have been practicing for a long time. Do you happen to have a pattern for it? I’d like to make it myself someday when I have the skill!
Also a question. How machine washable hand felled seams are?
I did a project a little while ago, where I serged a medium weight upholstery fabric to speed up the project. Worst idea ever. Even before cutting into the fabric the selvage was fraying. But, smart me thought, "Surely this is going to be a cinch to lock those edges down?" Wrong, wrong, wrong! Did I say, "WRONG!" LOL! Instead, the fabric got caught under the blade and in the needles. I just could have died for even attempting this. Luckily, this was not a major project, but a very tiny one; as in a small section. So, I got a reprieve, finishing up, but returning to the sewing machine to add an extra stitch. I won't being doing that again, lol.
My first garment with hand-felled seams is holding together fairly well, but if I were to do it again, I would 1) leave myself more seam allowance, 2) especially on the more fray-prone fabric, and 3) iron in the fold for the felled seam before stitching, because it's pretty wibbly inside.
Alternatively, you could just learn by my example and *not* make a 22-panel, 21-gore skirt out of quilting jelly roll.
I really don't know why but I just never liked over locker stitching! It's just too "messy" looking for me! Too much thread!
Last year i was making an overdress for a costume, using brown muslin which was the only fabric i could find in that colour. I was concerned it would be too transparent, so i decided to double it - and "cheat" on finishing each piece - by sewing each piece into a bag and inverting it. Like a French seam on the edge of each piece! It did make the seams a little bulky, especially when i hadn't trimmed enough of the edges. Well, it all went well until i got to sewing in the sleeve ... which had a puff made of an extra piece on the outside... Making a total of twelve layers of my nice, fine muslin at the bottom of the armscye. I had to hand-sew those sleeves in - and then trim so much bulk that my "pre-finish" was completely wasted 😂 Still haven't finished those two seams!
Good pros and cons for each finish. Thank you. I would love the pattern for your beautiful tasseled purple peasant top!!!
My biggest mistake for seam finishes would be not trimming the seam down enough before doing the final seam process and having patches of ‘fluff’ as such down the right side of my seam
I'm autistic and have sensory processing disorder and overlocked and zigzag seams are often extremely painful to me, especially with stiffer fabrics. My favorite seams for shirts, and the least sensory-overwhelming, are felled seams. There's no extra pokey ridge of fabric as there are with almost all other seam finishes.
Many times the thread itself is also extremely scratchy and painful, so often French seams are better than serged seams for me.
My mom sewed when I was a kid in the 80s (which is wonderful for a sensory defensive kid, since she could buy just the fabrics I was comfortable with) and pinking shears were a common finishing tool! Pinked edges are just fine for fabrics like flannel and the like, but it becomes like jagged saw teeth when it's a stiffer fabric, haha.
Every person with SPD is different on what bothers them but seams are a very common issue, along with types of fabric and tags. Some accessible fashion designers have incorporated visible outside seam finishes as part of the design and style of their sensory-friendly clothing lines.
Have you done a video explaining the various sewing machine feet. I have a 2nd hand machine with various bits but no instructions. What is a zipper foot?
I recently did a project with t-shirt jersey knit, and I don’t have an over locker. I tried zigzag stitch off the edge, but even with the knit foot there was stretching and buckling. I went with pinking shears for most, and encasing in a binding (looks like a felled seam, not Hong king binding). We will see how it holds up in the wash. Any advice for Jersey without an over locker is appreciated
Would you use different seams finishes within the same garment? I’m definitely thinking about seam finishes with each garment now rather than just serging every time. Thank you Evelyn - excellent video as always.
When I make an open seam zigzag finish it always end up like a long sausage. Probably tension, but the straight seam has the right tension soooo switching tension between seams is not going to happen. So closed seam zigzag which only get slightly sausagy is what I do. And never feel proud of my sewing. :( So I obviously have to experiment with other types of seam finishes. Big sigh....... (growling and rolling up sleeves). Thanks for showing alternatives :)
Oh share mistakes eh? Ok. Put my pinking finished garment in the washing machine 😶😅😥
Thank you for another great video!
I really dislike the zigzag because mine never turn out pretty and also I used them on everything until now (this video is a game changer). I sewed the covers from the sitting banks I made and I used the zigzag on the weavy fabric (it was the only one I knew of) and of course after one washing they started getting undone. 😒🙄 but now I know better thanks to you. 😊 After 3 videos only you got me to follow you. 😇
Could u pls make a video on French seam with corded piping? I’m planning to use it for my 8 panels dress. Can’t thank you enough for all your tutorial videos.
I like to do French seams, but find French seams difficult to be accurate as even if sew the first line right, the fold must take some fabric and then you sew the second seam, and if its not pressed properly its either too big or too small... And then there's the whole fitting issue🤦🏻♀️I made a wrap dress with French seams and bound the wrap with bias tape, and I was so proud of my seams, but the wrap gapes😭 now I can't bear the thought of undoing it all!!!
Worst mistake - I cut a garment kneeling on the hard floor (my knees were quite unhappy) using pinking shears and no pattern weights or anything. The edges were “finished”, but the cuts were nowhere near straight. Pieces looked like the bands of a five year old who cut her own hair. Thank goodness it was just the mock-up.
So... Every French seam I have ever tried had at least one visible fraying edge visible on the right side of the garment 🤦🏻♀️, either my machine is too old (early 80's? it likes to pull at an angle even after servicing) or my straight lines are more intention than reality.
However, I recently learned felled seams for an historical type linen garment. Yes it took ages, but I love it! The way the seams sit it feels like one piece of fabric, albeit with a flat ridge, the garment felt sturdy, neat and well finished. I had a go with it on a machine as well for practicality, and am now considering using these two seams finishings in more modern outfits, why can't my cotton summer dresses have visible stitch lines like men's shirts ?
My biggest annoyance was with more tightfitting clothes, like my satin dress, is the seam pulled the fabric apart at the threads...in public...how to avoid getting a hole every time you sit down!
Two wrongs don't make a right, but maybe three?
When I first looked at seam finishing options, I looked back at my very first garment, wondering how it had survived or if I'd forgotten I'd finished them after all. There was absolutely no fraying despite no seam finishing... Because I hadn't known the difference between woven and knit fabrics and treated this knit like a woven. How did that not mess up my needle choice or lead to my seams popping? I had chosen to hand sew the seams and it was a garment with a lot of intentional design ease, so the seams were never under stress.
I still think back to it and facepalm at how narrowly all my mistakes there worked out for me 😂
Hi Evelyn! I live in Portugal and the lady that thought me how to sew also called French seams English seams. But I think that was only her. Everybody tells me English seams are the ones like the ones in jeans and French seams like the ones you showed.
How should seams that intersect be finished? What about graded seams? Every example of seam finishes are for straight seams.
I once tried turning under 1/4” each side of the seam allowance and stitching. I thought it would work great. It was a mistake. I was working on a voile fabric and it was too lightweight for the seam finish; it waved all over and looked bad. Should have done a French seam.
Hello :_)) do you ever use the felled seam the wrong side out ? If wrong side of a felled seam has only one line of visible stitching ... it would be nice to have on the right side ...maybe ... or am I missing something?
You are fantastic! I'm learning a lot from you. Greetings from Italy!
Ok I tried to do a flat felled seam but somehow it kept unraveling and in the middle of the seam… could it have been the type of fabric? Or I dunno… it was a rayon challis.
I’ve been flat felling my seams but instead of cutting down one side, I press the seam open and fold/stitch down both sides 😶
I can’t remember if I learned that somewhere or if my brain saw someone do it and just completely skipped the fact I was supposed to be cutting off one side 🤪