Techniques for Self-Enclosed Seams

Nobody wants the visible fabric borders of their seam allowances to be visible on the outside when sewing garments or anything else with see-through materials, overly heavy fabrics, or tearing fabrics. When this happens, an enclosed seam can save the day. Self-finished seams eliminate the need for separate finishing by enclosing raw edges during the sewing process. This seam has no visible seam allowance on either side, which is highly tidy and professional.

Technique of the Flat-felled Seam

Step 1

Keep the cloth pieces with the wrong sides facing out. Set a seam allowance of 5/8 inches. Alternately, make a 5/8-inch seam using the sewing machine’s guidance.

Step 2

Open the seam by pressing. Press the seam allowances to the side after that. Turn the seam allowance toward the dark fabric if you’re using a light and a dark fabric together.

Step 3

Reduce the underseam allowance (the one below) to 1/8 inch on the inside.

Step 4

The cut edge of the top seam allowance should be tucked inside by 14 inches. Press.

Step 5

Over the seam allowance that has been trimmed, press the folded seam allowance. Join the folded seam allowance to the main fabric by sewing around the edge.

Use the edge of your presser foot as a sewing guide; keep in mind that for a tidy appearance, you must stitch parallel and equally spaced from the seam line. For this, you’ll need an iron on hand, as well as accurate measurement equipment and razor-sharp scissors.

For this, you’ll need an iron on hand, as well as accurate measurement equipment and razor-sharp scissors.

Technique of the French Seam

First and foremost, you must make a clean cut along the fabric’s edges, tidying up any loose threads. The procedures that follow will give you a 14-inch-wide fold that will cover the fabric’s raw edges along the seamline.

Step 1

A seam 12 inches (or 3/8 inch) from the wrong side should be on one of the fabric pieces. Only the seventh step will require sewing. (For the following five stages, ignore this indication.)

Step 2

Keep the fabric pieces with the wrong sides together in this step. Sew with a 14-inch seam allowance. By keeping the edge of the zigzag pressure foot along the edge and sewing, or by using the edge joining foot, a 14-inch seam can be created.

Step 3

The seam allowance should be cut to 1/8 inch. On the edges of the fabric, cut and trim any dangling threads. This must be underlined again and again. We don’t want any thread to show through the cut edge and onto the fabric’s face.

Step 4

Remember to merely push, not iron, when you press the seam to one side to fix the threads. While pressing will settle the seam and strengthen the seamline, ironing will stretch the seams.

Step 5

Bring the fabric’s two long sides over to the opposite side so that the seam allowance is now sandwiched between the two layers

Make sure to fold the fabric as near to the initial seam as you can. The right sides of the fabrics are now facing each other. Fingerpress. The 12-inch marking you made earlier will now be visible on the wrong side of the fabric facing you.

Step 6

On the mark you made previously, sew a seam line. The fabric fold and the new seam line will surround the cut edges and the initial seam line.

Technique of the Overlapping Seam

On the right or top side of one of your fabric panels, mark your desired seam allowance line, starting at the edge. In our instructional video, we used a 12-inch seam allowance. On the inside of the specified seam allowance line, apply basting tape. After that, use basting tape to secure the other fabric panel on top of the panel, being careful to line up the edge of the second fabric with the seam allowance line. 1/8 inch from the top panel’s raw edge, sew the first row of stitches. To secure your stitches, reverse at the start and end of the stitch. Next, turn the fabric assembly so that it is on the incorrect side.

Reversing at the start and end, sew the second row of threads 1/8 inch from the raw edge of the other panel. Overlapping seams are less water-resistant than other types of seams because the needle holes in them go straight through the fabric from top to bottom without the fabric being folded. The overlapping seam has the advantage of using the least amount of fabric overall. This means that the width of your seam allowance is the only “waste” of cloth. The fabric is not sewn, folded over, and sewn again like it is with other seams. When you stitch a 12-inch seam, only 12 inches of fabric are overlapped and subtracted from your usable amount of fabric. This seam is a wonderful option to take into consideration if you only have a limited amount of fabric and need to carefully account for fabric lost during seam construction

Conclusion

Seams are necessary for every cloth item, including clothing and accessories, as they join the individual pieces of fabric to create the final product. Seams are used to complete edges like necklines, hems, and other edges. Darts are a part of the seams that give clothing shape and are used to define hips, waists, and bustlines. The type of seam you choose depends on the fabric you’re using and the intended look of the finished product. For instance, lighter-weight materials perform well with French seams. Bulkier enclosed seams, such as the flat felled seam, are preferred for tougher textiles like denim. Choose the right stitch length as well, because a longer stitch makes the fabric more likely to pucker. Enclosed seams are a great addition to your designs since they provide a tidy finish and are more attractive than zigzag or overlocking. If you use the right topstitching thread, an outside seam can be a very cute touch.