Sew Flat Felled Seams on Jeans (4173 Views)

Sew a Flat felled seam on garments like jeans or men shirts to produce a sturdy seam without visible raw edges.

Step 1 of 5

Baste the seam with wrong sides of fabric together. This is the actual seam line. (Here it's 3/4'' (2 cm) from the fabric edge).
Step 2 of 5

Press the seam open. Trim one seam allowance.
Step 3 of 5

Fold the large seam allowance in half enclosing the trimmed seam allowance. Add some pins and press flat.
Step 4 of 5

Put extra strong thread and a jeans needle in your machine. Topstitch 1/8'' (3mm) from the turned edge.
Step 5 of 5

Topstitch a second line parallel to the first one, being careful to stitch through all layers (do not go farther than the basting line). Both raw edges are tucked under the folded seam. You can remove the basting line. Your flat felled seam is finished! Apply this technique whenever garments encounter a lot of stress on the seams.

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MarmotaB Ï Posted 27 March 2008 at 11:56 PM
working on Steffi

Thank you! I thnik I'll need it soon. I love how these How Tos make things I previously considered difficult seem very easy, when I see the steps.
Akwa Ï Posted 28 March 2008 at 6:12 AM
fighting with my machine

Many seams of my RTW jeans are sewn this way. But of course you can omit the second topstitching -Step 5- (in that case use a topstitching thread to construct the first seam -Step 1-). I still find difficult to sew curved 'flat felled seams' on areas like the back seam, without making puckering. Stretching the curved seam before stitching with hot iron helps. Any other suggestions?
Polychromatin Ï Posted 11 April 2008 at 6:30 AM
doing my coat (its getting cold!)

This How-To is great! Your photos explain the seam very good!