Sew French seams (and why bother) (4917 Views)

French seams encase the raw seam edges securely inside two seams. They’re necessary for delicate fabrics, because two seams are stronger than one and the two lines of stitching prevent fraying. But French seams also are fabulous for garments with simple, straight lines because they’re beautifully clean and neat, and need no more finishing. I’m hooked, mostly because I hate finishing edges. Minna's center back seam is a perfect example.

view all steps

Step 1 of 9

Take the seam allowance of the seam and divide it into two whole numbers. So a 5/8″ allowance becomes 2/8″ (1/4″), plus 3/8″.
Step 2 of 9

Pin the pieces together wrong sides together.
Step 3 of 9

Sew the smaller number first - the 2/8″ (1/4″) seam allowance. I’ve done so by using the 3/8″ guide, and setting the needle placement to the right.
Step 4 of 9

Trim the raw edges, leaving 1/8″.
Step 5 of 9

Push the raw edges to one side, and press flat.
Step 6 of 9

Now fold the fabric over at the seam, so the right sides are facing each other. Press and tack with a few pins.
Step 7 of 9

Back at the machine, sew your remaining 3/8″ seam.
Step 8 of 9

Voila! A 5/8″ seam with no rough raggedy edges -- inside
Step 9 of 9

Voila! A 5/8″ seam with no rough raggedy edges - outside looks great, too

Rate How To Print Page

Materials

Pins, iron

COMMENTS (5)

ADD COMMENT

staticstasy Ï Posted 5 June 2008 at 1:19 PM
on vacation! :D

Cool! I was looking for ways to finish seams and sounded interesting, but isn't there a lot of bulk at the seam when you do this??
ash_tre Ï Posted 6 June 2008 at 9:31 PM

wonderful how-to. nice work!!
kitkat1.0 Ï Posted 11 June 2008 at 6:13 PM

i am such a french seam addict! after doing for the first time on a project (after reading above how-to =] ) i decided that i LOVED the way they look. the project came out god-awful, but damn, my seams looked NICE!
Mynrose Ï Posted 10 August 2008 at 9:46 PM
wanting to make more bags :)

hi, can someone help me, step number one is confusing me with the numbers.

"Take the seam allowance of the seam and divide it into two whole numbers. So a 5/8″ allowance becomes 2/8″ (1/4″), plus 3/8″."

what do you mean dividing it into two whole numbers?

thanks.
Ghainskom Ï Posted 27 August 2008 at 6:28 AM
learning to sew...

This method sounds interesting but does it means that you don't press seam allowances appart (since they're encased in the seam)?