6 PROFESSIONAL SEAM FINISHES you can do without a serger or overlocker! (Try something new!)

No matter if you're a beginner at sewing with no serger looking for basic seam finishes, or you're looking for ways to finish your seams more professionally and try some couture techniques, I will show you 6 seam finishes you can use with no serger or overlocker!!

0:00 Intro
2:40 What is a seam finish?
3:13 Zig zag stitch
3:49 French seam
5:30 Straight turn and stitch
6:28 Using Pinking shears
7:34 Felled seam
9:18 Bound seam or Hong kong binding
10:24 My thoughts

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// WHAT TO WATCH NEXT:

How to DESIGN AND PLAN YOUR BEST SEWING SPACE, using the space you have!-Get 'Sew Organized' Phase 1

The best way to SORT AND ORGANIZE YOUR SEWING supplies! Get Sew Organized Phase 2!

How to STORE AND DECORATE YOUR SEWING supplies for your ultimate sewing space! Sew Organized Phase 3

2 ways to finish seams no overlocker - Plus Zig zag stitch tutorial

5 good sewing habits you need

#1 WAY TO MAKE YOUR SEWING LOOK MORE PROFESSIONAL... plus (spoiler!) 3 tips on pressing and ironing!

WHAT SEWING TOOLS CAN YOU GET FROM THE THRIFT STORE? What I look for to find thrift sewing supplies!

WHAT ARE GOOD REFASHION PROJECTS FOR BEGINNER SEWERS? Or a more advanced sewer? a few tips to help!

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Until next time
Evelyn

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#sewing #sewingforbeginners #seamfinish #evelynwood

[serenamoglia]

It is so funny how in France we call the "french seam" "couture anglaise", which litterally means "english seams"... Where is it from then?

[LynHannan]

I grew up wearing homemade clothes, both knitted and sewn - I considered myself very lucky as I was given free reign to choose the fabric/yarn colour and feel, and Mum would make everything in the next size up so it could be let out as needed. She sewed PJs, slacks, shirts, skirts, jackets, dresses and knitted Jumpers, hats, cardigans, scarves, gloves, etc. Mum did all this on an old Singer machine with a treadle plate - although the plate was hooked up to electricity so she only had to press her toes down when she wanted to sew, rather that rock back and forth. The machine belonged to Nana (Dad's Mum), who had the machine's treadle electrified when her ankles became arthritic. Back in the early 1980s, I learned "garment construction" at School, and I was amazed at the machines we learned on - so many different stitches! And a REVERSE button! I did have a little experience on our Singer and found it laborious to sew 5 or 6 stitches, then have to leave the needle down, raise the foot, pivot the fabric, lower the foot, sew 5 or 6 stitches back along the line I did, then with needle down, raise, pivot, lower and continue sewing the seam - then to go through that whole process again at the end of the seam! Each and every seam! Just one stitch in one direction. Mum taught me french and flat-felled seams and bound arm/neck holes before I learned their names at school. To inspire me at school, Mum said she'd pay half toward my own sewing machine when I finished Year 12 (1986). I am not a knitter, but I love sewing! Nana's Singer now lives in my bedroom - quite usable, but not as easy to use as my more modern machines. Actually, the old Singer never got snagged threads, didn't suffer with varying thicknesses of fabric like my modern machines so maybe they're not so perfect either!

[fitzyfitz]

I love french seams, all my edwardian blouses have them it makes the inside so neat (in french they are called "coutures anglaises" = english seams which i find funny idk)

[thgraderfriends]

My disappointment when I was first starting to sew and wanting to learn how to do a professional finish and it was done with a whole other machine outside of a sewing machine, was immeasurable. There was no way I was dropping several hundreds of dollars for a second machine!

[mouseluva]

Me, who has been obsessively watching Bernadette Banner for the last 18 months: WHEN ARE YOU GONNA TALK ABOUT FELLED SEAMS
Evelyn: felled seams
Me:


I'm trying french seams for the first time making a 1908 walking skirt at the moment! I've never got on with overlockers when I've had access to them, so I'll be referring back to this vid when I'm planning my next project :)

[geeruturtle]

I actually saw French seam from that one time I tried to pick apart a garment to use it as fabric. I didn't knew what it was called but the first thing that went to my mind was "that was just brilliant, I'm just gonna use this every time I got the chance". I always use it on totebags because it looks really durable, like you can trust that bag to hold your things and not break.

[dimitridasilva]

Thank you so much for your videos, Evelyn! I’m a young guy who inherited a sewing machine when my aunt passed away. I’m a novice and your videos are helping my projects look much more professional

[MathPiHanan]

I always use the french seam. I think it is more durable compared to the zigzig one.

[elitabaldridge]

I love felling seams by hand. I don't know why I like them so much, but I think that they are incredibly fun to do. I've also been experimenting with the rolled hem foot on my 1910 Singer 66, and I am loving that as well. I don't like the look of serged edges, which is great, because it means I don't have to buy a serger.

[JuliatheVideoEditor]

I'm a new sewer. Very self taught. Your videos are my favourite to learn from. Right now I am trying to follow a beginners pattern and your videos are saving me! I thought you should know that you're work is helping foster a new creative skill for me. Thanks for sharing your knowledge :)

[kallandar]

Hand-felled and french seams are my favorites!

[olajordan]

Thanks so much. Many sewists
do not have a serger but we want lovely seams. Once
again it’s you to our rescue.
Great thanks from St. Louis,
USA.

[grandymommy]

I learned some of those seam finishes in 8th grade, which was about 1964. I was also taught to iron my seams open, and since practically everything was ironed after washing that worked well. Some years later a friend taught me that if something needed to be ironed in order to wear it, get rid of it. What a concept! So I developed my own usual seam finishing for most everyday clothing. After sewing the seam I zig-zag close to the seam and then trim it. I then fold over the seam which ever direction makes most sense and top stitch. When the item is finished I wash it and trim all the threads that frayed lose from the seams. Now it will virtually have no more fraying, the seams will always stay in place (no ironing), and it will hold up to rough use. Not as pretty as a serger or some of the other examples but very sturdy for every day use clothing, especially with cotton-like fabrics.

[anitaholmes]

I grew up with my mother sewing on a pre-WW2 White Rotary sewing machine. It had a zig-zag attachment that used to freak me out as a little kiddo -- It moved the fabric back and forth while at the same time moving along with the feed dogs. It was ever-so-civilized when finally a machine with a built-in zig-zag stitch came into our lives.

[melissawesterlund]

What a lightbulb moment! So the double rows on mens shirts are felled seams... love your tutorials!

[debramejia]

Every time I see one of your videos I am astonished at your sweet spirit. You are just a lovely person both inside and out. Thank you for all your wonderful videos.

[cannaryboy]

I enjoyed this tutorial very much. It was charming and inspiring, and took me back to the 1960s -- the final age in which the ordinary woman could sew and regularly wore couture-worthy garments. Back in the 1980s, couture sewing techniques and the serious study of garment construction started disappearing from high school home economics classes. I was shocked when I did not have to take my daughter to shop for fabric for her home ec project, buy the right size pattern, figure yardage, or gather tools and supplies to sew a garment. I had to pay for a silly kit that was shipped to the school to sew in class. It was a box of pre-cut fake fur pieces of a foot-shaped pillow. With such an uninspiring project to complete, and no exposure to the real world of choosing and getting to know materials and make a real, wearable garment, it's no wonder few students had any interest in sewing. It has become very hard, where I live, to find anyone who can sew or alter clothing.

[tashagarland]

I enjoy the finished look of the bound seam. It looks very high end/ couture to me. I like it for items like a jacket because others are likely to see the inside of the garment while it’s worn open or when it’s doffed at an outing. It’s just a little wink of something extra that makes it look properly finished!

[teriwhite]

Please do a video on how you suggest to hand stitch. Love your channel!

[elf]

I love bias bound seams, with a variation. I reduce the bulk (well, one layer!) by leaving the bias tape on the "wrong side" as a single layer instead of folding it under. The raw edge is hidden on the underside, and since bias tape is--of course--cut on the bias, it frays very little as the garment is worn and washed. The end result is kind of like the "Straight Turn and Stitch" method in this video!

Instructions: [1] Sew the bias tape to your fashion fabric right sides together; [2] Press the seam open; [3] Wrap the bias tape to the wrong side to encase the raw edge of the fashion fabric; [4] Don't fold the bias tape under on the wrong side, just press the single layer of bias tape flat; [5] With the right side facing up, finish the binding by 'stitching in the ditch' (i.e, sewing on the line between fashion fabric and bias tape that was created with Step 1). Tips: A slightly shorter stitch results in an almost-invisible 'stitch in the ditch' finish. [Optional]: Depending on the seam allowance of your first seam and/or the width of your bias tape, you may wish to trim the raw edge on the underside down to 1/8".

Last but not least, this method is great for finishing knit items too! Instead of pre-made bias tape (which does not stretch as much as required for knits), you can make your own from the same fabric as the garment, or you can use strips of Power Net (tight mesh) fabric.

Happy sewing!