A Beginner's Guide to Sewing Seams and Seam Finishes

Garments are only as good as their seams. Ineffective or poorly executed seams will not hold together long-term, so learning how to create attractive, sturdy seams is essential for your sewing projects. A guide to sewing seams can give you a great start.

What Is the Difference Between Seams and Seam Finishes?

A seam holds two pieces of fabric together, and a seam finish makes it attractive and fray-proof. Some seams are already finished because they’re self-enclosed. However, open seams that leave exposed, raw fabric edges need finishing to prevent fraying.

Types of Seams and Finish Seams

Learning specific seam techniques will make your projects look professional and high-quality.

The French Sewing Seam

This type of seam places the raw fabric edges on the inside of a garment for a clean look. Just remember that you need to sew on the “wrong” sides of the fabric!

Use a pin to hold the wrong sides together and place them into your sewing machine. Sew a ⅜” seam allowance into the fabric. Using your fabric scissors, cut ¼” off the seam allowance, leaving ⅛” on your fabric. Open up your seam so the right side of the fabric is facing up.

Use your iron to press the seam allowance on the “right” side, then flip the fabric and press it on the “wrong” side to make it perfectly flat.

Next, fold the fabric along your seam so the right sides are hidden. Make sure the stitching is on the edge of your fold and press it flat. Pin the layers on the edge you just pressed.

Now, you need to determine your seam allowance. For example, say that it’s ⅝”. Since you sewed at ⅜” initially, you need to sew in this step at ¼”. This will trap the seam and your allowance into the fold. On the wrong side, press your seam to one side or the other. Then, flip the fabric to the right side and press again.

Clean Finishing Seam

These are also known as pressed or turned seams, and they work well with many fabrics because they aren’t bulky, so the garments are comfortable.

Place your fabric on the table with the right sides together, raw edge to raw edge. Sew together with a ⅝” seam allowance. Open up the seam allowance and use your iron to press the raw edges underneath. Make sure to press toward the seam line. Now, the wrong sides of the seam allowance are together.

Sew through one side of the folded edge of your seam allowance, then sew through the other side. You can now press the seam open. The raw edges will be tucked away, out of sight and you’ll have two cleanly stitched lines.

Flat Fell Seam

You’re already familiar with this seam, even if you don’t know it. Nearly every pair of jeans uses this type of seam, so you’ll have a great reference point to know you did it correctly.

First, take your two pieces of fabric and pin them together with the wrong sides inside. Sew your seam at ⅝”. Now, press the seam open on the right and wrong sides, and trim one side of your allowance to ¼”. Leave the other one — do not trim it!

Next, fold the seam’s untrimmed half over the trimmed half and tuck it under the raw edge. Check to make sure this fold is the same width along the length of the seam, and then press. Using your sewing machine, stitch the edge of the fold to hide all the raw edges.

Pinked Edges

Here’s an example where you will create a seam that requires separate finishing. The pinked edge is an attractive zig-zag pattern that’s left in a pair of fabric flaps on either side of the seam. It’s fun, it’s whimsical, and it’s, thankfully, not that complicated. You will need a pair of pinking shears for this one.

This type of edge works best when your fabric doesn’t have a wrong side. The zig-zagged flaps will predominantly display the reverse side of your fabric, so if it’s a different shade, pattern, or color, your garment may look odd. However, if that’s the effect you’re going for, then you can use whatever fabric you like!

Sew a stitch down the length of your fabric with the wrong sides facing each other. Leave a seam allowance large enough that you can easily cut the zig-zag pattern into the raw edges. Fold the flaps away from the stitch and press on the front and back of the seam.

Cut straight with your pinking shears, never at an angle. Work slowly so you create pleasing, straight lines. Keep in mind that pinked edges do not completely protect against fraying, so if that’s your main concern, you may want to stick with the other types of seams.

Single-Layer Seam Edges

When you’re only working with a single layer of fabric, you will want to stitch the edges for durability. For this task, you’ll need a tissue pattern, some carbon paper, and a tracing wheel for the best results.

Mark the seam lines on the tissue pattern, then mark cutting lines an inch outside the seam lines. Trace your marked lines on your fabric with the tracing wheel and carbon paper, and pin your fabric to the tissue pattern.

Staystitch through the fabric and, if you’re using it, the stabilizer. Rip out the tissue paper and cut the fabric on the marked lines.

Overlap the fabric’s joining edges, and pin-baste the seam line. Now, you can sew your seam, fold over, and press one of the seam allowances on the seam line to cover the left stitching. Sew the seam on the right 1/16” from the fold.

Make sure to hold the folded seam allowance so you sew through all layers of folded and unfolded seam allowance. Then, do the same in the other direction for the other seam allowance. You’ll need to use a satin stitch to cover your rows of stitching. From the right side, stitch over the seam and trim the allowances.

Get All the Seam Stitching Supplies You Need at GoldStar Tool

We’re more than just a resource for a guide to sewing seams. GoldStar Tool will supply you with everything you need to create gorgeous and durable seams and seam finishes. If you have any questions or need more guidance, don’t hesitate to contact the experienced team at GoldStar Tool.