French Seams, part 2

Ok, finally, here is part 2 of the French seams.

Once you get used to regular french seams, there will be times that you will want an enclosed seam that is just a little more stable. On straight seams, this variation is just the right thing.

I learned this version in an industrial sewing machine class taught by Claire Schaefer. This one is called a drapery french seam, because it is meant for use on straight seams. It's also good for skirt seams in sheer fabrics, side seams, or any other place where there is not an extreme curve in the seam, like a princess seam.

First thing to do it to sew the seam Right Sides Together on the correct finished seam allowance, in this case 3/8", exactly the opposite of a normal frenched seam.

Open the seam and press as usual.

Press the seam allowance toward the side that will enclose the seam, in this case, the solid fabric, and wrap that fabric over and around the seam allowance, enclosing it snugly.

 

This pin is showing where the seam will be sewn on the underside, after the seam allowance is wrapped.

 

Roll the fabric over the edge of the seam allowance and press it in place. 

You will not even need pins to sew this.

 

Place the covered seam under the foot of your machine and "stitch in the ditch" of the seam. Your needle should run right between the two fabrics.

Press the seam as you sewed it, then press it open.

Here it is from the front and from the back. It creates a very nicely finished, durable seam. I pressed it toward the more opaque of the two fabrics so it will not show through.

If you can see in the picture below, what makes this different from a normal French seam, is that the cut ends of the fabric are not turned and pointed toward the surface of the garment. They are pointing inward, just like a normal seam. The other difference is that the cut edges are wrapped with a solid piece of fabric, rather than rubbing against a seam that is running down the inside of the seam allowance, that can be rubbed raw, allowing the seam allowance to pop out and fray to the inside. Very nice.

All you have to do to make this seam finish work, is to remove 1/4" of the seam allowance from one side of the seam, and add it on to the other side.

For example, with these two fabrics, one was solid, the other was a rather open weave. I just cut the open weave with 1/4" less seam allowance on both of its sides, or 3/8"wide. Then I cut the other, solid fabric, 1/4" wider on each side, or 7/8" wide. That allowed me the correct amount of seam allowance on the solid fabric to enclose the seam allowance of the open weave fabric, and still have the skirt seam line up with the bodice seam. You just match up the cut edges of the seam and sew at 3/8", the corrected seam allowance.

It doesn't work on curved seams, because there would be too much fabric to wrap around the seam allowance and it would all bunch up.

Happy Seaming!