I only started sewing clothing in earnest about two years ago, and one of the first dilemmas I encountered was how to finish my seams.
One thing that has frustrated me about sewing seams is that indie designers (nor the big companies, that I can recall) do not offer specific instructions on how to finish seams. I’ve encountered maybe one pattern (the Wiksten Baby Harem Pants) that explicitly showed a French seam in the directions. However, most patterns tend to vaguely state “Finish your seams.” As a newish sewist, I didn’t really know what this meant… I thought my seams were finished as soon as I sewed them!
Since becoming a regular sewist, I’ve started experimenting with a few different methods of finishing seams (my favorite being the French seam). However, when a pattern doesn’t directly tell me how to finish a seam, I don’t know at what point in the sewing is it appropriate to finish a seam, and with what method. For example, I insert pockets into every skirt/shorts/pants that I make, and I’ve been trying to figure out the best way of finishing the seams where you attach the pocket to the main part of the skirt. I usually French all other seams if possible, but am not sure what to do about where the pocket meets the skirt (since it seems un-French-able to me). So on one of my sewing projects, I decided to try and finish these seams with a Hong Kong finish, but this ended up creating so much extra bulk that everything ended up puckered and not fitting correctly. I eventually ripped them out in frustration, and made the skirt pocket-less. If a pattern were to suggest possible seam finishes and when in the pattern is best to complete them, that would make my sewing life so much easier!
To heap onto the seam frustration, when I looked at sew-alongs online, or checked out other people on Instagram who had made the same pattern, I kept encountering the same thing: serged seams. To me, this seems like the obvious way to finish seams, but I was frustrated because sergers are expensive and not accessible to everyone (both because of the cost and the extra space to store another machine).
So I’d like to ask my fellow Sewcialists: How do you finish your seams, especially without a serger? What were the first seam-finishing techniques that you learned, and how did you discover them? Would you like to see more seam-finishing suggestions in indie patterns?
Additional Reading:
Oliver + S: Six Tutorials for Seam Finishes
Seamwork: Upgrade Your Sewing – Flat Felled Seams
Mood Fabrics: All About Sewing Seams
Erin can be found posting about sewing, knitting, gardening, hiking, and dachshunds on Instagram @shortern.
To be honest, I haven’t tried this yet, but here are instructions for an inseam pocket with French seams: https://www.sewmamasew.com/2013/07/in-seam-pockets-with-french-seams-sewing-with-deborah-moebes-2/
This is the in-seam pocket every sewist needs to know. And it is French seamable. Learn it.
Hi, I sometimes use my overlocker, but other times I just zig-zag over the edges. For fine fabric with simple seams then I do like french seams, and by the way, you can french seam round a pocket – I always thought it wouldn’t work too but it does!
I also love French seams – which is why I often switch inseam pockets to slash pockets. With a one-piece pocket bag everything is French-able without too much bulk.
I once got an issue of Threads from the library that had pretty awe-inspiring directions for an inseam pocket – maybe it was this issue? https://www.threadsmagazine.com/2017/12/21/low-profile-pocket-pattern
Hi Erin, I started sewing quite young (around 8 or 9) and I was in a 4-H sewing club for several years. I was taught to finish my seams by trimming them and then zigzagging them, or trim them with pinking shears. We also learned about other seams for finishing and when they were appropriate, such as the French seam that you mentioned, as well as flat-felled seams and others. I have a sturdy mid-range mechanical sewing machine (8 years old), no serger and no intent to get one. These days I usually zigzag, but I’ll use the other seam finishes depending on the garment and the fabric (woven or knit, thin or thick, does it fray easily?) Sometimes I don’t finish seams except for trimming (for example, on French terry). Even though I have the knowledge and experience to choose my seam finishes, I find it really useful and helpful when patterns give instructions for how to finish seams. I think it makes the pattern accessible to more sewists of varying skill levels, and I think it also shows the designer cares about the details. I made a pair of Sew House Seven Free-Range slacks this summer, and I was really pleased to see flat-felled and French seams suggested, along with instructions. Those seam finishes really elevated the finished slacks and increased my satisfaction with the pattern, as well as the garment. It was my first pattern from this company, and I will buy from them again based on my experience with that pattern. I get a little irked when the only seam finishing guidance given is ‘finish seams with a serger.’ It assumes that all sewists own one and that it is the only way to finish a seam – not true! Even on knits!
I grew up sewing before sergers were available for home use. I love my serger and serge most of my seam allowances now, but it is perfectly acceptable to leave your seam allowances raw. If a fabric is likely to unravel, you can trim your seam allowances with pinking shears. The Hong Kong finish really is amazing, but as you discovered, it works best with heavy weight fabrics. I use it when sewing an unlined jacket. To my mind what shows a skilled sewist is a neat, even inside of the garment, rather than the type of seam finish. If you could almost wear it inside out for a funky, raw unstructured look, you are sewing at the top of your game!
My mom taught me the basics of operating a machine, cutting fabric on the straight grain, etc., but I’m mostly self-taught. I think I landed on a blog post on Colette about seam finishes because I was trying to figure out how to keep the seam allowances from fraying in the wash. I really like using French seams or flat felled seams. I received a serger for Christmas last year, so I have started using that more for finishing and sewing knits, but I will almost always opt for French seams if I have the choice. It’s nice when designers suggest seam finishing suggestions in the pattern (especially for newer sewists), but it doesn’t bother me when they don’t. I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a pattern saying to serge the seam allowance, but that would definitely be annoying to come across.
It depends on the fabric and how much time I want to spend on it. I have an overlock that is inexpensive and a real workhorse, so for basic items I use that. For most knits and stable wovens I also use a zigzag on the edge. For easily frayable fabrics I will use a fancier seam finish like a French or Hong Kong finish.
I’ve had a serger for several years now and I find that when I sew woven garments, a serged edge seems too casual for my preferences these days. I will usually French seam if possible, or Hong Kong seam when I really want a nice interior. I vastly prefer to use a cotton lawn for my bias binding, or another fabric equally lightweight; this minimizes the bulk significantly. I would never do this with premade quilting weight cotton bias binding. My local fabric store sells some lawn bias tape and sometimes I make my own (one yard goes REALLY far.) It does slow me down, but special garments are absolutely worth taking the extra time to me.
It depends on the fabric, garment and style. I use French seams and flat felled seams a lot- shirts, blouses or, trousers will be flat-felled and/or French-seamed. I don’t have an overlocker / serger either, so will use zigzag technique – often folding the raw edge under first on something that frays, for example on heavier duty fabric in skirts or unlined jackets. I don’t like pinking, although I have pinking shears, I don’t find the end result works that well.
I love the idea of turning the fabric under before zigzagging. I have tried French seaming everything but it doesn’t look nice on heavier fabrics.
Like the others ,I’ve been sewing since I was very young .
It depends.
Sometimes I use different finishes in the same garment .Yesterday,I pinked the side seams, Hong Konged the back, and French seamed the bottom band. (It was a failed summer weight top that became a nightie.which is why aside bottom band was added.)
I would have just pinked the bottom but the extra weight helps it to hang better as I stumble into the kitchen for coffee…..a tip I picked up sewing heirloom dresses for my daughter .
That’s the reason a little girl’s dress has a 6 inch double fold hem.
A “tip” I got from someone who did alternations on high end men’s suits,pink the seams.It’s flat and non-bulky so there is less of a chance for getting a visible ridge with enthusiastic pressing and if you do, it’s less noticeable because of the zig zag…the eye doesn’t register it the same way as a straight ridge line.
Lastly, even if the pattern specifies, it’s not carved in stone.Consider the weave of the fabric and location.
I have a server which I very seldom use .I prefer the overedge stitch on my Janome
I don’t have an overlock either, and just zigzag my edges. The sequence I follow for inseam pockets where every edge is finished goed like this: finish the rounded sides of each pocket piece (leave the edge that will be stitched to the garment raw), stitch in place, finish fabric and final pocket edge in one go, stitch side seams to finish pockets.
I’ll often pink linings to avoid bulk. Knit fabrics can usually be left raw. I’ll only use french seams on very lightweight and delicate fabrics because I find them too bulky otherwise.
Forgot one of the oldest high end couture methods in the book: Hand overcast.
Flat, flexible, and controlled
I’ve used it as insurance if the seam is inside the lining or if the serged finish pulls away, on finished or ready-made garments that are weakening, and as extra insurance with another method when you’ve let something all the way out and are left with teeny tiny seam allowances that you can’t afford to fail.
Totally depends. Depends on the garment type and fabric type. I tend to find french seams to be way too bulky for the majority of things I sew. I use them rarely. I did flat-felled seams on a shirt once and vowed to never do it again :-p
Bound and Hong Kong seams are nice but like you’ve learned, not always appropriate.
I DO have a serger and finish most seams that way. However, I sometimes employ linking shears or leave raw seams (rarely, but sometimes with knits). Most zig-zag stitch machines have the option for an overcast foot which can mimic serging for ravelry fabrics.
Ooh and I recommend Hug Snug. It’s a rayon seam binding tape. SO lightweight!!
Haven’t read the other comments yet but I have a lot of feelings about this! Hong Kong seams really only work for straight lines, IMO. French seams are beautiful – and apparently they can be used on armholes, but I’m not very experienced with them. Pinked seams are cute but not outrageously durable in most fabrics. Knits are great to sew because they don’t fray – but I don’t think that sewing machines are optimal for sewing them (a ponte is fine but a very drapey, high-stretch knit can be super miserable to sew with a regular machine). Lining gets rid of a lot of issues by enclosing raw edges but I don’t like lining, 90 per cent of the time. It adds bulk.
Here’s where I may be a bit controversial: If you’re serious about sewing, you need a serger. You don’t need the best one on the market but you need one. Otherwise, you’re going to spend a lot of unnecessary time and aggravation just getting half way there. They save so much time. They are so useful. They create strong, neat seams and fabric edges. And they are expensive because they are effectively industrial machines. Sure, they don’t produce couture results, but they neaten everything. They work on 90 per cent of fabrics, no matter the hand or drape. I use mine on 95 per cent of projects – at least in some spot or another. In my mind, I didn’t become a “sewist” till I got my serger, and I am grateful for it with every project. Others may disagree, but I wonder if they sew obsessively, or just occasionally.
I agree on the need for a serger to save time and frustration!
I completely agree with this. You can sew garments, even knits, without a serger but for me it’s a question of time versus cost. I have a limited amount of time to sew and I want to spend that time producing completed garments, not finishing seams. If the garment is for a special occasion or a more specific item (blazer, unlined jacket, etc.) then I look at finishing options. If it’s a top, dress, skirt, pair of slacks, shorts, etc. that are part of my day to day wardrobe, then serger it is.
Depending on the fabric and pattern I’ll do a french seam, bound edges, zig zag, or I just tempt fate and do nothing. I don’t own a serger and see no reason to add one to my sewing toolkit with all the other ways you can finish seams.
This is a subject that is near and dear to me! Thank you so much for writing about seam finishing. I learned to sew on a treadle sewing machine which only sews a straight stitch and only sews in one direction – forward. After sewing the main seam, I would fold each seam allowance in half and sew, then press the seam open. I use this method when finishing the edges of an inset pocket, without pressing open. The Hong Kong and French seam finishes are my favorites. I have a serger that I originally purchased for finishing seams, but really don’t like the way this finish looks (however a serger is great for sewing knits). I always use my old favorite methods for finishing my seams. I love a garment that looks as nice on the inside as the outside. Thank you for this wonderful post!
I have an overlocker because I make jersey garments – no question there. For simple woven garments I’d rather finish everything on the overlocker unless there’s a really good reason. It’s a sturdy way to finish and stuff will last for years without fraying even with weekly washes. Special garments – if the fabric is really lightweight then I’ll use french seams, but I find them quite bulky on things like linen. Otherwise bound seams on things like unlined jackets.
I often use an overlocker these days. But when my mum taught me to sew she taught me to fold over about 5mm of seam allowance and the zigzag stitch it down. I used to do this for all pieces, often before any construction. I’ve also used pinking shears on stable cotton fabrics or a faux overcast stitch on my machine. I do love French seams on fine fabric.
Do you know what, there is so much discussion and angst about this topic its like some kind of holy grail. I think there is a place for finishing seams such as with fabric that frays a lot or French seams on see through fabric but what if you want to make changes or make a mistake? How do you make corrections and changes to your garment if you’ve burnt your boats and finished the seams already. Each garment I make is like a prototype so these types of issues are the norm. I hear people say that they want their make to look lovely on the inside as well as the outside but why? I am not competing with the finish of RTW my aim is to make something that fits better than RTW and this means making alterations to the standard pattern, sometimes not apparent until I have worn the thing and seen how it moves in different situations. Most seams are not going to come undone if they are unfinished but have a reasonable seam allowance so I am happy to leave them in the raw.
Don’t overlook a good classic -pinking. I still love doing that in woven cottons. Fast, easy, the flattest finish. Otherwise I tend to serging or zigzag, depending on access to a serger. French seams would in my book be reserved for light sheer fabric, and they are not my usual style
Zig zag stitch mostly, or occasionally French seams.
Depends on the garment and fabrics. I love to sew linens and on them I generally machine stitch the seam and then overlock the seam together and press to the side. I then decide if I want to topstitch with one or two rows of stitching or not at all. I save French seams for heirloom children’s garments as they can have difficult transitions and can be bulky in more medium weight fabrics. For pants and skirts it is almost always Hong Kong seams. I like the additional weight they provide and how it effects the drape. For satins and other shiny fabrics I do a simple zigzag, nothing else. I like how it does not provide bulk and irons well. It if worked for those bias dresses of silk charmeuse from the thirties, it works for me. Unlined jackets get Honk Kong seams, the better to toss over a chair and feel smug about. Sheers always get a teeny French seam, at least as teeny as I can make it. Bottom line, I let the garment tell me how it wants it’s seams to be finished, but it has to tell me that before I start!
My favourite finish for woven fabrics is the french seam. It looks so clean! Another favourite of mine is adding a stitching line to the seam allowance and then use pinking shears (the extra line of stitches helps to keep the fraying to a minimum). For knit fabrics I usually use my serger, although I do sew the garment with my regular machine. Or sometimes when I really don’t feel like using my serger, I use an overcast stitch on my regular machine… For very thin fabrics, I also sometimes use the three-step zigzag on my machine.
I am going to try a french seamed in-seam pocket someday!
As a beginning sewist I am conflicted on this one. On one hand, almost every garment (maybe 5 total, ha!) I’ve entered into my county fair has commented on the inside seam finishing (either a “well done” or “finish your seams!”) so to someone (older Midwest ladies?) this is important. However, as a beginning sewist, I am constantly taking things out and redoing steps, so a well finished seam might be a frustration! Perhaps the solution is a muslin with unfinished or seams finished at the end and a final garment with beautiful finished seams. But due to time and environmental considerations, I do not like making a proper muslin, so I guess I vote for simple seam finishes and if I ever repeat a garment, then I can get fancy! And I do wish patterns would include them, as a beginner sewist it’s too much for me (seam allowances and construction order) to figure out on my own at this time.
My mom never taught me to finish seams so I spent roughly 20 years not finishing seams with literally no ill effects. However these days I am a sucker for french seams. I still leave seams that are not exposed (like ones covered by a lining) unfinished, but against my skin I’m doing more finishes because of the way they feel.
This baffled me for years – it was a long time before I realised that basically every piece of seam had to be finished somehow. I get zero pleasure from a garment that looks perfect on the inside, so these days I overlock/serge almost everything, but where that isn’t suitable I use lots of different methods, depending on the fabric and my whims that day (!) And I’d never bother to finish a seam allowance that’s enclosed unless the fabric is going to fray really badly. To find the right finish for each garment – the ideal way is probably to test a few different finishes for each new fabric you use until you get more experienced and decide on your preferences for each fabric type. On your last point, yes, I definitely think patterns aimed at beginners should give more directions about what seam finish to use and when to do each one – it would have saved me a lot of heartache and disasters early on! It’s a Big 4 problem too – I have a Simplicity PJ lounge pants pattern that’s aimed at complete beginners that just includes a brief mention of finishing all your seams in the general directions. There’s no way a complete beginner could figure out what that means, never mind what to do!
I’d love to tell you I do something fancy. And I do LOVE the look of hong kong finishes. Do I do them? Not often.
I have a trusty serger, and that does the job on almost everything I make. Worth it.
I sew mainly basic cotton easy wear for myself, especially elastic waist trousers and I don’t finish the seams at all. They look a bit of a mess, but I usually manage (even on a brain fog day) to put them on the right side out, so no one else sees and they don’t fray. I have very limited energy, so have to minimise steps if possible otherwise they’d never get finished.
When I first started sewing I didn’t finish any of my seams! Some garments were fine and others frayed a bit but nothing fell apart, so I didn’t care much. I did make a couple pairs of jeans back then, and it included instructions on how to finish the seams by folding under the seam allowance( I forget what finish that’s called). Then I started pinking my seams. Then sometimes I used French seams. Then I got a serger and the rest is history. But I still use French seams on delicate fabrics.
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