174 Part 3: More Techniques
French Seams
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A French seam encloses the raw edges of the fabric on the
inside of the seam. This advanced way to finish a seam is
best used on sheer or lightweight fabrics.
While the technique is simple, you must pay special
attention to the direction of the fabric to be sure you end up
with the correct finished side.
What You Need
• Standard foot attachment
• Scissors
• Iron
• Fabric or existing project
Place two pieces of fabric with the wrong sides
together. Sew a straight seam at
1
⁄
4
inch (.6 cm)
(this will fit into the standard
5
⁄
8
-inch [1.5 cm]
seam allowance).
Open up the fabric, and press the seam open flat.
The finished side of the fabric
is facing out!
Pressing will help create a nice final
seam—be sure not to skip this step!
ooCH11_Sewing.indd 174 5/23/13 3:39 PM