WHAT ARE FRENCH SEAMS

What are French seams .French seams are a fairly effective way to create a beautiful, elegant finish to your garment. What they do is enclose the unsightly raw edges of the fabric into a neatly sewn secret cavity that will never be seen again. They work really nicely on light to medium weight fabrics, but not so great on heavier fabrics where they would create bulky seams. They are especially useful on sheer fabrics as they look less noticeable than through locked seams. Thanks to the strength of the seam, they are also practical for clothes that are washed a lot.

French seams are also known as closed seams. The cut edge of the fabric, if closed in the seam, will hide it to prevent fraying. It’s an easier way to create a clean seam surface. They are considered simple and elegant, and any hand-stitched garment can look professional. They also require no fancy serrations or additional sewing machine feet.

A French seam is a type of seam that aims to close the seam allowance in some way. This is a decorative treatment suitable for easily cut fabrics. For such light fabrics, the French seam somehow removes the seams from view and creates a certain look and elegance. Then when the seam closes the seam allowance; generally for a seam you sew the pieces from right side to right side, but a french seam is different! In the French seam, you sew wrong sides together.

HOW TO SEW A FRENCH SEAM AND WHY TO USE IT

What are French seams .Unlike most seams made in garment manufacturing, where the fabric is sewn with the nice sides together, the French seam is made by sewing the wrong or ugly sides of the fabrics together. Press the seam allowance to one side.

Turn the fabric so that right or right sides are together and roll the seam between your fingers and thumbs so that the stitch line is right on the edge. Press flat. Stitch in place. Press both wrong and right sides of the fabrics so that the seam is towards the back of the garment. Notice that there are no fuzzy edges or fraying. Instead, you sew a French seam. A French seam is a seam that goes around rough edges. It’s very simple and your projects will be nice and tidy.

Step 1. Place the fabric panels wrong sides together.

Step 2. Sew a 3/8″ seam along the side edge

Step 3. Open the sewn panel and press the seams. Press well

Step 4. Fold the right side seam of the panel together.

Step 5. Press the folded edge

Step 6. Sew 5/8″ from the folded edge so that they hug the raw edges of the 3/8″ seam

Step 7. Press the seam to one side

SEAMS FOR CLOTHES WHAT ARE FRENCH STITCHES

What are French seams .In a French seam; the parts to be sewn are then sewn from wrong sides to wrong side using a ¼ inch seam allowance. And when this is done. And you have the right sides facing out. So you see the seam on the outside; then you can see the line of stitching or sewing on the “outside” and it must be “invisible” because that is the nature of the French seam.

Then press the seam in the direction the seam was sewn. Turn the pieces so they are now facing right side to right side. Press well but do not press on the fold line. Then sew another seam allowance to close the first seam allowance. This new seam is a 3/8″ seam from the folded edge of the seam. This is a French seam.

Now the lapped seam

Now the method below seems to be the standard method of doing a lapped seam. A lapped seam still means an overlap, and there are many ways to do that overlap. The method below is not the only one.

It is important to understand what fabrics the over lock seam should be used for. Seam choice is very important in the construction of a garment, and the visibility and invisibility of seams can be a design choice.

With both fabrics, right sides up, cut off the seam allowance from the top fabric, then overlap the top fabric over the bottom fabric by the size of the seam allowance. Note that since you have two right sides facing up, what get stitched this way is the wrong side of one and the right side of the other.

After overlapping the upper and lower fabric by the size of the seam, the fabrics can be sewn as needed. Then sew the top fabric close to its raw edge and then approx. ½ inch, being careful to catch the fabric under. The overlap is substantial; it is the overlapping of the two layers that makes it a “lapped seam.

SOME NOTES ON GARMENT SEAMS WHAT ARE FRENCH SEAMS

What are French seams .Remember the smooth seam that is sewn from right side to right side. This means that the wrong sides are on the outside and the seam is thus sewn on the wrong side; so when you finish sewing the seam with the seams on both sides is on the inside or wrong side and that’s what you want. You want the seams to be on the inside so all that is visible on the outside is the stitch line.

For a flat or dropped seam, start by sewing the first seam on the inside or wrong side of the fabric. So the fabrics are right side to right side. This seam should be about 3/8 inch, and then cut one of the seams 1.8 inches from the seam line. You then turn the larger “lip” under the smaller one. You try to close the smaller ‘lip’. Note that there are three layers. You may be asked if you just want to sew the top two layers together, i.e. two seam allowances, or if you want to sew the seam allowances all the way to the actual fabric.

This is an interesting ‘stroke’, that is, simply sewing two lips together by hand stitching, which is an elegant finish. Lips stick together; and the seam will have a “reversed” appearance. This is a flat or flat seam, and this seam is now usually made by sewing three layers together with a topstitch. In this way, a flat fall is created by “holding” the seam allowances to the fabric itself; the lips of the seam were closed together.

The difference with the French seam is that you start on the right side of the garment. In this way, the sides are placed from wrong side to wrong side and the seam is sewn. You can then see the stitch line on the wrong side. The garment is then turned so you are working on the right side. This suture line should not be visible from the outside. What is done here is no seam at all. This is a sewing line created to close the inner lips and clean up the seam. French seams are an elegant finish to delicate and light materials such as chiffons and light fine silks.

WHAT ARE FRENCH SEAMS PROS AND CONS

Pros

• A clean and professional looking finish
• Can be done on any machine – no serger needed
• Strong seam
• It works well with lighter fabrics that may be more difficult to finish with overstitching or a zigzag stitch
• Not as irritating as an exposed serger or pulled threads

Cons

• Increases volume (not recommended for heavier fabrics)
• More time-consuming (except ironing and sewing)
• Not recommended for curved seams
• Need larger seams (minimum ½ inch)
• Little room for error with seam allowances

CONCLUSION

A French seam is a bulky, self-finishing seam that’s great for delicate fabrics that fray. It is used for high-wash garments such as underwear and blouses. You can also find the French seam on children’s and baby clothes. It is found on baby clothes for two reasons, so that the seams do not hit the baby’s delicate skin. A traditional seam will have a zigzag finish or serger, which can be rough on a newborn’s skin. And secondly, it holds up well with frequently washed clothes. The French seam wraps around the seam allowance on the inside of the sewn piece so no raw edge is visible. It is most often used on sheer fabric to make the seam blend into the fabric. But it can be used on any fabric where you want to close the seam allowance and keep a soft edge.