We chose to sew the sides of our skirt < slit > using a French seam:
❓ What is a French seam? The French seam is a finish that allows us to achieve a flawless finish, even on the reverse side of our garment. In concrete terms, the French seam replaces the overcasting of our pieces: it prevents the fabric from fraying at its edges, but also allows us to achieve a professional result without visible edges on the inside. It is a solid finish that lends itself well to fine fabrics.
💡 Fun fact: in Anglo-Saxon sewing, we call it a French seam and not an English seam
❓ How to make a French seam? Usually, we join 2 pieces of fabric "right sides together". After stitching, we end up with our seam allowance on the wrong side of our garment (which we can then overlock to prevent fraying). The French seam consists of first sewing wrong sides together. Then we turn our work completely over to make a second stitch, this time right sides together. This double step allows us to end up with clean edges, even on the wrong side of our work. We explain how to do it just below.
- Overlap your Back and Front, wrong sides together :
- Pin the sides of the skirt all the way, edge to edge
- Then stitch on each side 0.7 cm from the edge, making sure to make a stop stitch at the beginning and end of your stitching.
- Iron everything, placing your seam allowance on one side or the other to clearly mark the seam.
- Trim the seam allowances along the entire length of both sides, being careful not to make a hole by cutting too close to the stitching.
❓ Why trim? It is important to trim our edges: indeed, if we do not stitch perfectly at 0.7 cm all the way when we stitch (very likely), the edge of our fabric may not be well "trapped" and come out on our right side at the end. By reducing our seam allowance we are sure that it will end up on the inside after we have turned the skirt inside out and stitched its sides a second time.
💡 Good to know: there is no rule regarding seam allowances, but you will often be told to sew at 0.5 cm, then 0.5 cm for the French seam - we chose to sew at 0.7 cm, then 0.7 cm so that it is easier for beginners to sew along the edge of their presser foot. You will also sometimes be told to sew at 0.7 cm and then 1 cm: this way, there is no need to trim your edges. If you are precise enough, they will not come out on the right side after you stitch the second time.
So now we are going to sew our sides, right sides together this time:
- Turn your skirt over on itself so that the back and front are right sides together.
- Iron to flatten and bring out the side seams
- Stitch again along both sides 0.7 cm from the edge, making sure, as usual, to secure the stitch at the beginning and end
- Iron, placing your seam allowances towards the back of the skirt.
Well done! You have a perfect finish on the inside, with no fraying edges.
💡 Good to know: This finish works well with thin fabrics like the ones we provide in our kits. We don't recommend this finish if you're working with thicker fabrics, as you'll end up with unsightly excess fabric.
