Sewing a seam can either make our project to stand out or break our sewing project. There are different types of seam that can match your project. First we will go over basic seams for any type of woven fabric.
Plain Seam
Upon creating a plain seam, most likely a seam finish is required either way. A seam finish secures the seam fabric that it secures the fabric so that it doesn’t fray or unravel. You could choose to sew the edges before sewing the fabrics together, or after the seam is created.
Tip: For beginner apparel sewing, we recommend finishing the edges first instead of sewing a plain seam. For removable pillow covers, finishing the edges instead of sewing is easier because many home decor fabrics are easily frayed. Mostly, seam finishing in home decor sewing is not required at all since the fabric edge will never be disturbed or seen, such as upholstery sewing.
Overedge Zig Zag Seam Finish
This method can’t be used on very lightweight fabric, because it requires the right points of the zig zag stitch to go outside of the fabric.Which can cause the stitch to unravel but this is a very effective finishing method if there’s not a serger that you can use.
Overedge Stitch on a Serger
This stitch can either be done with or without the straight stitch “chain stitch” it depends on what kind of serger you are using . A 5-thread serger can sew a plain seam and after trim any excess, and finish the seam edge all in one step. These machines can be quite expensive but a great investment, but it give professional results from home and save your time.
Stitch & Pink Seam Finish
A classic seam finish, simply straight stitch on each seam allowance piece, then trim the excess with pinking shears or a pinking rotary blade. A pinked edge will not unravel f you stitch it well, but it may fray slightly over time.
TIP: In saving time wise you ca you could skip the additional straight stitch step but it all depends on your project, and just trim the excess seam allowance fabric with pinking shears.
Flat Felled Seam
The flat felled seam is an ultra-secure and a flat seam which can be use in somewhat decorative that’s commonly used in jeans or in construction pants. A combination of 2 visible stitches, that are fully enclosed.
Step1: Sew the back part of the fabric together 3/8
Step2: Trim seam allowance to 1/8
Step3: Turn fabric to the front side together making the seam along the fold, if needed press along the seam , and sew ¼” seam allowance.
