How to Sew French Seams
French seams are a brilliant seam finish to have in your arsenal - the raw edges are tucked away completely out of sight leaving a lovely neat seam.
You can sew french seams around curves (such as armholes) although it’s slightly trickier so if this technique is new to you or you’re a beginner sewist then stick to using it on straight seams for now. This tutorial assumes you’re sewing with a standard 1.5cm or 5/8 inch seam allowance.
To begin with, you need to place your fabric pieces with the WRONG sides together. This will feel wrong but go with it!
Sew your first seam using a 5mm or 3/8 inch seam allowance.
Open out the fabric so you have the right sides facing you and press the seam to one side. Trim any loose or fraying threads so they’re not poking through the next line of stitching.
Fold the fabric so the right sides are now facing each other and press.
Stitch along the seam with a 1 cm or 3/8 inch seam allowance, encasing the raw edges neatly inside.
Press your enclosed seam to one side.
Voila! Une belle couture francais.
The Buchanan is a great sewing pattern to try out French seams. Buy now!