Sewing Straight French Seams: To begin, pin your fabric with the wrong sides together. They are commonly used on tailored shirts and garments where a more professional, neat finish is required, however, they are only suitable for lighter weight fabrics since they would be too bulky in heavier weight fabrics. French fries, French toast, French braid, French manicure, French rolls, French knots, French heroes in romance novels & even the French beans – all my favourites. French Seams For the Armhole/Sleeve Junction (Amanda's Adventures in Sewing) I've been asked a number of times how I do a french seam at the armhole of my blouses, so I put together a little tutorial to demonstrate the process. With the sleeve turned the wrong way out and the bodice the right way out, insert the sleeve inside the armhole. The use of a French seam is not restricted to any particular clothing style or type. It will make more sense as you read below: 1- On the RIGHT SIDE of the fabric (fabric layered wrong side to wrong side), stitch 1/4″ from the edge. [photo from Grainline Studio] There should only be two. With a straight French seam, you'd be forgiven for sometimes stitching the 1/4" first, and other times stitching the 3/8" first. FRENCH SEAM IN AN ARMHOLE By Sandra Betzina French seams is the preferred seam finish in a blouse or a dress, on lightweight fabrics such as chiffon, georgette, silk charmeuse or silk crepe de chine. Pin in place easing the excess sleeve fabric in or use easing stitches. Push the sleeve back through the armhole so the right sides of the sleeve and bodice are now together. There are instances, however, where it is impractical (such as a set-in sleeve) because of its complexity. This entry was posted in How To Sewing Guides on November 19, 2020 by Sew Essential. Match the notches at the shoulder seam and armhole and ensure the side seam matches up with the sleeve seam. Follow us on Facebook Twitter and Instagram for news, tutorials, special offers, sales and more. Step 1: The only fabric you need to deal with here is the front bodice layers. When you’re finished, trim the fabric close to the stitch line to reduce the bulk in your seam. Go to Grainline Studio for the tute. In this handy video tutorial I take you step by step through the process and give you lots of general tips for sewing and setting in sleeves too. You must have JavaScript enabled in your browser to utilize the functionality of this website. That being said, a French seam can be ... Also, the french seam is good when you use lightweight woven or sheer fabrics. Since French seams are completed in two basic stitches, we will divide that number in half, and each seam will be 1/4″ from the edge of the garment. It sounds complicated, but once you know how it is actually very easy. Haberdashery and Sewing Supplies | Low P&P | Under £10 just £1.50 | £10 to £49.99 only £2.50 | FREE Delivery £50+. French seams are also stronger than regular seams because you effectively sew the seam twice. Pin the armholes and also pin the back bodice away from your sewing area to keep it from interfering with your work. Jan 15, 2017 - French Seams For the Armhole/Sleeve Junction, a Sewing post from the blog Amanda's Adventures in Sewing, written by Amanda Smith on Bloglovin’ Match the notches at the shoulder seam and armhole and ensure the side seam matches up with the sleeve seam. Press the stitches flat then open. It is crucial to match up the notches on a sleeve accurately, insert the wrong sleeve in the armhole and it will look very odd - I know I've done it! This is your back bodice armhole curve. I used my purple thang to help me keep the fabric in place as I eased it through the machine. A beautifully executed French seam gives a nice finish to the inside of the garment while eliminating bulk. A French seam encloses the seam allowance so there are no raw edges left to fray. Straight stitch down the length of your seam using a 3/8”, or 1cm, seam allowance. In this video I'll show you how to apply this sewing technique to an armhole, which often confuses people. Sew the underarm seams with the wrong sides of the fabric together at 1/4″ (or 3/8″ if you have a 5/8″ seam allowance). CraftGossip | Start Here | Contact Us | Link to Us | Your Editors | Privacy and affiliate policy, Tutorial: Install an invisible zipper in a French seam, Angel Christmas Tree Ornaments – DIY Tutorial, Easy Fleece Blanket with Tassels – DIY Sewing Tutorial, DIY Rice Filled Heating Pad – Easy Sewing Tutorial, Folded Fabric Christmas Ornaments – Free Sewing Pattern, Book Review – Easy Cross Stitch Folded Star Ornaments, 10 Free Christmas Grinch Crochet Patterns, 18 DIY Christmas Ornaments Using Keepsake Hand Prints. A French seam is a finish that encases all the raw edges of the fabric within the seam. Sew with a 3/8" seam allowance making sure the raw edges of the previous seam are encased. Her tutorial includes how to make this finish on a straight side seam, and also how to finish an armhole seam with the French seam. ... French seams - if you are worried about the strength and durability of your children’s clothing seams, this is the right option to turn to. Pin in place - it should be easier this time around since a lot of the excess fabric has already been eased through. It is incredibly useful here to use a tailors ham and/or sleeve roll so that you can position the fabric for accurate pressing of the seams. French Seaming Armholes (and other curved seams) Step 6 | First we will assemble the sleeves, this part is a bit repetitive. I used my seam guide foot to help with accurate sewing of seams, in fact this foot is pretty much permanently on my machine. In exactly the same way that a standard French seam is sewn, start with the fabric wrong sides together. In exactly the same way that a standard French seam is sewn, start with the fabric wrong sides together. This entry was posted on November 19, 2020 by Sew Essential. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. Give everything a final press et voila you have sewn an armhole with a French seam. If you're working with a fabric that frays easily or want a super professional finish to the seam allowances of your garment a French seam can be a great option, but just how do you sew the armhole? Step 7 | Press the seam open and grade the seam allowance down to 1/8″. If you make a mistake, your new shirt may not have the perfect fitted look that you were going for. The armhole seam. Stitch the pinned seam again, this time 1/4″ from the folded and pinned edge. For more tips and tricks on how to make sewing easy you can follow our blog via Bloglovin and receive updates via email each time a new post is added. How to use French curve scale to give shape to the armscye. With a curved seam, it is imperative that you sew the wider 3/8" seam first, thereby reducing the likelihood of ending up with a bunchy, puckery finish.. All done! Step 1: The only fabric you need to deal with here is the front bodice layers. There should only be two. ← Previous Post, Get our latest offers, news and articles straight to your inbox, Sign Up to Our Newsletter - Keep up to date with the latest offers, news and events, Embroidery and Craft Display Hoops, Frames and Products, How to Finish a Neckline Facing without Overlocking. The armhole seam. This second seam … With the sleeve turned the wrong way out and the bodice the right way out, insert the sleeve inside the armhole. It takes a little extra time and effort, but in my opinion is so worth it for the results especially if you are working on a special garment. Add up your fractions carefully. If the front seam was 7 1 ⁄ 4 cm (2.9 in) and the back seam was 7 1 ⁄ 2 in (19 cm), your final arm hole measurement would be 14 3 ⁄ 4 in (37 cm). Sewing from the sleeve side, sew the initial seam with a 1/4" seam allowance. 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