French Seam Tutorial

 Sergers are wonderful inventions. Perfect for so many of the sewing projects I seem to be interested in these days. My serger, on the other hand, seems to be more of a near occasion to sin lately. Even after threading and re-threading several times, it's not working right. Wisdom would say, "walk away from it awhile. Take a break or take it to a shop." But I am stubborn and keep coming back to it, thinking surely it will work differently this time. It doesn't.

 And so I learned the French seam. It's easier than I thought, and I am happy to have a finished seam I can work with until the mystery of the problem serger is solved. French seams enclose the raw edge, leaving a professional, finished straight seam that lays nicely on both sides. Trust me, it's easy. And I finished in about ten minutes or less.

3. Lay the fabric panels open, with the seam on top, and press the seams open.

4. Fold the fabric, right sides together, and press again. 

5. Sew 1/2 in. seam along the folded edge. The photo below shows your seam from the back side of the fabric. 

6.  Press your enclosed seam to one side.

And finished!