10 ways to refinish your seams

1. Pinking Shears
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A quick and easy method that is useful if you are low on thread.
Simply sew with a straight stitch 5mm from the edge of the fabric, iron the seam open, and cut out the edge of the fabric with pinking shears or a wheel with a wavy blade.

2. Turn and stitch edge
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Sew 5 mm from the edge; this seam will simply serve as a guide. Then fold the fabric along the seam toward the garment and sew close to the edge to secure the fold.

3. Zig-zag stitch
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Sew the edge of the fabric individually with a zig-zag seam, or by using an overcasting stitch found on your sewing machine, making sure that the needle enters the fabric on one side and passes over the edge on the other side as it exits the fabric.
If the fabric is lightweight, it is possible for it to curl, in which case fiddle with the thread tension until the fabric is no longer faulty.

4. Overlock finished edge
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Achieve an overcasting stitch with the overlock.

It is definitely one of the fastest techniques that allows you to adapt the stitch to the thickness of the fabric and have a very clean edge thanks to the fabric being cut at the same time as the trim.

5. Bias bound edge
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The most widely used method in tailoring to finish the inside of a garment without a lining.

This is very beautiful to look at and allows you to use satin or cotton bias to also give a touch of color to the inside of your project.

It is really useful in case of thick or wide-weave fabrics because it allows you to completely encompass the edge of the fabric and therefore avoid any kind of fraying.

6. Flat felled stitch
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This is the classic seam found in jeans or sportswear. It is used in this type of garment because it is very strong and resistant to wear and tear. The two edges of the fabric are completely hidden within the seam itself, thereby preventing them from fraying. It is perhaps the somewhat more complicated technique to execute because it is done on the right side of the fabric and requires precision and dexterity.
– Sew 1.5 cm from the edge like a normal seam, but pairing the fabric back to back.
– Cut out one of the two edges 3 mm from the seam.
– Fold the longer margin in half , encompassing the one you just cut out, and iron it.
– Lay the newly ironed margin on the right side of the fabric and stitch on the edge of the fold.

7. Self bound seam
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This seam, much like the French seam we will see later, is useful with all light, transparent fabrics. It is a seam that hides the edge of the fabric inside.
Taking into consideration a seam border of 1.5 mm, this is how it’s done:
– Sew 1.5 cm from the edge like a normal seam, pairing the fabric right sides together.
– Cut out one of the two edges 3 mm from the seam.
– Old the longer edge first 3mm toward the edge, you just cut and then fold it back covering the 3mm edge until you reach the seam allowance.
– Sew the edge that has been folded in this way as close to the seam as possible.

8. French seam
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This is a very useful seam for light, transparent and delicate fabrics. Primarily indicated for straight seams.

– Sew, allowing a total margin of 1.5 cm, 1 cm from the edge like a normal seam, but with wrong side together.
– Trim the edges of the fabric 3 mm from the seam line.
– Turn the fabric keep the right sides together and iron along the seam line.
– Make a seam 5mm from the fold.

9. False French seam
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This is useful when combined with an French seam, along with the riveted seam for curved seams.
– Sew 1 cm from the edge like a normal seam, pairing the fabric, right sides together.
– Fold each edge of the fabric inward and iron.
– Match the folded edges and sew along the outside edge.

10. Topstitch and False Flat Felled seam
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If you are not an expert, this is an excellent alternative to Flat Felled Seam being much easier to do. On the downside, it leaves a sharp seam, so it is not useful for all those fabrics that will fray easily (possibly we can trim the free edge with one of the methods 1, 2, 3, 5).
– Sew 1.5 cm from the edge like a normal seam, pairing the fabric right sides together.
– Trim one of the two margins 5 mm from the seam.
– Iron both edges to one side of the seam.
– On the right side of the fabric, make a topstitch margin of 5 mm/1 cm from the seam and a topstitch next to the seam line if you want to make a false felled seam.