The Flat Felled Seam
A flat felled seam is one of the strongest seams there is, and it’s such a clean finish. The best part? It’s actually way easier to sew than you may think.
Once you know how to do this, it will make anything you sew last a whole lot longer. That, and it adds a bit of clean style to any garment!
Sewing a flat felled seam is a must-know for any seamstress or seamster. There are quite a few different ways to sew up these seams, and I’ve searched through some of my favorite ways.
I’ve narrowed it down to 3 different ways, and I guarantee you’ll find one that is absolutely perfect for you. Let’s go over them, shall we?
3 Techniques
1. By Hand
Even amateur sewers can do this. Start by heating up your iron and making sure there’s plenty of water in it. Start by stitching the fabric wrong sides together with a seam allowance allotted in your pattern.
Trim one side of the seam allowance to a bit less than half of its width. Iron the cut side down flat with plenty of steam. Fold the uncut seam allowance to completely cover the part you just cut.
This equates to being folded almost in half, leaving a few extra millimeters of room. Press everything to one side, and check to see the seam is covering the raw edge. Iron for crisp lines.
Stitch everything down with your sewing machine along the edge of the felled seam. Then you’re done!
2. By Foot
If you have a felling foot, the work is pretty much already done for you. Like the last technique, stitch fabric wrong sides together using the seam allowance called for in your sewing pattern.
Trim one side of the seam allowance to just less than half its width and press. As if you were flat felling the seam by hand, roll the first inch or two by hand and press.
Here’s where it gets interesting: insert the fabric into your felling foot with the cut side below the foot. Stitch your seam, making sure that the uncut side of the seam allowance is rolling underneath.
You may need to tug gently at the sides of the fabric as you sew to make sure that it is feeding flat into the felling foot. Make sure that you aren’t stretching the fabric as it feeds.
3. Faux Flat Felled Seam
Sometimes, a flat felled seam adds a lot of bulk to your garment. Here’s an alternative that looks really similar to a flat felled seam.
Start by serging your fabric right sides together using the seam allowance called for in your sewing pattern. Press the serged seam to one side.
Top stitch seam on right side of fabric, making sure to stitch close enough to the seam to catch the serged seam allowance.
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Check out the video below for one of these methods. Then, choose your own. Good luck!