today we'll put a french seam twist on the traditional flat-felled seam. yes, folks, it's a seam tutorial! not the sexiest part of sewing, i know, but i brought some man candy to even it out.
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as part of the sewing for men mini-series week at The Train to Crazy, i made my most favorite man a stunning pair of after-dinner pants. the best part? beautiful seams. and no, i'm not kidding. these seams even handle a curve (like that pesky crotch) without any puckering or wonkiness.
so how can you achieve such seamed brilliance? i'm glad you asked!
for starters, i should note that the seam allowance for this pattern (simplicity 2290) is very conveniently 5/8". i'm not typically a fan of the 5/8" seam allowance, but in this case it is actually just right.
first, we'll make a traditional french seam.
place fabrics wrong sides together, pin, and stitch with a scant 1/4" seam allowance.
![sewing for men: after-dinner pants]()
![sewing for men: after-dinner pants]()
![sewing for men: after-dinner pants]()
![sewing for men: after-dinner pants]()
this is what your seam should look like, on either side of your fabric. that one beauty of a seam, is it not? and for more about these fab pants....
![sewing for men: after-dinner pants]()
make sure you stop by my post on The Train to Crazy. go! now!
and happy stitching :)
![]()
as part of the sewing for men mini-series week at The Train to Crazy, i made my most favorite man a stunning pair of after-dinner pants. the best part? beautiful seams. and no, i'm not kidding. these seams even handle a curve (like that pesky crotch) without any puckering or wonkiness.
so how can you achieve such seamed brilliance? i'm glad you asked!
for starters, i should note that the seam allowance for this pattern (simplicity 2290) is very conveniently 5/8". i'm not typically a fan of the 5/8" seam allowance, but in this case it is actually just right.
first, we'll make a traditional french seam.
place fabrics wrong sides together, pin, and stitch with a scant 1/4" seam allowance.
clip and/or notch the seam in any curved areas as necessary. you'll also want to trim any long strings so that they don't catch in the second seam.
press seam to set, and then press to the side. turn pants (or whatever you happen to have just sewn your seam into) so that right sides are facing, and fold carefully along the line you just stitched.
press, pin, and stitch with a 3/8" seam allowance.
you should now have a french seam (raw edges completely enclosed) that looks like this on the wrong side of your fabric:
as you did after the first stitch line, press seam to set, and then press to the side.
following your second stitch line as a guide, stitch the free end of your french seam to the body of your pants with a scant 3/8" seam allowance. this step may require extra care so as not to stitch through the other side of, say, the leg of your pants... so proceed slowly and with care. if your seam has any curves, make sure to ease the fabric around the sides as you stitch through the curve so as to avoid any puckering.
this is what your seam should look like, on either side of your fabric. that one beauty of a seam, is it not? and for more about these fab pants....
make sure you stop by my post on The Train to Crazy. go! now!
and happy stitching :)
