I discovered a great technique for finishing seams and underlining in one – it ends up looking like a cross between a French Seam and a Hong Kong finish. It’s a perfect solution for silk or other fabrics prone to fraying, like my recent silk faille Simplicity 2343. I’m not sure from where it originated, but there’s a text tutorial on Pattern Review and a few bloggers have written about it before. However, I struggled to understand the instructions without some photos, so I thought I would put together this little tutorial for you! Hope you find it useful. The instructions below assume that your patterns has a 5/8 inch seam allowance.
1. Cut your underlining 1/2 inch wider than the fashion fabric on each vertical seam (i.e. the whole piece will be 1 inch wider).
2. Sew the vertical edges, right sides together, using a 1/4 inch seam. Because the underlining is bigger, it won’t sit flush to the fashion fabric.
5. Now treat the fashion fabric and underlining as one piece! When you sew it together, you’ll have lovely 1/8 inch wrapped edges. Remember that you trimmed 1/8 inch off the fashion fabric, so sew up the vertical seams with a 1/2 inch seam allowance.
Great tutorial, thanks! I now want to underline something to ty it out!
Brilliant!
Genius! Must try this some time!
what a great idea! really clear turorial thanks! i am planning a lace dress and so i think it will come in very handy!
Wonderful tip!
This is SO clever!
Thanks everyone! I hope it works for you – let me know if I got any instructions wrong 🙂
wow, that is so nice! thanks.
Thanks for such a clear tutorial. You made it so simple, and I will definitely use it the next time I sew with a sheer fabric.
Thanks so much for taking the time to post this! I’d heard of this technique, and seen a photo of the results, but honestly couldn’t quite work out how to do it — you make it so straightforward!
You’re welcome! I’d read about it too but could never get my head around it without photo instruction 🙂 Hope you are able to use it!
Great finishing technique! Thanks!
If I didn’t trim to 1/8, but left that, I’m assuming that would be an issue, but how so?
Would I need to add more to my underlining?
You could do that, but you’d just have to bear it in mind when you’re doing the final seam, to make sure you’re using the right seam allowance.
Would it be 3/8 instead? I’m trying to check my math, which isn’t my top skill… Or really a skill I have…
Jenny, thank you for the very clear video. I’m going to experiment with a thick fashion fabric that wants to ravel, and I’m reluctant to trim my fashion fabric/lining seam to 1/8”. I suppose will need to add 3/8” more to each lining seam allowance, to wrap around the extra 1/8” of width and include 1/8” for turn of cloth. The garment seam allowance will stay at 5/8”. If you have any suggestions, please let me know! Thanks again.
Wow! How clever!!! Going to try this pronto. Pass me some silk!
Thank you so much! I had tried to understand this from the one on pattern review, but couldn’t get it until I saw your very good explanatory drawings…. makes it so much clearer, thanks!
Awesome! Thanks so much for this. I’m sewing a cardigan from felted wool and this should work so well if I flatline with bemberg for comfort.
Love your site do you have any thoughts or instructions on how to flatlining a cape, what seams finishes would you use. The pattern I am using is sim 8739
I think this is absolutely an amazing tutorial… the results take my sewing to new level! thank you… thank you! xox
Excellent tutorial on flatlining. Thank you!