Four Seams, Four Different Uses

One seam to bind them all… That may be a good knock-off of The Lord of the Rings, but binding is a whole other blog post.

Instead, we are getting back to basics and maybe not-so-basics. There are at least four different seams you can use on your quilting projects, especially if you are making bags or making or modifying garments from quilts.

To help you out, I put together a simple video showing four different techniques and when to use them. And in full disclosure: if the captions and the talking don’t match, follow the captions!

In this video I walk through four seams side by side: the Standard Garment Seam, the Quilting Seam, the French Seam and the Flat Felled Seam. Say that last one 10 times fast…

1. The Standard Garment Seam

This is a standard sewing seam, not a quilting seam. It’s usually sewn at 3/8″ (check your pattern, since many commercial garment patterns use 5/8″).

• Place your fabrics right sides together (RST) and stitch.
• Use a straight stitch for most fabrics. If your material has some give to it, use a zigzag stitch so the seam can keep its shape and bend as it needs to.
• Garment sewists then press the seam open.

Pressing open gives you a really, really flat seam that drapes well, which is exactly what you want in a garment. Zoom in, though, and you can see every single stitch. If those stitches start to pull, the seam can get really weak. We have all seen what happens when the seat of our pants gets a little weak!

Sergers work similarly, using an overlocking stitch rather than a zigzag, and some even trim the material for you. Of course, if you are like me – trimming as you go means no room for redos!

2. The Quilting Seam

A quilting seam is sewn just like a garment seam, RST, except that instead of 3/8″ you use a 1/4″ seam.

The big difference is in the pressing. Instead of pressing open, we press the seam to one side. Usually, we say “press to the dark side”, Yes, quilters get their own Star Wars moment. Make sure to follow your pattern instructions as they may tell you which way to press so your seams nest best. Nesting is one of the main reasons we do it. And this nesting is not to be confused with your bobbin thread nesting, which is a tension issue in more ways than one.

Because you can’t see the threads in the seam the way you can on a pressed-open seam, this is actually a stronger seam when we go to quilt. We’re not worried about it separating.

Want to dig deeper into accuracy, the scant quarter inch, nesting and spinning your seams? Check out Secrets of Seam Allowances.

3. The French Seam

Anything that starts with French seams elegant – except maybe french fries and french toast. A French Seam encloses your raw edges, and it looks beautiful.

1. Place your fabrics wrong sides together and stitch at a full 1/4″, maybe even a smidge more.
2. Trim the seam allowance down to 1/8″.
3. Press the seam to one side first to get it really clean, then fold the fabric so the right sides are together, with the stitched seam right on the fold. Press.
4. Stitch another 1/4″ seam, which encases that 1/8″ allowance inside.
5. Press the seam to one side.

From the right side it looks just like a regular quilting seam, but there are no raw edges showing.

When to use it: anywhere you don’t want raw edges. The inside of bags is a perfect example, because you don’t want those raw edges peeling away over time.

Tip: a French Seam takes up more seam allowance than a standard 1/4″ quilting seam, so plan for it if your pattern was written for 1/4″ seams.

4. The Flat Felled Seam

Most of you know this one as the jean seam. It’s sewn similarly to the French Seam, and it thoroughly encases your raw edges. And as it’s name implies – it’s flatter than a French Seam.

1. Place your fabrics wrong sides together and stitch a 1/2″ seam.
2. Trim just one side of the seam allowance. It doesn’t matter which side you pick. I trimmed mine to 1/8″, taking off about 3/8″, so you end up with a long side and a short side.
3. Press both seam allowances to one side, with the long side on top, so everything lies flat.
4. Fold the raw edge of the long side under so it comes right up to the seamline, but not over it. That’s the trick. Press.
5. Fold that pressed edge down over the trimmed side and press again. Starch is definitely a must here.
6. Stitch right along the folded edge. You’re not stitching in the ditch, you’re stitching right on the edge. I line the edge of the fabric up against the inside of the keyhole on my presser foot to keep it nice and tight.

This one takes a little practice and patience, just so you know. The result is a strong, flat, fully enclosed seam.

Quick Review: Which Seam When?

Four seams, four different uses. I hope you enjoyed this!

Happy Quilting!