Regardless of the tool you choose, it is invaluable to be able to pink a seam or fabric edge quickly.

Pinked seams using pinking shears

After stitching the seam, simply trim the seam allowance with pinking shears or with a pinking tool and press the seam open.  How much fabric to trim will vary depending on your pattern seam allowance.  I prefer to leave about 1/4″ – 3/8″ remaining of seam allowance to be pressed open.  Pinked seams still fray somewhat resulting in a less professionally-looking finish, but pinking is advantageous in that it is quick and easy.

Pinked seams using a Singer Hand Crank Pinker. This is my favorite pinking tool; it's fast, easy, fun and doesn't tire the hands!

If the fabric unravels easily, then an extra step of straight-stitching just below the pinked edge will add greater stability to the seam allowance and prevent further unraveling as discussed in the straight stitch seam finish.

Sometimes I will pink all raw fabric edges immediately following a fabric purchase.  This prevents excessive unraveling or fraying of the fabric when I am pre-washing and shrinking it to prepare for pattern cut-out.  Granted, these are extra steps to your sewing project, but the finished result will preserve the garment seam for longer lasting wear.

Finishing seams provides stability to the seam and overall garment, prevents unraveling, while also making a hand-made garment look professional. There are many options available which can vary depending on the fabric choice, machine availability or personal sewing preference. Some of the techniques are basic while others are a work of art, designed to make the inside of the garment look just as admirable as the outside.

The first seam finish we will discuss is one that can be finished with just your sewing machine using a straight stitch.

Straight stitching line halfway between cut edge and seam itself

To finish the seam allowance, simply run a straight stitching line inside the seam allowance edge approximately half way between the cut edge and the seam itself.  This utilitarian finish will act similarly to stay-stitching.  While it can still fray along the cut edges, the stitches will act as a barrier preventing the seam from fraying any further than the stitching line.  If you want to take the initiative one step further for aesthetics, fold and press the seam allowance edge to the wrong side, to meet the seam itself, enclosing the raw edge – then stitch your straight-stitching line.  This technique is fine for lightweight wovens, but use caution for seams with bulk, as it may not be appropriate for some fabrics or projects.

Straight stitching line to enclose the raw edge

The raw edge is folded, pressed and stitched for enclosure

Enclosed straight-stitch seam finish on the left and simple straight-stitch seam finish on the right

Finished seam

Pressing the seams open eliminates bulk and allows the outside of the garment seam to lay flat.  Most sewing patterns instruct for seam allowances to be pressed open, so these straight-stitching seam finish techniques would be applicable.

French seams are easiest and most appropriate to use along straight edges. They aren’t generally appropriate for curved seams like an armhole, since curves will cause the fabric to pucker when finished. However, with a gentle curve like the side underarm portion of the Ice Cream Dress (shown below), I’ll show you a tip that will help you to stitch a French seam without puckering.

A French seam is made by stitching the seam twice—first stitching with the fabric’s wrong sides together, and then stitching a second time with the fabric folded over the seam allowances so the right sides are together. This second row of stitches encases the seam allowances inside the seam. You’ll find full instructions below. Note that these measurements are appropriate for a 1/2″ seam allowance. You’ll need to adjust the measurements if your pattern calls for seam allowances of a different size.

1. Pin the edges to be sewn, with wrong sides together, and stitch them with a 1/4″ seam, backstitching at the beginning and end of the seam to secure the stitches.

2. Press the seam allowances open and trim them to 1/8″.

Then fold the fabric over the seam allowances, so the right sides are facing and the seam allowances are sandwiched between the two layers. Press the fabric at the fold (the first seam) to flatten it and get a nice crease, and then pin the two layers together near the fold.

HINT: If you’re sewing a slightly curved seam, you can prepare the fabric by straightening and stretching the first seam at the curve as you press it. By stretching the seam slightly, it won’t pucker and tug when the seam is finished.

3. Stitch the pinned seam again, this time 1/4″ from the folded and pinned edge. This second seam neatly encases the seam allowances’ raw edges. Press the seam flat first, and then press them to one side.

Fairly simple to do, right?

Chances are you’ve faced a similar issue. You’re ready to sew for your child (or yourself), but the body that will be wearing the garment doesn’t have the same measurements as the sizing chart on the pattern envelope.

Not to worry. It’s easy to make pattern adjustments to accommodate these differences. I’ve put together a little tutorial to show you how.

Picking the correct splicing spot

First, assemble all the pieces you’ll be lengthening or shortening. It’s important to make the same changes to all the matching pieces, so be sure you’ve got the pieces for the front and the back of the garment.

In general, the best location for lengthening or shortening a dress or shirt is halfway between the bottom of the armhole and the hem. For pants or a skirt, the best spot is halfway between the rise/crotch and the hem.

Here are a few illustrations showing (with a horizontal line) the recommended lengthen/shorten locations for some of our patterns.

Sailboat Top, sleeve: lengthen halfway between underarm and hem

Sandbox Pants: lengthen halfway between the rise/crotch and the hem

Tea Party Sundress: lengthen skirt halfway between top edge and hem

Sailboat Top: lengthen halfway between underarm and hem

Birthday Party Dress: lengthen halfway between underarm and hem

By adding or subtracting length in the middle of the piece, you won’t affect the hem or the general silhouette as much as you would if you added to the bottom of the piece. However, use your best judgment here. Depending on the style, you might want to pick a slightly different place to do your splicing.

I prefer to lengthen or shorten at a notch (when a notch is available) so that I can be sure to position matching or opposing pieces at the same location. For example, on the Tea Party Sundress, I lengthened the lower of the double notches. Don’t forget to do this for all the pieces involved: front and back!

When you’ve selected the spot at which you’ll make your splice, draw a line on the pattern piece at the spot. The line should be perpendicular to the grain (or fold) line at the point where you want to lengthen or shorten the piece. Remember: draw this line at the same position on all the pattern pieces you’ll be changing.

Then, starting with one piece, cut the pattern along your line to divide it into two separate pieces.

To lengthen

To add length to a pattern piece, tape a strip of paper under one of the two pieces, and extend the grain line (or fold line) across the strip of paper as in the illustration below.

Draw a line parallel to the cut edge of the pattern piece, marking the amount of length you want to add. For S, I usually add between one and two inches, but it’s a good idea to refer to the Finished Garment Measurement chart on the back of the pattern envelope so you know how long the original pattern will be when it is finished. This will help you to decide how much to add or subtract from the piece.

Tape the other part of the pattern to the line you drew. Be sure to match the extended grain line, even if the sides of the pattern don’t appear to match.

Finally, draw the edges of the pattern piece onto the strip of paper you inserted. You’ll need to draw either a straight line or a curve. If the edge is straight, simply connect the two sides of the original pattern piece with a line. If the edge is curved, you may need to blend the edge, subtracting a bit from one line and adding to the other. Use your eye to extend the curve so it looks blended with the rest of the pattern edge as in this illustration.

To shorten

To shorten a pattern, fold the pattern piece back on itself to remove the extra length and tape the pieces together, again maintaining the grain or fold line.

Redraw the sides, blending any curved lines to make a continuous curve just as you would with a lengthened piece.

Sandbox Pants: overlap at the cut line to shorten

Again, don’t forget to make the same adjustments to all the pattern pieces, both front and back. There’s nothing worse than forgetting to add length to part of the pattern.

We’re extremely grateful to April Henry, of April 1930′s, who has been kind enough to put together a very nice photo tutorial on this step in the garment’s construction. Her tutorial will help guide you through the process if you have questions about this step. So, without further ado, here’s April’s tutorial.

Follow the instructions to sew the back edge of the lining to the back yoke and re-fold the two layers to form the placket.

Then follow the instructions to attach the straps to the back bodice.

The finished yoke or bodice, before attaching the ruffle, looks like this:

Baste the two plackets together with a 3/8” seam. Being careful to start and stop only on the placket section, as shown below. Don’t stitch the lining in this step.

Now you are ready to attach the back section to the ruffle.

Stitch the back pieces to the ruffle with a 1/2 inch seam allowance, being careful not to catch the lining in the seam. Pinning the lining out of the way will aid in this step.

Finish the seam allowances as desired (I serged) and then clip the seam on each side of the placket. The placket seam will remain down, while the other seams will be pressed up towards the bodice and tucked inside the lining.

Continue with the garment construction as indicated in the pattern.

And here’s the finished result.

If you’re interested in the special, decorative zigzag stitching that April has used to finish the front of the top she’s sewn for this tutorial, she information available on her site on the special, vintage foot she used. Be sure to check out the vintage TV commercial that she includes in this page. It’s a classic.

1. Use a single strand of knotted thread and a hand needle. If your thread has a tendancy to twist and knot on itself, you might try drawing it through a little beeswax or Thread Heaven before you start.

2. Unfold the pressed hem and hide your thread knot in the fold of the hem (or hem facing). Then re-fold the hem and pin it in place while you stitch.

red fabric = hem facing; floral fabric = dress skirt

3. Working from right to left with your needle pointing to the left (or vice versa if you’re left-handed) and keeping your stitches loose and very small, roll the hem edge back about 1/4″, and take a small stitch in the garment fabric. Catch just a few threads in the stitch so it won’t show much from the outside of the garment.

4. Then take a tiny stitch in the hem or hem facing about 3/8″ to the left. Take another small stitch in the garment 3/8″ to the left, and continue alternating stitching between the hem and garment fabric, producing a series of small v’s.

5. When you’re finished, your stitches should be nearly invisible from the right side. If you look very closely, you may be able to see the tiny stitches like mine, below. If you use a thread that matches your garment, these stitches will be almost impossible to see.

My other favorite stitch for hemming is the catchstitch, which is very similar to the blindstitch except that instead of working toward the left, work toward the right with the needles still pointing to the left.

The result will be a series of X’s. Leave your stitches a little loose when hemming with the catchstitch. The advantage of the catchstitch is that the thread is unlikely to break if it gets a little tug; the X of the stitches gives the thread a bit of elasticity, which is especially great for children’s clothing, pant legs, or anything that might see some extra wear and tear.

It all started with our very first pattern, the Tea Party sundress. I strongly prefer neat, simple solutions to design problems and was dreading the hem on the flared skirt of the sundress; in order to finish it using conventional sewing methods, the excess fabric from the flared skirt would need to be eased into the narrower part of the skirt when the hem was folded up to finish it. Generally, this results (for me, anyway) in much gritting of teeth and, very commonly, a crummy-looking hem, both on the outside and inside of the garment. It seemed much simpler and cleaner to create a separate pattern piece for the hem.

And it worked so well, now we use it on many of our other patterns, too! Here is a little demonstration of the hem to show you how it is sewn:

1. First, the facing pieces are sewn together at the side seams, right sides together, to create a loop that matches the contour of the skirt hem itself. Press the seam allowances open. Then fold and press the top 1/2″ edge of the joined hem facing to the wrong side so the upper edge of the facing will have a clean finish.

2. With right sides together and the hem facing’s folded edge positioned at the top, pin the hem facing to the bottom edge of the dress, matching the hem facing’s seams with the dress’s seams. Sew the facing to the dress with a 1/2″ seam.

3. Press the hem facing away from the skirt, toward the seam allowances. Then understitch the seam allowances on the hem facing and dress, stitching them to the facing 1/8″ from the hem seam. To understitch, you’ll edgestitch on the hem facing close to the seam, sewing through the facing and the seam allowances. Understitching helps to keep the seam and the facing inside the garment, and prevents them from showing when the garment is worn.

understitching from the outside of the dress

understitching from the inside of the dress

4. Trim the seam allowances at the hem about 1/8″ from the understitching. Turn and press the hem facing to the inside of the dress, pressing the seam slightly to the inside so it doesn’t show on the finished dress. The entire facing is now inside the dress, with none of it showing from the outside.

seam allowances trimmed

hem facing from the inside of the dress

hem facing from the outside of the dress (doesn’t show!)

5. Use a blindstitch to hand-sew the folded top edge of the hem facing to the wrong side of the skirt to finish the hem.

The hem facing works especially well on flared hems, but it could be used on streight hems also. If your garment is made from a heavy fabric, you might want to consider using a lighter-weight fabric for the facings so that you don’t add a lot of bulk to the bottom seam. I like to use a fabric that contrasts or compliments the rest of the garment like the plaid facing shown in the photos. The hem facing can be a little surprise when it peeks out, and you could do all sorts of interesting things with it, including embroidering it or using other embellishments to give it extra interest. Have fun with it!