Finishing Details For Better Sewing Results

May 2010

19 May 2010 - Jo Williams

The smallest details in your sewing can mean the difference between a garment that looks home-made and one that looks like it came from a designer’s store.

Gathering ruffles can look great if done right. For normal-weight fabrics use a strip of fabric twice the length of the finished ruffle. For light-weight sheers, or for very heavy fabrics, use 1 ½ the length of the desired finished ruffle.
If you’re not folding the fabric in half length-wise, you’ll need to hem the length of the ruffle. Press the edge under ¼ inch, then again ¼ inch, top-stitch the hem. Premark your ruffle with half-way and quarter-way measurements corresponding to the same measurements on your garment. This way, you’ll spread the ruffles evenly around the garment.
On the other edge, machine baste ¼ inch from the edge on the longest thread length your machine has. Then machine baste again 3/8 inch from the edge, just inside the previous stitch. You’ll have 2 threads to pull to gather the strip, and it will be much more uniform and easier to sew down.
Pin the right sides together, using the pre-marked points. Use lots of pins to keep the ruffles from bunching up while sewing. Sew with a ½ inch seam. Many sources tell you to take out the basting, but if the fabric is not sheer enough to show the stitching, I leave it in for extra reinforcement.

Determine the straight grain. Sometimes fabrics aren’t cut perfectly with the grain, especially the lighter summer fabrics. Determining the straight grain before you measure and cut will save you problems later.
Working from one edge of the fabric, pull a crosswise grain thread up with a needle, and pull the thread gently out of the fabric. This will show you where the true grain is. If the fabric is really fine, you’ll need to pull a few threads. Using a pair of sharp, quality scissors, cut across the grain line and use this as a base line for the fabric. Be sure to take careful measurements with good measuring tools when laying out the pattern pieces. Don’t take short cuts.

Snipping seams at the right place makes a huge difference. Using small spring scissors or embroidery scissors that are created for the job, cuts down on a lot of over-cutting and disastrous mistakes.

For corners: Cut diagonally across the corner, then make extra angled cuts close to the stitching line.

For curves: Snip v-shaped notches evenly spaced along the curve. The curvier the sewing line, the closer the notches.

For straight seams: Press the seam open, snip at intervals in the seam.

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