How to Match Prints on your Seams Easily

^{Use this quick little trick to get those prints matched up perfectly on your projects.}

What if I told you that using a million pins, basting, or just closing your eyes and hoping for a miracle are not the only ways to get perfectly matched prints. After you spend so much time fussy cutting your fabric, don’t let all that hard work go to waste. Here is how to match prints on your seams easily using one helpful tool.

• 

• 

The Cozy Pants pictured here are from Patterns for Pirates loungewear set. You can read more about that pattern HERE.

Steps to Easily Match Prints on Seams

Step 1: Buy The Secret Weapon to Matching Pattern Designs

• Purchase EZ-Steam Fusible Tape by Pellon I prefer the 1/4 inch so that I can easily keep it within the seam allowance.

Step 2: Prep the Seamline

• Lay out one piece of fabric, right side up. Using your fingers, press a piece of fusible EZ-Steam to the fabric near the raw edge.

Step 3: Peel the Tape

• Carefully pull the tape back off, leaving the sticky side adhered to the fabric.

Step 4: Joining the Fabric

• Grab the piece of fabric to be joined to this seam. You should have the one you prepped with fusible tape laying right side up. Carefully line up your print and stick the fabric, right sides together, along the seam allowance. Lightly place it together to allow you to easily peel up and move the fabric around as needed.

Step 5: Double Check

• Once you have lightly stuck your seams together, carefully open up the fabric and double check your work. Does your design line up down the seam? If you need to fix places, peel the fabric apart and readjust until you are happy with it. As long as you have not ironed your seam, you will be able to move the pieces around. This is the secret to getting the placement to look exactly the way you want and getting perfectly matched seams.

Step 6: Press and Lock in Place

• Once you have everything lined up just right, press your seam to lock the tape in place. Make sure you are pressing and NOT ironing. Do not push the iron back and forth on the fabric as this will cause shifting. Press and hold the iron in one spot while applying steam. Then lift and move to the next spot and repeat all the way down the seam. This will set the adhesive and you will not be able to move it. It will also hold the fabric together while you feed it through your sewing machine or serger.

*Tip – Don’t use your best friend’s brother’s iron from his college days for sewing. Make sure you own one that produces great steam for your sewing projects.

As an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn from qualifying sales.

Step 7: Sew Your Matched Seams

• You have locked your perfectly aligned seams in place, now take it to your machine or serger and sew your seam. Carefully sew without moving or shifting your fabric. It should stay in place well, but make sure you are careful.

Step 8: Final Press

• Give your seam a final press and admire your beautifully matched fabric seams.

You can take this a step further and even match the repeat of the design, like the deer and stars on my fabric above during the cutting phase. I was not able to do so due to lack of fabric but making sure your lines match, as we did in this tutorial, is pleasing to the eye and I don’t think most people will notice the repeat not being there.

Need the short and sweet version of this tutorial in a PDF? Click this link to download and print.

Your days of hoping for the best are over now that you know the secret to easily matching your prints. If you enjoyed this tutorial, please subscribe or follow me for more sewing tips and tutorials.

• Instagram