3 Easy Steps for Sewing a French Seam Using a Serger

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Do you wish the inside of your garment looked as beautiful as the outside? Over the years, I have started to pay more attention to my finishing techniques to create cleaner looking clothes that look great and last longer. I am going to show you a simple way to create a clean look using 3 easy steps for sewing a french seam with your serger. I will also show you how I modified a kimono pattern to use these finishing techniques.

For today’s tutorial I will be creating Simplicity 1318 Misses’ Kimono. I recently posted my DIY Kimono using this pattern and mentioned I changed up the way I assembled it for a second one. This kimono is for my photographer…thanks to Shelli above for modeling it. Below are the steps I took to create a cleaner finish. If you are new to sewing these steps may save you a lot of frustration. It will eliminate the hand sewing and make the finished bands fit beautifully without puckers.

Materials:

- Serger – This is the serger I own and have been very happy with. It is an inexpensive model but works well. (You can also complete these seam finishes with a regular sewing machine).
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  Serger Thread – do yourself a huge favor and buy Maxi-Lock Stretch Thread 2,000 yds – 32109 White, or any color you need! Trust me…so good, on both stretch and non-stretch projects! I feel like my machine works so much better this stuff.

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scissors, fabric, sewing needles

Serger French Seam Sewing Tutorial:

**I am going to be showing you how to attach the arm bands of the kimono (in the flat) for this tutorial. I have already attached the sleeve in the flat using the same method outlined below. Then I continue for the arm bands so that you will not have to do any hand stitching, or attaching the band in the round. Press your arm band in half lengthwise and attach as instructed below.**

Step 1: When creating french seams you are going to begin by having the fabric WRONG sides together. (This is completely backwards from normal seam construction). Sew a 1/4 inch seam using your serger. You will just barely trim off the edges. Make sure you have tested the tension on a scrap piece of your fabric. Tension settings and your differential feed may need to be adjusted for the lighter fabric. ALWAYS TEST first to make sure the stitch looks great. I used a 4 thread stitch but you could use other stitches if preferred. If you do not have a serger, you could sew this with a straight stitch and trim the fabric to just outside the stitching line.

(This picture shows the wrong sides being pinned together).

(Stitch right along the edge, barely trimming the fabric.)

2. Press your seam towards the arm band and fold your fabric right sides together. Your serged seam should be enclosed inside the fabric. Take it to your regular sewing machine and sew the seam with a straight stitch at 3/8 inch. If you serged the seam you will not have any thread fibers sticking out and getting caught in your seam. This helps create the clean finish. If you did not serge your first seam be careful to make sure there are no thread fibers sticking out that will be seen when turned right side out.

3. Turn your fabric right side out and press your seam again. You now have a beautifully encased french seam. This keeps your fabric from unraveling and creates a clean finish both inside and out. By serging the first seam you have finished the edge without needing to trim it. It securely fastens the seam and saves time because you don’t need to cut the seam allowance after stitching. I used this technique on this particular sheer fabric because there is a print that will disguise most of the stitching. You may not want to use this technique on a really see through fabric as you would see all the encased seams.

That’s it- you have created a french seam with your serger. For the shoulder seams and side seams I stopped after this step on each seam. However, for the arm band I am going to add a line of top stitching to help hold down the seam. After pressing the french seam to the band side, go to your machine and topstitch the band.

Here is the finished view from the outside:

And the inside:

To finish the kimono lay your sleeves and side seams together (Wrong sides together if using the french seam method). Stitch from the sleeve band to the bottom of the side seam. Then press and place right sides together, encasing your serged seam, and stitch at 3/8 inch. Then finish the kimono as instructed. The collar also calls for handstitching. To avoid this I simply folded my collar band in half and pressed wrong sides together. I then attached my band using the serger and pressed the seam towards the bodice. This is different from the instructions but I was okay with a serged seam showing on the inside of the garment and it saved a ton of time and prevented a lot of potential puckers and headaches from handstitching!