[paula]

I am fairly new to sewing and making my way through the Oliver + S Patterns. I thought I’d be fancy and do all french seams, but what I am finding out is that they don’t seem to work well when the seam is not straight. I tried with the kimono top and did well until I had to sew the sides and arms. At the pivot point I got a lot of puckering. So after ripping out the seams I decided to do a faux french seam. They look horrible, probably because I had to trim the fabric when I did the french seam in the first place?

Now that I am ready to do the pants, I am wondering if I should attempt French seams again? I am worried with the curves that I will have puckering again.

Any suggestions?

[Liesl Gibson]

Here’s a little tutorial about French seams. Yes, they work best on straight or nearly straight seams. I use them primarily for very lightweight or sheer fabrics.

http://oliverands.com/blog/2010/04/french-seams.html

It’s really good to have a wide variety of seam finishes in your skill set, so if you’re interested in learning more be sure to check out the other tutorials on our blog too!

[paula]

Guess it is time to practice those other seam finishes! Thanks for the help, Liesl!