Fake Flat Felled Seam
Posted on Friday, July 9th, 2010 at 2:15 pmSkill Level: Intermediate
Niceness: Perfectly OK
Pros: Entirely Machined, Identical on Front and Back, Reinforced, Very Neat, Will Not Fray
Cons: Adds Bulk, Not Good for Curves, Takes Time
Best For: Straight Seams, Transparent Fabrics, Unlined Garments
PDF The Fake Flat Fell Seam makes a fully finished seam that is identical on both the front and back sides. This is useful for transparent fabrics or applications where both the front and back are visible. So far as I know, it’s not a real seam, but the result of my inability to follow simple directions for a proper flat fell.
Sample:
The Fake Felled Seam is identical from front and back.
Critical Stats:
Width:1/4″-1/2″
Seam Allowance Required: 1/2″-1″
Process
Overlap the pieces, right sides up, so that seam allowances fully overlap. Sew down the middle of the seam allowance.
First line of stitch finished, seen from the top.
Trim free side of seam allowance down to 1/2 its starting width. (Seen from back.) It appears that I decided to do this with my teeth instead of a scissors....
Fold the main fabric over the raw seam allowance on one side. Press.
Turn the whole thing over. (I was working with the back side, and now we are looking at the front.)
Fold the fabric over the raw seam allowance. Press.
Sew, just inside the folded edge.
Turn over, and sew just inside the other folded edge.
You can see I'm lining up the right corner of the triangle guide on my machine's foot with the folded edge, to keep my stitches nice and straight.
Comparison: A "real" Flat Fell seam (left) against the Fake Flat Fell (right). Shown from top.
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