One of the must-know seams among designers & the sewing community is the lovely “French Seam”. It is a popular seam because it looks clean, and helps the finishing look beautiful especially with lightweight garments that are not lined, such as lightweight silks, chiffon, or lightweight cotton, in dresses or blouses.
When you see a french seam in a garment, your first impression would be “oh, clean and high-end finish”, and that will make you shed a few more bucks without feeling bad, especially if it’s sewn on silk, hmm yumm.
There is no doubt clothes appear more sophisticated and more carefully crafted because there’s no visible thread holding the pieces together. It’s a true fact that French seams are far more elegant than serger finish!
Here’s a fun fact: Did you know that in France , they call it the “Couture Anglaise”, which means “English seam”?
Yes you got it, it is actually invented by English sewing hands, but when we look back at antique clothes, this type of seams were mostly used on baby clothing, super sheer muslin undergarments.
Another common name used is Invisible seam, which is kind of nonsense because it is not invisible — it’s just cleaner and nicer!
Some people confuse this seam with the Hong Kong seam (Funny that they are called in city names!). They might look similar but the technique is different.
For the french seam, I suggest practicing as much as possible with different types of fabrics ‘till you learn it well. Because once you finish the seam, it’s really nerve-racking to rip and resew it again, especially if your fabric is delicate! Ouchhie.
P.S. I don’t like to use this seam on any type of heavy fabric. It makes it bulkier and less flexible fyi!
So let’s get started!