The Flat Fell Seem
The flat fell seam is one of our favourites in the BSpoke Sewing Room. It's neat, due to it's non visible seam allowance inside or out, as well as being very strong and durable. The best part is, it's relatively simple to grasp and will impress non-sewer friends.
As with all our stitches, if you’ve never sewn a flat fell seam before, we suggest you pull out some scraps and practice before making your garment. The video above will quickly run you through the basics and the instructions below will help you master the flat fell seam.
Begin by placing your fabric together at the seam, wrong side to wrong side. YES… You read correctly; the right side of the fabric is on the outside! This is opposite to most stitches you will sew, but go with it for now.
Sew a straight stitch for the required seam allowance. BSpoke Patterns that require a flat fell seam have a 20mm seam allowance built in, however, other pattern designers may prefer small or larger allowances. Always check the instruction.
Next press the seam allowance to one side, exposing the lower seam. Trim away the lower seam to around 3mm. Be careful not to cut too close to the seam or clip the upper seam allowance; it’s easily done, believe us!
Now turn the fabric over and turn the bigger seam allowance under and press it. You can now open out the seam and pin the folded over edge to the garment outer, ready for edgestitching.
Edgestitch along the fold, removing the pins as you go. You can sew over the pins, but this can cause flattening of the fold around the pin and on some fabrics, this will make your stitch look uneven.
There you have it, a quick guide the versatile flat fell stitch.