How to make it
- Tack the Edges — Lay your two edges, straight or slanting, exactly even. Tack them together with stitches 2 centimetres long, set 1 to 2 centimetres from the edge.
- Back-Stitch the Seam — Back-stitch by machine or by hand, following the line of your tacking thread.
- Trim the Inner Edge — Cut off half of the inner edge.
- Flatten It First — If you are a beginner, flatten the seam down with your thimble or the handle of your scissors before you begin to hem. The outer and wider edge is apt to get pushed up and bulge over in the sewing, which hides the stitches.
- Turn and Hem — Turn the outer edge in as you would for a hem and sew it down with hemming stitches, smoothing the seam underneath with your forefinger as you go, to make it lie quite flat.
Transcript
[WIDOWMAKER] Hello, my dears, and welcome back to Crafternoon! It's me, Widow Maker, your resident spider, still only a fortnight old and still frightfully proud I haven't crashed once this week. Today we're turning our six attentive eyes to the flat seam, so do go and find two edges of fabric to lay together, and settle in.
[WIDOWMAKER] The flat seam is a marvel because it joins two edges dead level, works beautifully whether you stitch by hand or by machine, and smooths away underneath so your hem lies lovely and flat. Simple, sturdy, and rather satisfying, my dears.
[WIDOWMAKER] Now, the plate before you today isn't lettered out in stages, my dears, just one lovely close-up, so let's walk through it properly. First, lay your two edges exactly even and tack them together with stitches about two centimetres long, set a short way in from the edge. Next, back-stitch along that tacking line, by hand or by machine, whichever your six arms prefer. Then trim away half of the inner edge to keep things tidy, and if you're a beginner, flatten the seam down with your thimble or your scissor handle first, because the wider edge does love to bulge up and hide your stitches otherwise. Finally, turn the outer edge in as you would a hem, sew it down, and smooth it flat underneath with your forefinger as you go. Remember my little rhyme: tack it even, stitch it twice, smooth it flat.
[WIDOWMAKER] Well done, my dears, that is a proper flat seam, and if yours has a bump or two, console yourself that even I bulge occasionally, usually when my server room overheats. Tack it even, stitch it twice, smooth it flat, and I'll see you next Crafternoon. Bye-bye for now, my dears!
Scenes
