alternative to the French seam with momentum 90

sew the seam with the raw edges inside. Maybe 1/2 inch seam allowance

then, inside, fold over twice and run a row of stitches. That will bury the raw edges.

I made something with M50 and there wasn't a lot of unraveling. Maybe just leave raw edges inside without finishing.

When I've used Supplex, as another example, that stuff unravels. Threads clog up zippers. That you have to hide the raw edges.

> When I've used Supplex, as another example, that stuff unravels. Threads clog up
> zippers. That you have to hide the raw edges.
Agree. I use a 3 stitch zigzag on the edge and then sew that down.

Cheers

Thanks for those suggestions. I'll give both a try. How do you handle finishing sleeves? The first line of stitching is straightforward with the right sides together. Then, turn it right side out and finish. But, then it doesn't really seem to fit on my machine for the second line of stitches.

I agree, sleeves are difficult

I'm not a real seamster

I just sew down to the armpit on both sides, and right at the bottom is a mess, but it's hidden so it doesn't matter.

Man, I feel your pain. Sleeves are frustrating and whats worse is that they are the last seem to get sewed usually!

A rolled seam works great for most of the jacket, but unfortunately french seems are probably the best type of seam for the sleeve, especially for raveling fabric. I've done the same as you – ruin an otherwise perfect jacket by botching up a french seam… Also, I find it harder to precisely tailor the jacket to myself when using a french seam.

I think the answer is that you just need to figure out the french seam. Practice with scrap. figure out some tricks that help you get it done. I've found this workflow works well for me:

Sew the seam right side out. Tailor the jacket (sew more seams progressively closer till you get the fit you want, be sure to leave about an inch of extra room everywhere to account for finishing the seam). Trim the seam allowance to very close to the final tailored stitch, then go over it with a zigzag. Final, turn it inside out and sew 1/8-1/4 seam allowance to finish the french seam. This seam is critical, sew slowly and be precise. This should cover it, but if not, sew progressively 1/16 until the seam is fully covered from the outside. I then like to sew another stitch close to the edge to finish it off.

Hope that helps/makes sense.

Use a soldering iron clamped in a vise and sear the edge before sewing. Works best for clothing that will be lined so the raw edges are hidden between the layers.

Or borrow or buy a serger.

Or- my mom used to use noseeum netting as binding for windbreakers.

I've also just had raw edge inside. Sew a couple rows of stitches to prevent unraveling from impacting the seam.

+ 1 on the soldering iron sealing the material edge (and as a cheap alternative to a serger).

I've used that method (with a low power iron) and it has worked satisfactorily.
When I've done it, I have no need for a vise, but make sure it's in a very well ventilated area with a fan blowing the fumes away from me. (The method produces lots of potentially toxic fumes)

One day I'll get a serger.

Sleeves – you can sew down inside the arm from the armpit end as far as you can, then start again from the cuff end. Not easy, but quite doable if you take your time. Yes, done dozens that way.

Cheers

This coming from a guy that's not wearing any shirt in his avatar, sorry Roger I couldn't resist.

I'm sure you're all better at it then me, I've never even tried to sew a sleeve yet, I'll stick to tarps and quilts.

Jack