let me tell you, i have really been into these seam finishes. besides the french seam, i’ve used each at one point or another, but never with any real intention (and often without knowing what it was called!) it’s been pretty fun focusing on just one tiny little task at a time, and executing it with thoughtfulness. i often feel like i’m rushing so fast to finish a project that i rarely enjoy the nuances of constructing something well. making a six inch swatch with nothing but a nice seam as the finished product has been really satisfying! i may even reconsider just serging all my seams in the future…

this week i completed the turned and stitched seam, as well as a zigzag seam finish. first, the turned and stitched:

this is also called the clean finish seam. pretty accurate me thinks.

can i just point out how nicely those dots aligned?! i could not have accomplished that if i had tried! total accident.

• here’s a turned and stitched seam tutorial on sewaholic.
• plus, here’s a whole mess of seam finish tutorials from the university of kentucky. (do you ever google some sewing thing and find these crazy college papers/sites? how do these come to be? i kind of love them.)

and the zigzag:

i’m in love with this soft pink stripe and the hot pink stitching.

i did learn that i’m more successful using a zigzag as a seam finish if i stitch closer to the seam, and then trim off the extra, instead of stitching close to the raw edge. (i could’ve trimmed closer to my stitching up there.) i’ve actually never had a ton of success with the zigzag because my machine often eats the edge of the fabric as i’m stitching. this method keeps my needle away from the edge, which is great.

• tilly and the buttons recommends using an overlock foot. that would probably help with my fabric eating issue as well.
• using the three-step zigzag on craftsy. i always get so impatient with these specialty stitches – they take sooooo long! but it looks cute, so there’s that.
• i love that zigzagger is a word. this makes me happy.

only one or two weeks left of seams and then i’m on to…something else. i have some ideas, but if anyone has any suggestions, i am wide open to hearing them!

UPDATE! an image from the vogue sewing book, which i used as reference for these seams. here the turned and stitched is referred to as turned under.