Finishing Touches for Garment Sewing
Sally, from Sew Sally and our editorial board, kicked our Make It, Wear It! Month off with her wonderful post about the right tools for garment sewing. Today she’s back to tell us how to make the clothes we sew look more professional, with tips for finishing touches such as topstitching, pressing and making it all look neat and tidy in the end!
Some might say that simply getting a garment finished is good enough and for those of us with sewing rooms full of unfinished projects, we might not disagree. Today we are talking about taking our garment sewing to the next level. By pulling out the stops on our finishing techniques we can make our garments look so professional that friends will doubt we made them ourselves.
Topstitching
Topstitching is usually done to add a professional and finished look to garments, but it can also be used to hold layers of fabric in place and prevent facings from shifting while being worn. Topstitching is always done on the right side (or “top” side of the garment) because tension differences will often cause the stitches on the top to be of better quality. The only difference between topstitching and edge stitching is that edge stitching is specifically near the edge of the garment.
The most important tools for good-looking topstitching are quality thread, a new needle, and an edgestitching foot. There are a lot of excellent thread choices available, and you want to be looking for thread that has long fibers and little to no lint or fuzz so that your stitches can be seen individually. Lengthening your stitches a little bit will also improve this. Special topstitching thread is extra thick and usually requires that you use special topstitching needles that sport a large eye. Regular thread and universal needles will also work well, especially on light weight fabrics that would be overpowered by the thick thread.
By changing your needle before you begin topstitching, you are ensuring that you won’t have skipped stitches or other problems with stitch quality. A dull needle is sometimes hard to detect by feel or sight and even the slightest damage can cause your stitches to look less than perfect. Lastly, using a presser foot with a guide will keep your stitches in the straight little row you want them in.
Pressing
The easiest of all finishing techniques is pressing. Using as much heat as is appropriate for our fabric, press firmly downward, without sliding the iron back and forth. Using tools such as a pressing ham or sleeve board can help us get to tricky corners or three dimensional areas like darts. A press cloth is sometimes necessary to prevent shine and to prevent scorching the fabric. If you don’t have one of the fancy Teflon press sheets, you can always use a piece of muslin.
To steam or not to steam? I keep a spray bottle of water and a spray bottle of liquid starch at my ironing board and keep my iron bone dry. I have had more than one sad experience of a steamy iron spitting dirty water on my fabric and have also watched fabric shrink and distort with excess steam. That said, if you are working with all natural fibers that you have prewashed in hot water and heat dried, your fabric shouldn’t shrink at all. If you know your iron is very clean inside and you allow it to heat up before using it, steam away! The steam will penetrate through the fibers and make your pressing go faster.
If you are pressing a particularly stubborn fabric, consider using a clapper. This wooden tool comes in a variety of shapes and is used to hold a pressed area until it cools. If your fabric allows, steam the area and then press the clapper down. The wood holds the steam without adding any heat, so you don’t have to worry about scorching your fabric. Since heat forgets and cool remembers, your pressed and cooled seam will stay pressed.
Neat & Tidy
Lastly, be sure to trim all of your threads. I use a small pair of very sharp scissors so I can cut threads very close to the fabric. Or I leave long threads and then tug on the bobbin thread. This makes the top thread pop to the back of the garment where I can tie the two threads together and trim them. This ensures that the last stitches won’t come undone and work their tails to the right side of the garment.
TWO WAYS TO WIN PRIZES!
We’re giving away fabulous prizes this month from SINGER, Ottobre Design and Sew,Mama,Sew!
1–Comment Here
Comment in any post this month to be entered into a weekly drawing for great prizes from SINGER and Sew,Mama,Sew!
2–Enter the Make It, Wear It! Challenge
Submit a photo of clothing you make this June in our Make It, Wear It! Challenge photo pool or in this thread in the Forum. You might win a SINGER sewing machine or a subscription to Ottobre.
See this post for details about all the prizes this month!
86 Responses to “Finishing Touches for Garment Sewing”
Advertising
info@sewmamasew.com
thanks for the great tips!
I love topstitching!
Such practical tips. Thanks.
Great and very practical tips, thanks!
Thank you!
Great tips! I need to look into re-learning topstitching.
Wow, didn’t know there was an edgestitching foot. Gatta get me one. I’m obsessed with making sure my clothes don’t look homemade and topstitching and pressing definitely help.
Thank you for the advice!
Excellent tips. I don’t think a lot of people realize how important a fresh, new needle is for topstitching!
If you google pressing tools there are many tutes out there for making them yourself. I’ve done a tailor’s ham (very easy!) but am having problems finding hardwood for a clapper/sleeve board. Still looking though…
top stitching is so good as an embellishment on boys clothes where you can’t add all kinds of bows and flowers. It really pops, especially in a contrasting color. I appreciate the tips!
The tip about the bobbin thread is helpful, especially for stitches where you can’t/don’t want to backstitch at the end.
love these tips – esp. the pressing ones, I’d never heard of a clapper.
Top Stitching is SO satisfying!
These are great tips – thank you!
Top stitching is intimidating!
Again, very helpful; thanks!
Wonderful tips! Thank you.
I really wish I still lived in Oregon and could take your classes. Thanks for the awesome tips.
Thanks for the tips. I need as much help as I can get.
Topstitching can really make a difference!
I need one of those topstitching feet!
Top stitching rules!!
Very helpful hints, thank so much for this post! I love the last suggestion about popping the top thread through to the underside so you can tie the ends and trim there, I will totally have to remember that!
great tips.
This was an excellent article. Thank you.
Trudy
http://www.sewingwithtrudy.blogspot.com
Great tips, thanks!
Great tips! thanks! I love top stitching =)
Great tips! I love the way top stitching finishes an item.
Wonderful tips. Thanks you.
I’m usually so relieved to actually finish something that I neglect the details — thanks for the excellent reminders!
I love topstitching!! Thanks for the tips.
Great tips for a novice sewist like myself!
Another very interesting topic! I usually always finish the threads by knotting them as described. Probably because my grandma did that too.
I didn’t know that there were topstitching needles – or a topstitching foot. Thanks for the tips!
Great instruction, very helpful.I didn’t know what a clapper was. That topstitching looks very professional too.
Who knew there was a topstitching foot? Thanks for the tips.
I wonder if my machine has a top stitching foot – I’ll have to go look!
Great tips. I’ll have to try them.
Great info, very helpful. Thanks!
I LOVE TO TOPSTICH. I MAKE ALOT OF CLOTHING FOR MYSELF AND MY FAMILY. NOW MY DAUGHTER IS LEARNING!!
Love the tips! Thanks.
Thanks for the helpful sewing tips.
great tips thanks
great tips–topstitching always looks so nice and doesn’t take that much longer. THANKS!
great tips, thanks for sharing.
Thanks for more great tips! Great idea to use a new, special needle for topstitching.
Graciously reading your tips that continue to impress me!
I’ve never heard of a clapper before- I’m going to have to look into one of those!
Nice top stitching makes a huge difference!
Great tips! Thanks
Thanks for the great tips! This is definitely an area I need to work on…
I used to not press things. But then my mother in law came to visit, and she silently went out and bought me an iron. Now I’m a better sewer. Thanks Diane!
Thanks for the tip on how to use the clapper – I didn’t know how to use that particular tool.
Great tips!
I loved it! Thank you so much
I was just topstitching tonight. Thanks for the tips!
I’ve needed advice like this. Thank you!
thank you!
Thanks for writing these tips. I didn´t know you could get special top-stitching thread, so I´ll be looking for some tomorrow.
Thank you for the tips. Would you believe I’ve never seen a sleeve board before? It looks so handy!
Very informative! Thanks! Happy Sewing
nice article and lovely pants.
To get extra pop, I’ve heard of threading from 2 spools, rather than getting special thread.
Thanks for the tips. Already putting them to good use!
Any advice on how to ‘sew on the bias’? Would love some tips!
I was reading about a clapper just yesterday but couldn’t find a good explanation of what, why, and how….thanks for answering my questions!
Really helpful info!
The finishing touches are always fun!
i found this helpful. thanks!
Great tips!
great tips!
Thanks for the advice.
great tips, I need to remember to change my needles more often.
I did not know there was top stitching thread — I’ll have to give it a try! Those pants look great.
My mother always said pressing is what will make or break a project, she was right!
Fantastic tips.
Thanks for the great tips!
Thanks for the tips! I had no idea about the different thread.
Topstitching really does make a garment look proffessional.
Thank you for the advice, I think I’m going to make me a pressing ham!
I appreciate these tips! Saving this page for future reference.
i like that statement “heat forgets and cool remembers”.
Awesome tips!
Another great post, thank you!
Great tips. Thanks!
What great tips – for a beginner like me, they will save me many a disgarded and over looked handmade items