This is such a pretty seam finish! It’s a great way to add a pop of colour to an otherwise plain seam. This technique works great on the side seams of skirts and pants…think Tuxedo pants! I also like it on the sides of bags and pouches.
You can make your own single fold bias binding for this project or use bought bias tape. If you buy double fold tape, you will need to press it open to make single fold bias tape. If your seams are completely straight, then your binding does not need to be cut on the bias, you can use straight-grain binding.
How to sew a Flat Felled Bound Seam – Tutorial
This is quite a versatile seam as you can work with any width of bias binding you like and also any given seam allowance. For this tutorial I’ve used a 3/8″ seam allowance and 1/2″ binding.
To begin, baste your seams with your given seam allowance, but make sure your pieces are Wrong Sides Facing. This is opposite to the usual way you sew a seam. To baste, you simply sew your seam with a longer stitch length. I use 3.5mm.
Next, open out one side of your binding and pin along your seam with the fold on top of your basting stitches. Stitch the binding in place. Trim off any excess seam allowance to match the binding.
Open your seam out and press flat. Now, press the binding over the seam. Pin the binding in place.
Stitch along the edge of the binding, nice and close to the edge. You can stop at this point if you like. Above you can see what this looks like on both sides. The raw edges of the seam are hidden inside the binding.
You can also stitch down the other side of the binding, matching the edgestitching you did in the previous step.
You’re all done! Here’s how it looks on the back.