How to Sew a Double Stitch Seam Finish

When sewing garments, there are various methods and techniques for finishing raw edges of the fabric. Some methods include French seams, flat felled seams, and clean finished seams, to name a few.

All of these seam finishes result in no visible raw edges on seam allowances of garments.

This tutorial teaches the double stitch seam, another seam finishing technique.

What are the advantages of a double stitched seam?

With the double stitched seam, an extra row of stitches is sewn next to the seam between it and the raw edges.  Its purpose is to prevent fraying of the raw edges and keeping the seam line neat.

When sewing finer fabrics, the double stitched seam offers some extra strength at the seams. 

Learn more how to sew a double stitch seam finish by watching our video or keep reading this post.

On which type of fabric does a double stitched seam work best?

The double stitched seam is the perfect finishing technique for sheer fabrics like organza, voile, chiffon and georgette. This is a very good seam finishing technique to use on full skirts and dresses where there might be some stress put on the seam and extra strength is necessary.

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 2 pieces of fabric
• Threaded sewing machine
• Scissors
• Iron
• Ironing board

INSTRUCTIONS for a double stitch seam

STEP 1: Sew the main seam on the fabrics

Take two pieces of fabric and place them with the right sides together.  Sew a 5/8" seam using the straight stitch on the sewing machine.  Be sure to backstitch at both the beginning and end of the seam line.

STEP 2: Sew a second line of stitching near the main seam

Place the fabric back under the sewing machine and sew another line of stitching in the seam allowance, approximately 1/4" to 1/8" from the first seam.

This line of stitching can be done with either a straight stitch, a zig-zag stitch, or the machine overcast stitch. Once again, be sure to backstitch at the beginning and end of the stitching.

step 3: Trim the raw edge

Next, cut close to the row of stitching using either traditional sewing scissors or pinking shears. 

This will prevent the fabric from unraveling or fraying. When used on knit fabric, it will prevent the knit fabric from rolling.

After trimming, use the iron to set the seam to the side. The seam is now stronger and will be less likely to fray during wash and wear.

I hope you enjoyed learning how to sew the double-stitched seam finishing technique.

other finishing techniques

• Pinked seam
• Mock French seam
• Clean finished seam
• Flat felled seam