Years ago I was lucky enough to take a class from Roberta Carr. I really don’t even remember when/where it was. I make it my goal to soak up and learn whatever I possibly can and this insight was a gem. This tidbit of true-ing the seam allowances PROPERLY was really, really eye-opening to me. The way I remember Roberta explaining it was that the pattern companies just must not feel that we are smart enough to understand unusual shapes at corners…so they ‘dumb down’ pattern drafting. Well, that is sad because this is really so simple….. and doing this little ‘fix’ really helps things lay better. It’s all engineering, gals. ‘Fabric Engineering’ as I’ll teach my boys in an upcoming Sunroom Sewing School class.
Below, you see how the seam allowance should look when it is a seam that intersects an angled, or curved edge as a neckline. How to perfect your pattern? It’s simple…
Here are the steps:
Add some extra tissue to that area of your pattern.
Then…All you need to do is to fold back the seam allowance on the tissue as it will be laying in the garment.
3. Then, clearly and accurately mark the seam line. Fold the tissue back along the seam line and cut along the edge to be trued, in this case the neckline edge.
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4. Open it up and WALA, you have the PROPERLY Trued seam allowance that will lay perfectly when sewn.
Sew… I wonder: Is this new for you? Had you ever thought about it? Comment below and let’s talk about it!