Skirt hem, underarm seam

The skirt is done! After last time, all I had left was the hem. I like to make narrow machine sewed hems, especially on flared skirts so I don’t have to gather excess fabric and work it into the hem. Here, I have already ironed up about a quarter of an inch of fabric and am ironing up the second fold (so the raw edge is encapsulated in the hem). I am also using a clapper to make it flat and so I don’t have to bother with pins. After this, I just sewed it close to the upper side of the fold with a zipper foot.

Next, I pinned the front and back together at the side and along the sleeve, since I had already sewed the sleeve to the jacket at the shoulder. Once this seam was sewed, I pressed it open using a sleeve board. I always gather up the garment in the sleeve board and start at the narrow end, un-gathering as I iron.

I iron the seam open on the inside. Then I turn the sleeve right side out and iron using the clapper on the outside. In the next photo, I am showing the underarm seam at the armpit. You can see the flat fell around the shoulder.

Next, I turn the sleeve back to the inside and iron the seam allowances under on each side of the seam. This is the third time I’ve ironed this seam but all that work is worth it, to have a nice finished seam when you are done. Once I finish ironing the seam allowances (and using the clapper again to make sure they lie flat), I am ready to sew them down in a modified flat fell.

In the last photo for this entry, I have sewed down one side of the underarm seam, turned at the wrist, and am sewing my way out. I have paused at the shoulder seam to show how this works.