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All You Need To Know About Seam Allowance

Seam allowance is the area of fabric measured from the edge to the line of stitches. This part has to be small enough to avoid the seams from being bulky but at the same time, large enough to keep the seams from fraying.

If you look at the wrong side of a ready-made piece of garment, you will see the allowance being sergered. For professionals, a serger is a must to save time on finishing the raw edges.

A Standard Seam Allowance

Sewing a ¼” seam allowance

There is no fixed length for a seam allowance.

For garment-making, the most common is a 5/8” (1.5cm) seam allowance. This much allowance makes sure that the needle stitches all the fabrics when you join the two pieces. For fabrics that are prone to unravel, this seam allowance is even more important. This allowance is well-loved because it is easier than many other types to press or topstitch.

By the way, if you are looking for a good sewing machine for beginners that has so many nice stitch options for topstitching, take a look at CraftsSelection website to learn more.

With this seam allowance, when you need to let out the garment for a better fit, you will have enough space to work with.

For quilting, the golden ratio is ¼”.

So in short, the most common standard is:

• For most patterns, especially garment-constructing: 5/8”.
• Quilting usually calls for an allowance of ¼”. To achieve this, I recommend using a ¼” piecing foot.

How To Have The Perfect Seam Allowance

If you want to have the perfect seam allowance, which you should, because it can affect the overall impression of the garment, I find the magnetic seam guide is especially useful. Marking is equally important so that you have something to be the standard to follow.

Some instructions will require you to decrease or increase the seam allowance; in this case, an adjustable seam gauge is your best friend. For larger pieces, I like to use the Dritz Ezy Hem. This tool can double as an assistant to make linings, facings, and waistbands.

With the steps and tips I share here, even my best first sewing machine can produce an accurate seam allowance. In case you haven’t had a machine to start sewing yet, here is the collection of best sewing machine for beginners available for sale online. You also can find helpful information here.

Seam Allowance Tips

A magnetic seam guide

When you decide to follow a pattern, take note of all the seam allowance before you start sewing so that you know which tools you need.

Make use of the lines you see on the plate’s throat to ensure that you have the correct space called by the instruction. In case the lines are not so useful, a magnetic seam guide or a guide foot is recommended.

The tools I usually prepare for sewing all kinds of seam allowance are:

• • Adjustable seam gauge.
  • Magnetic seam guide.
  • ¼ piecing foot.

• Dritz Ezy Hem

My machine has most of these tools by standard but if yours does not, they can be purchased separately. If you are curious about what I use, read this guide on best basic sewing machine for beginners to find out.