Not a embroidery question but a question for all you seamstress out there. When you sew a formal dress made out of satin how to you keep your seams from fraying? Do you zig-zag stitch or straight stitch or what? Also do use pinking shears, regular scissors, or your olfa cutting blade? Thanks for your help.

If the stores are serged. it's good enough for me. I serge them.

There is a product called Seams Great. It is like a very light weight, stretchy/bias tape, nearly invisible. You stitch it on and it rolls over the raw seam and then you stitch it down again. Doesn't add any weight or make a ridge that shows on the outside. Maybe a little ore work but if the dress is special it is worth the time.

I use seger machine.

Serge or do a french seam... 2nd best is to use the zig-zag stretch stitch then pinking sheers.
Always use a new needle on satin.

MJDG

I use the ZZ stitch after making a regular stitch. To make it more secure I put Fray Check on all the seams. It comes in a tube and it's to put on materials that fray. I buy mine at Walmart anr or JoAnns. Works great.

My 2 cents worth....
I had a whole tutorial written out for you but then I Googled it and decided to go with the following:

go to the link below and read what the professionals have to say.
Hugs n roses, Meganne

1 comment

by momhome 07 Jun 2012

Thanks Meganne for all your hard work.

I usually serge (overlock) them. Did that on my daughter's wedding dress as soon as I cut out the various pieces and before embroidering them. Then I sewed the thing together.
Thinner satin I use thinner thread and a 3-thread seam.
As an inch is 2.54 cm the recommended 10-15 st/inch would work out as 2.5 to 1.7mm - I'd go for the middle of those values.

This is the way I do mine, also for the fray type lining fabrics. NB sometimes ordinary overlocking is too heavy and it can pull the smooth hang of seams.
Sew seams. Sew a serpentine( stitch that is used for sewing elastic) on each raw edge. Open flat and when pressing use a thin card betwen seam and right side while pressing so that the seams do not mark(indent).
Happy stitching.
Hugs bev

Hi Momhome, I would always sew the seam together first then go back and ziz zag each inner seam separtely and both of them in the same direction then iron flat, it worked well.

Be sure to use a new needle as satin can pull. It is better to finish each side of the seam separately and then press seams open so they lay flat. The choices are everything the other cuties said like pinking, serging, and a zigzag stitch on the raw edges. A strip of brown grocery/craft paper between the open seam and the garment will help keep it smooth on the right side when ironing. There is another finished edge where bias strips are used to encase the raw edge and one when you turn under each edge.

Having, some years ago made wedding dresses for my daughters I found the only/ best way was with an overlocker (serger). If you do not have a serger then I would use pinking shears. I would try out various options on an off cut of the material. Good luck. Sarah.

A serger is the easiest. If you don't have one, then the next best thing is a French seam. OR some sort of seam binding or seam tape (organza, etc.) to contain the seam.

The best way is to sew with a serger. Been there done that with satin and it does ravel bad. Should you not have a serger pinking shears will do just fine or a french seam which was previously suggested. Good luck! Roberta

I sew a French seam. Sew the seam with wrong sides facing, trim then sew the seam again with right sides facing. Good Luck, Susan

They recommend sewing 10 to 15 stitches per inch. Is there a easy way to tell this, or do I just need to stitch it out and count it? Any other hints, tips, or thoughts will be greatly appreicated.

5 comments

by suet 07 Jun 2012

10 stitches per inch is a stitch length of 2.4 on my machine. 12 would be 2 and 15 would be about 1.6, which would be a bit small for satin and would cause puckering. A microtex needle works well also. Luv Suet

by meganne 07 Jun 2012

To do a test stitch, use your standard 80/12 needle and a piece of the satin fabric (normally you would use ordinary bleached calico), a piece 12 inches square should suffice.
Start stitching rows, changing the stitch length for each row, making note of, and marking each row with your machine's stitch length selected, as you stitch. Do several rows, so you can keep it as a reference.
As with knitting, you then measure one inch along each of the rows and place a sewing pin each end of each one inch length. Then count the stitches between the pins, making sure you note this on your fabric too. You could also note the tension that gave you the best stitch out.
It sounds fiddly but it will come in handy for many projects.

by meganne 07 Jun 2012

of, and marking each row with your machine's stitch length selected, as you stitch. Do several rows, so you can keep it as a reference.
As with knitting, you then measure one inch along each of the rows and place a sewing pin each end of each one inch length. Then count the stitches between the pins, making sure you note this on your fabric too. You could also note the tension that gave you the best stitch out.
It sounds fiddly but it will come in handy for many projects.

by meganne 07 Jun 2012

length. Then count the stitches between the pins, making sure you note this on your fabric too. You could also note the tension that gave you the best stitch out.
It sounds fiddly but it will come in handy for many projects.

by meganne 07 Jun 2012

I also do this with Satin stitching, button holes, etc. Hope this helps, hugs n roses, Meganne