Do you have an attraction to sheer fabrics, like me? I know they are extra tricky in a multitude of ways, so here is a sprinkling of tips I wish I’d known about when I started sewing with sheer fabrics. Some examples of sheers I like to sew with are chiffon, georgette, gauze, and some lightweight cottons such as voile. I've also found lightweight linens can be quite sheer as well!
This is going to be a selection of small tips that I've learned over time that have helped me improve my relationship with sheer fabric. If you're interested in a more in-depth tutorial on any of these, do let me know! And if you have any questions or tips of your own, add them in the comments!
Now, I’m not going to go over how to sew French seams here as there are many tutorials available online (although I won’t rule out making my own tutorial at some point!). French seams enclose the seam allowance edges within the seam by sewing it twice. This is much easier with a decent sized seam allowance. I would recommend a 1.5cm (⅝”) seam allowance.
So, check your pattern before you cut it out! Different pattern companies have different seam allowances. Here at Forget-me-not, I have designed custom seam allowances into each pattern, so it can vary from pattern to pattern (and seam to seam within the pattern).
In fact, for example, the Helmi blouse has 1.5cm (⅝”) seam allowances on specific seams just for the purpose of allowing for French seams. Those seams are the shoulders, side seams, and underarm seams. Other places like the neckline should not be French seamed, so do not need chunky 1.5cm seams, so it only has 1cm (⅜”) seams.
When it comes to the Ella skirt, all the seam allowances are 1cm (⅜”). So when I made my sheer silk Ella skirt, I increased the seam allowance on the side seams to 1.5cm (⅝”) (I will share more about my sheer Ella skirt soon).
I like to physically add the extra seam allowance onto the pattern, rather than trusting myself to remember to add more as I cut. All it takes is one scatterbrained moment (and I have plenty of them) and I'll cut along the pattern edge without thinking!
Consider construction before you start; it’s good to think about what impact the sheer fabric will have on your project ahead of time. Here’s a selection of things to think about.
It’s also a great idea to look at existing garments in stores and your wardrobe to gain inspiration and understanding for what techniques to choose.
There are of course many ways to finish the seams inside the garment. The top 3 I would suggest are:
Each of these has its own pros and cons.
I would recommend a minimum of 1.5cm (⅝”) for French seams.
You can get away with 1cm (⅜”) seam allowances for French seams. I have done this in the past when I’ve forgotten to add extra allowance (oops!). I wouldn’t recommend doing this on purpose though! It’s very fiddly because you have to sew extra narrow seams, and you risk losing some of your seam allowance to fraying quite quickly!
Yes, you can - I have seen people do it (and I also tried it, a long time ago). Now, I prefer not to, personally, as I don’t enjoy the idea of sewing those tricky curves in that way. Sleeves are generally eased in, and the risk of puckers increases when sewing the sleeve in a tricky way. If you still want a pretty finish to your armhole seam, you could bind the seam with self fabric (although that does add a bit of bulk). I usually keep it simple and use an overlocker to finish (with both edges together). Which brings me to my next question…
Yes, you can overlock (serge) sheer fabrics! Of course, French seams can’t be beaten in terms of elegance, but overlocking has its place. You may be worried about the thread showing through to the right side of the garment, but you may be surprised at how unnoticeable it is. That said, I would avoid overlocking in areas that are focal points of the garment such as the neckline area.
Sheer fabric can be tricky though - it’s already finicky enough with a straight stitch, so you may find some extra challenges when putting it through an overlocker.
I'm planning to share some more tips specifically for overlocking or zig zagging the edges of your sheer fabrics in the future.
Yes, you can. This is pretty much the same answer as the above answer for overlocking/serging, although I do find that zig zag stitching tends to “eat” the edges of fabric more aggressively. But hey, not everyone has an overlocker! I would personally try to avoid zig zag on a single layer of fabric - it’ll likely go poorly as it easily gets sucked into the throat plate. Try it on a double layer of fabric and (I hate to say it), sample first!
I'm planning to share some more tips specifically for overlocking or zig zagging the edges of your sheer fabrics in the future.
Oftentimes, sheers double your pain by also being slippery!
Currently my go-to tip for cutting is to lay down an old flannelette sheet on my cutting table. Yes, an old bedsheet! Using an old bedsheet is a great way to reuse textiles, which is more sustainable than buying virgin textiles (and it’s frugal as well).
The texture of the fluffy sheet is slightly “grabby”, which stops the slippery fabric from moving around so freely. I have an old sheet cut to the size of my table which I just keep on hand for when I need it, and I can reuse it over and over since I don’t cut into the sheet; I only cut through the top layer (my fashion fabric).
Using this method, I cut my project out with my usual sewing shears.
Now, if you plan to use a rotary cutter, using a sheet obviously isn’t great, as you will cut through the sheet at the same time and thus have to discard it, which is wasteful.
If you prefer a rotary cutter, I’ve heard some people use tissue paper underneath their fabric, which is slightly less wasteful to discard than fabric at least.
Now to be quite honest, as I started writing this article, many more thoughts and tips came to mind, so decided I had to follow up with yet another article on sheers. What can I say, I just love those challenging babies because they are so beautiful! You can read the second article here. I hope you’ve found this helpful and you can eye up your sheer stash with a few extra techniques in your toolkit. 💗
