on monday we learned how to make your own fabric labels, yesterday we talked about the french seam, and today we are talking about my love of straight stitch seams and why you should use them in your next project.

back in january 2013 i had no idea what a straight stitch seam was. then i came across this post over on the oliver + s blog and my sewing world changed forever. essentially with a straight stitch seam you:

sew a normal seam
iron the seam allowances open
fold each seam allowance over on itself
stitch it the seam allowances in place

when i do the final step i actually stitch the folded seam allowance to the main fabric. from the wrong side it looks like folded and stitched fabric (probably because it is):

from the right side straight stitch seams look like a row of top stitching on either side of the seam, giving the whole garment a more professional and finished look.

i've used straight stitch seams loads of times, but it really clicked for me when making the chevron dresses for the girls in the summer of 2013, including to attach the contrasting band to the bottom of the dress.

because straight stitch seams still allow the seams to lay flat they be can used just about any place two pieces of fabric come together.

the straight stitch seam is my method of choice for finishing the roller skate dress. (here it is on nora and etta's beatles dresses.)

this is good because any time i make a roller skate dress it gets worn again and again.

straight stitch seams hold up really well to washing and general wear and tear.

something about tacking that seam allowance down to the main fabric makes the whole garment more durable. i used them in maya's power clashing dress which has been worn, and worn, and worn for the past two years.