Zig Zag Finish Your Seams with a Zig Zag Presser Foot

[faithm]

Does needle position matter?

[faithm]

Ditto on the relief that I don't need a serger.

[BaoUnit]

WHAT! This is magical! I was researching an alternative to an overlocking singer but this is perfect.

[anaturalredhead]

I'm just learning to sew and found this very helpful. Thank you for taking the time to make and share your videos. =)

[azurielyahYsrayl]

Really smart to use black thread on black fabric! You can't see anything! What a waste.

[vintagepremoon]

Bravo. Simple and very helpful.

[emilyhale27]

I cant see what you are doing, could you use white thread instead?

[sewmarm]

@emilyhale27

I've incorporated that suggestion into newer videos, but I'm not going to go back and redo a video. Hey, it's free. ;)

[TheLitleVampireBat]

awesome tutorial i was able to do it with out the zig zag fooot!

[TifaLockheart8288]

Very good tutorial! I got a ? though, after you've sewed your seams and stuff, what do you do with the loose thread? it seems that if I cut them close against the fabric my seams will unravel. Any tips? I am trying to make a finished product, but it doesn't look professional with loose threads at the end of each seam.

[sewmarm]

@TifaLockheart8288

See my video sewing tutorial on back stitching! ;)

After you back stitch about 6 stitches, you can safely cut all those threads and the seam will not unravel.

Happy Sewing!

[johnierjames]

thanks thanks thanks!!!!really save my life!!

[RuiCarinhoso]

Hello. Good video but the colour of the thread should be diferent from the fabric to see better the exemple.

[sewmarm]

@RuiCarinhoso

Yes, this was one of my first vids. I try to do that now on my later videos. Happy sewing!

[Bobo411]

Thanks for the vids. I'm going to be honest, I've borrowed a bunch of books from the library on beginner sewing, and I still have no idea what's going on - I don't understand with just the pictures and text.

[sewmarm]

@Bobo411

Jump in and try it, cuz you're right!

[wackywankavator]

@sewmarm

True, that, working on my first tunic for a Halloween costume. Regardless of how much you read you're going to have issues. For me it was a day and a half wondering why the bobbin thread kept bird nesting (too much tension on the needle thread). So it goes. Won't know anything until you start sewing though.

[schisandra]

Good tutorial, but the thread really needs to be a different color. It's very hard to see the finished stitch. Also, some tips on stitch length & width and thread tension would've been helpful.

[leejuhsu]

I would love it more if you use a contrast color on the thread.

[elleisthebusiness]

great tutorial

[treemonkeyfrankie]

Thank you for putting this video up, I made a skirt that fell apart after three washings because I didn't know how to finish the seams correctly. My hubby refuses to invest in a serger until I actually start finishing some of my projects (lol) so thanks for the info and help!

[DeniseEKMartin]

THANK YOU!! ALL THIS TIME I thought I had to go out and buy a $300-$400 Serger or have raveled edges, and I now discover I could have done this with a zig-zag stitch!?!?

It's so hard to learn to sew these days--virtually no one sews anymore, so I've been mostly self-taught. I'm getting the feeling that my hobby could have been a LOT less frustrating years ago.

Thank you to YouTube and SewMarm! You made my day!!

[PraiseDivineMercy]

@DeniseEKMartin Well besides this, you also have the option of using pinking shears, but that's best for trimming seams where it isn't going to show.

I hear what you are saying about the frustration of learning this. Try seeing if your local community college has a sewing class. That's where I learned.

[shakaama]

OOOOOH oh teacher.... is this what you do if you don't have a surger?

[sewmarm]

Yup! That's what I do... and I still don't own a serger.

[marielovesscott]

is this the same as doing a whipstitch?

[sewmarm]

No, I don't think so. As I recall, a whipstitch is invisible on the right side of the garment. It is only done by hand, as machines always go through both layers of the garment.

[ciniron]

This is very helpful! I was having trouble understanding how to do this until I saw your video.

[sewmarm]

Happy sewing! Finishing your edges is a good habit to have.

[ladyv65]

I agree with the comment about having contrasting thread so it's visible to see. I purchased a serger to get the same look that my pants currently have since I need to hem them but it seems all I need to do is use the zig zag stitch. Do you think you might have any videos on hemming? Thank you.

[sewmarm]

Hi, LOL, so I've already begun re-taking this video using black thread and white fabric due to the unanimous votes about contrast. Gotta love having feedback on a YouTube channel! It really helps.

[sewmarm]

Hemming is one of the videos I definitely have on my list. There are simple "baby" hems, where you zig zag finish the edge, then press under 1/4 inch and sew along the edge of the pressed fabric. There are blind hems (I use a special stitch cam for that on my Singer 3343), which I learned by hand as a teen and then proceeded to never finish skirts because I really don't like hand sewing. Pants would be more like the baby hem.

[ladyv65]

Thank you again. After having to get several pairs of pants hemmed by the Tailor and what he charged me, I have got to learn how to hem myself so it looks professional like the ones the Tailor did for me.

[ladyv65]

Thank you. I'm really trying to start using my sewing machine more and not feel so intimidated by it.

[countkostaki]

I also own a serger but sometimes find that a zigzag stitch makes a better job of finishing the seams off, especially on very thick materials like denim.

[sewmarm]

Wow, that's a comfort! I'm always wishing I had a serger!

[countkostaki]

They are very good for medium fabrics like gaberdine or for polycotton, but I find for thick denim like adjusting jeans etc a zigzag stitch makes a far better job. I was a tailor for a long long time, and when I was in the trade we used to do ALL the serging by hand!!

[Tuftaffety]

Maybe next time, use black thread on white fabric for better visibility.

[sewmarm]

Sounds like I better redo this one! It's unanamous that I should have used contrasting thread. Thank you to all commenters!

[arieloz]

Great, only comment I would like to make is that for the purpose of this tutorial, you should have used white thread so we could see what you were doing more easily

[sewmarm]

Good point! I'll take that into account for making a future version. Thanks for the comment.