Level Up Your Sewing: Tricks That Worked for Me (and Will for You Too!)

I consider myself a perfectionist, and just a few days ago, one of my sisters suggested I should let go of it. However, as I worked on my current projects (which I can’t wait to share with you), I realized that sometimes perfectionism has its place.

For instance, I’ve been binding the interior raw edges of some bags. These edges are hidden and don’t necessarily need to be flawless. But my technique was so poor that I knew something had to change. Not only were the edges unattractive, but the lack of a reliable method left me feeling drained. So, I decided to invest time developing a sequence that ensures consistent and satisfying results. I’m thrilled to share it with you!

So here is what you need: a strip of fabric for binding. Its width depends on the thickness of your layers. My bags are made with foam, so I used a 1 3/4” wide strip.

And here is the technique:
Align the strip along the raw edge of the piece. Use clips to keep the strip in place.

Turn the piece over to the other side.

Stitch a few threads away from the seam, inside the seam allowances (see the blue marking line below).
Turn the piece over on the other side.

Finger-press the strip as shown.
Flip the piece to the other side.

Fold the binding to the raw edge of the piece…

… then align the fold with the seam you just stitched in the previous step.
Use pins to keep the binding in place.
Stitch close to the edge (see the blue marking line).

And here is the clean look of an interior edge!

Many bag and pouch patterns require binding the interior seam allowances. This technique simplifies and speeds up the construction process, making it a popular choice.
Here are a few  examples of my projects:

This post is part of the series


Happy sewing!