How To Sew An Overcast Seam
You can sew an overcast (also known as overedge) stitch on your sewing machine to finish the raw edges of your seams, mimicking an overlocker to prevent the fabric from fraying.
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0:00 - 0:37
If you don't have access to an overlocker or a serger, one way that you can finish the raw edges of your seams is by sewing an overcast, also known as an overedge stitch. To do that on your regular sewing machine, you will need a special overcast stitch foot. They all look a little bit different depending on the machine that you're using. Typically, though, they will always have a ridge underneath. That's gonna act as the guide because we're gonna be sewing right on the very edge of the fabric, so that ridge underneath is what we're gonna butt the fabric up against.
0:38 - 1:11
There will also be a couple of little metal prongs in the middle and sometimes, like this one, there is a little brush. That is gonna help to compensate for the lack of friction that we have when the needle is coming down. It's gonna stop the fabric from wanting to curl up. An overcast stitch basically does the job of an overlocker. It sews a straight line of stitching as well as a line of zigzag stitches that wrap around the edge, the raw edge of your fabric to help stop fraying.
1:11 - 1:44
So it's super simple to do. I'm gonna start by attaching the overedge stitch foot to my machine, and then I'm gonna select the overedge stitch. There might be a couple of different ones. There is often one that has one s- line of straight stitches and then a zigzag, and then there is also one that has two lines of straight stitches with a zigzag in the middle. I'm gonna use a single line of straight stitches, so on my machine that is stitch number nine. Now, you might wanna test this on a scrap piece of fabric first to see how wide your stitches are.
1:45 - 2:17
You can make the zigzag stitch more narrow if you'd like to. The other option is, if you want to, you can trim down your seam allowance as well. I'm gonna leave it as it is and just sew along this edge. So pop your fabric under your machine, making sure that that raw edge is up against the ridge underneath, and lower your presser foot. Now, before you start, it's important just to use the hand wheel. Turn it a couple of times to make sure that the needle doesn't hit any of the metal bars in the middle.
2:17 - 2:51
If it does, you might need to adjust the stitch width. So just double-check that it is going down and not hitting the bars. You might need to do this a couple of times. All good. So now we are just gonna sew all the way down. Your only job here is to make sure that the fabric stays aligned underneath to that little ridge. Because the machine is gonna be pulling the fabric backwards and forwards because the stitch is a backwards-and-forwards stitch, it's gonna feel a little bit strange at first.
2:51 - 2:58
So try not to push or pull the fabric in any way. Let the machine guide the fabric through.
3:09 - 3:44
And that's all there is to it. You can see that the thread has wrapped over that raw edge of the fabric. There will still be a little bit of fraying in between those stitches, but that is a really great way to ensure the longevity of your garments. You can choose as well whether to sew both edges of your seam allowance, as I have done here, together. Or if your fabric is slightly thicker, you might want to press your seam open first and then do an overedge stitch on each side of your seam allowance
If you don't have access to an overlocker or a serger, one way that you can finish the raw edges of your seams is by sewing an overcast, also known as an overedge stitch. To do that on your regular sewing machine, you will need a special overcast stitch foot. They all look a little bit different depending on the machine that you're using. Typically, though, they will always have a ridge underneath. That's gonna act as the guide because we're gonna be sewing right on the very edge of the fabric, so that ridge underneath is what we're gonna butt the fabric up against.
0:38 - 1:11
There will also be a couple of little metal prongs in the middle and sometimes, like this one, there is a little brush. That is gonna help to compensate for the lack of friction that we have when the needle is coming down. It's gonna stop the fabric from wanting to curl up. An overcast stitch basically does the job of an overlocker. It sews a straight line of stitching as well as a line of zigzag stitches that wrap around the edge, the raw edge of your fabric to help stop fraying.
1:11 - 1:44
So it's super simple to do. I'm gonna start by attaching the overedge stitch foot to my machine, and then I'm gonna select the overedge stitch. There might be a couple of different ones. There is often one that has one s- line of straight stitches and then a zigzag, and then there is also one that has two lines of straight stitches with a zigzag in the middle. I'm gonna use a single line of straight stitches, so on my machine that is stitch number nine. Now, you might wanna test this on a scrap piece of fabric first to see how wide your stitches are.
1:45 - 2:17
You can make the zigzag stitch more narrow if you'd like to. The other option is, if you want to, you can trim down your seam allowance as well. I'm gonna leave it as it is and just sew along this edge. So pop your fabric under your machine, making sure that that raw edge is up against the ridge underneath, and lower your presser foot. Now, before you start, it's important just to use the hand wheel. Turn it a couple of times to make sure that the needle doesn't hit any of the metal bars in the middle.
2:17 - 2:51
If it does, you might need to adjust the stitch width. So just double-check that it is going down and not hitting the bars. You might need to do this a couple of times. All good. So now we are just gonna sew all the way down. Your only job here is to make sure that the fabric stays aligned underneath to that little ridge. Because the machine is gonna be pulling the fabric backwards and forwards because the stitch is a backwards-and-forwards stitch, it's gonna feel a little bit strange at first.
2:51 - 2:58
So try not to push or pull the fabric in any way. Let the machine guide the fabric through.
3:09 - 3:44
And that's all there is to it. You can see that the thread has wrapped over that raw edge of the fabric. There will still be a little bit of fraying in between those stitches, but that is a really great way to ensure the longevity of your garments. You can choose as well whether to sew both edges of your seam allowance, as I have done here, together. Or if your fabric is slightly thicker, you might want to press your seam open first and then do an overedge stitch on each side of your seam allowance