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French Seam Skills Workshop
Master the art of elegant, durable seams in this online sewing class! In Learn to Sew French Seams, you’ll discover how to sew French seams on straight and curved edges, set-in sleeves, and even pockets. Explore pressing techniques, seam allowance adjustments, and when to use a mock French seam. Perfect for beginners and advanced sewists alike—elevate your garments with a professional, couture finish!
Seamwork Members: Free!
Non-Members: $49
Class opens to members on December 1, 2025.
Make Every Seam Shine
French seams are the secret to garments that look as good inside as out—but they can feel complicated. In this workshop, you’ll get hands-on guidance to master curves, sleeves, and side seams with ease, giving your sewing a polished, professional edge you’ll love showing off.
Introducing
French Seam Skills Workshop
Learn to sew flawless French seams in this workshop! Master straight and curved seams, sleeves, and pockets, while building confidence with pressing, seam allowances, and professional finishing techniques.
By the end of this course you’ll be able to:
- Sew a basic French seam, step by step
- Adjust French seams for different seam allowances
- Handle curved seams with confidence
- Know when to use a mock French seam
- Sew a French seam on a set-in sleeve
- Sew a French seam on a side seam pocket
- Choose the right fabric for French seams
- Troubleshoot common French seam issues
- Identify which Seamwork patterns are perfect for this technique
Meet Your Teacher
Erica is the Head of Education at Seamwork. She’s been sewing since she was 10 and taught sewing at a fabric store for 12 years. She loves the endless possibilities sewing your own clothes offers, and she's excited to share her knowledge with you.
Course Lessons
Lesson 1: Class Overview
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to sew beautiful French seams step by step—from straight and curved seams to set-in sleeves and side...
Lesson 2: French Seams: A History
In this lesson, you’ll discover the history and purpose of French seams, a classic technique that encloses raw fabric edges for a clean,...
Lesson 3: How to Sew a French Seam
In this lesson, you’ll learn exactly how to sew a French seam step by step, from stitching with wrong sides together to finishing...
Lesson 4: French Seams on a Curve
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to sew French seams on curves, including tricky areas like underarm seams or grown-on sleeves. You’ll discover...
Lesson 5: How to Sew a French Seam on a Set-In Sleeve
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to sew French seams on set-in sleeves, including easing the sleeve cap into the armhole and managing...
Lesson 6: How to Sew a French Seam on a Side Seam Pocket
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to sew French seams on side seam pockets for a neat, low-bulk finish. You’ll practice integrating pocket...
Lesson 7: Choosing the Right Fabric
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to choose the best fabrics for French seams, focusing on lightweight to medium-weight textiles like cotton lawn,...
Lesson 8: Troubleshooting French Seams
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to troubleshoot common French seam issues, including raw threads, bulkiness, crooked stitching, and challenges with curves. You’ll...
Lesson 9: Put it into Practice
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to put your French seam skills into practice using beginner- to intermediate-friendly Seamwork patterns. You’ll explore projects...
What’s Included
You’ll get:
- 9 video lessons that take you through everything you need to know in order to master French seams
- A live demonstration on finishing a set-in sleeve with French seams or mock French seams. Find out which method works best!
- A downloadable troubleshooting guide to help you avoid any issues
- A downloadable project checklist with photos to keep you on track
- Practice swatch cards you can reference later
About our Skills Workshops
Each month, we create a new 30-day live Skills Workshop, focusing on helping you improve one particular sewing ability.
We alternate these with our seasonal Design Your Wardrobe program, and all these resources are available for free to our members.
It’s part of our SEAM method, to help you learn as you sew:
- Seasonally plan the wardrobe you want to wear
- Explore unlimited access to 250+ patterns
- Advance your skills through targeted workshops
- Make connections in our supportive community
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is a skill workshop?
- Each month, we focus on a single sewing skill, helping you build your expertise step by step. Over time, you'll create your own skills library with technique samples you can reference again and again. You can apply these skills to any pattern you choose, allowing you to learn while making something you truly want to wear!
- How does it work?
- The workshop is made up of self-paced video modules you can watch whenever it fits your schedule. Go at your own pace!
- We will release the workshop on the first day of the month, and then it will be available to you as a member anytime moving forward. There will be video lessons and downloads that you can access anytime, and you’ll be able to go at your own pace through the course material.
- During the month the workshop is released, we will be posting about it in the community and sending emails to keep you motivated so that you can share progress and inspire each other. A new Skill Workshop will be released each month, except for the months where we are doing Design Your Wardrobe.
- You will be able to access this skill workshop anytime starting on December 1, 2025.
- Will I be able to interact with other people who are also in the workshop?
- You’ll receive weekly email reminders and forum prompts to keep you motivated and connected with fellow sewists. You’ll be able to ask questions and get feedback to build your skills even more. We’ll also have a live Zoom event for even more interactive learning.
- Which pattern should I use to learn the skill?
- We’ve designed these workshops so that you can learn the skill AND pick a pattern that works for you and your style. Unlike a sewalong, you don’t have to make one specific project.
- What if I’m not ready to make a pattern? Can I still learn the skill?
- Absolutely! Cut out some test fabric and practice, practice, practice. Use the handy downloadable sample cards to keep things organized and easy to reference later.
French Seam Skills Workshop
Master the art of elegant, durable seams in this online sewing class! In Learn to Sew French Seams, you’ll discover how to sew French seams on straight and curved edges, set-in sleeves, and even pockets. Explore pressing techniques, seam allowance adjustments, and when to use a mock French seam. Perfect for beginners and advanced sewists alike—elevate your garments with a professional, couture finish!