Took me 8 years to figure out I was measuring seam allowances wrong

I was in the middle of sewing a dress for my niece's birthday party last month, and I kept having to rip out the side seams because the fit was off. After the third time ripping out the same seam, I finally grabbed my tape measure and really looked at how I was doing it. Turns out I was measuring from the raw edge instead of from the stitching line the whole time, like since I started sewing in high school. My mom taught me to sew and she always did it that way too, so I never questioned it. Then my friend who went to fashion school watched me work and asked why I was adding extra fabric for no reason. She showed me how to mark the stitching line with a fabric pen first, and suddenly everything lined up on the first try. Has anyone else had one of those moments where you realize a basic thing you learned was just wrong for years?

3 comments

3 Comments

henryr4514d ago

Haha yeah, that's the kind of mistake that makes you want to facepalm into next week. At least you finally caught it - better late than never lol.

the_ben14d agoMost Upvoted

Oh man, that's one of those things that makes you feel both brilliant and like a complete fool at the same time haha. I spent like five years cutting all my fabric pieces way too big and then just hoping the extra would work itself out. Thought I was just bad at eyeballing things. Turns out I was also measuring from the raw edge like you, and I just assumed the seam allowance line was this mystical thing that only existed in my imagination. My sewing projects always had this weird baggy look and I could never figure out why. Now I just draw a little dotted line 5/8 inch from the edge and call it a day. Makes me wonder what other basic stuff I've been messing up for a decade without knowing.

the_harper14d ago

Never thought about it that way but you're totally right, guess I've been doing the same thing.