How to Sew a Curve Seam

When you learn to sew, it's a good idea to practice the fundamental stitches and seams before you start your first project. Learning a few basic techniques helps you become acquainted with the functions on your particular machine and gives you the chance to get comfortable with the way it sews. The curved seam is a frequently used seam, which you can master by following a few simple steps.

Instructions

1. Draw a simple curved line on a piece of scrap fabric. Learning to follow a stitch line accurately is half the battle when you're learning to sew.

2. Lift the presser foot, place the fabric underneath it and then lower it. The presser foot is adjustable to accommodate different thicknesses of fabric. This is a good opportunity to learn about this function. If you increase the pressure with the adjustment dial or knob, you'll put more pressure on the fabric, which is useful when you are sewing thin or silky fabrics. You can decrease the pressure for heavier, thicker fabrics.

3. Begin and end the seam with a backstitch. Do this by using the reverse stitch function to take a few backstitches to reinforce the seam. It's a good idea to get used to doing this while you're practicing, so you'll remember it when you're working on a sewing project.

4. Start sewing slowly following the line that you've drawn. Practice until you're able to stay on the curved line with your stitching.

Tips & Warnings

• If you want to insert the needle into the fabric before you start sewing, you can use the balance wheel on the side of your machine to lower the needle. You can also use the balance wheel to take a few stitches at a time when you get in a tight spot or a sharp curve, instead of using the foot pedal.

• You may want to use the motor speed adjustment function when you're first learning to sew. This is available on most sewing machines and decreases the speed of the sewing machine, but allows you to put the same pressure on the foot pedal.