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StarHawk2003 Jun 8, 2007

Hi everyone,

I have heard allot of people trim there seam allowance down. My question is: How do you trim JUST 1/4" seam allowance? Obviously if you cut to much you will have a bold spot, If you have to little cut is there any point to it?

I would love to be able to trim the seam allowance but i'm not to scared to mess up a piece before i've started!

How do you guys do it?

Richy~

Laura Lynn Banner SponsorJun 9, 2007

Practice practice practice!!!

I used to have my shaver marked with my seam allowance right on it.  Now I'm so used to doing it I can "eyeball" it.

rkr4cds Jun 9, 2007

Quarter of an inch is a bare snipping along the edge with small embroidery scissors. Or clippers as Laura uses, but I got a 'closer' shave' with one blade of the scissors held flat to the backing.

You do it to avoid getting the nap trapped in the seam, which can
1 - leave looser sts which may show after stuffing after the nap is pulled out sometimes, or
2 - there may be an ugly stubble line along the seam if you trim after the seam is sewn, which is impossible to correct!

psichick78 Jun 10, 2007

well, I have to be honest.

I've both trimmed the seam and just plucked the fur out of them and because when I trim the seams I never seem to to a 'perfect' job I end up pulling the fur out of the seams anyway.

So if I pluck the fur out of the seams before and after turning the piece I get the same effect and I like my seams to be perfect and invisible.
I also make sure as I sew the pieces I tuck the fur in so I don't get those problems Bobbie was talking about.

So I don't bother trimming the seams anymore but that's just me.

rkr4cds Jun 10, 2007

Hi Heather - I KNEW there was something I'd meant to add when I dashed off my post!

Plucking!! That's the best way to get rid of it all - it's also the slowest.....
May I clarify something?

also make sure as I sew the pieces I tuck the fur in

There is the problem that we try to avoid by removing the nap, Richy.

Because Heather plucked the nap off her seam allowances first, any nap left that is "tucked inside" is what belongs on the outside of the seam/bear anyway.

If one hasn't removed the nap in the seam allowance, and pushes it all toward the INSIDE as you sew seams, the fur nap that is rooted in the seam allowance will become trapped in the seam sts and no matter how closely you trim it, it will always show as a bristly awkward seamline. It looks awful around the nose/muzzle area.

The only other solution that I've thought of is to pull as much of the fur nap UP TOWARDS YOU as you sew the seam. When you turn the body part right side out, and brush the nap up out of the seams, you will pull only the fiber to the outside of the bear, that belong there because it's rooted out there.
The seam allowance fur is safely on the inside and you can leave the outside nap alone or still go back and scissors-sculpt, shave ot pluck.

HOWEVER! If you're sewing a thick fur, like alpaca or the really dense mohairs, in pulling the fur to either side may make your tight seam stitches a little looser now and you take a chance on them showing, especially if you stuff very firmly.

NiokaBears Jun 27, 2007

I pluck my head seams, especially the muzzle (Well...most of my muzzles are all plucked anyway! LOL).....the rest of the seams I either pluck or trim, (Depends on the type of fur, size etc) which is done with lots of PRACTICE by eyeball ....I oversew, turn, use a doll needle to pull all fur trapped back to the side it should be on, turn back and sew, turn and check, then turn and stitch again. I do this wether I have plucked or trimed because some fur can get caught regardless. The second stitching avoids the loose stitch problem and I always stitch twice anyway as I like to have the seam stitched twice for durability! So really it is stitched 3 times because I leave the oversewing in place on most seams. NOT on the head at the chin seam....with this seam I finger press it open as I find it sits better that way! Hope this makes sense!
HUGS,
Christine