We interrupt this French seam for a tie end....

Wrap-and-tie styles often have a tie end passing through one side seam. It's not hard to handle this situation if the seam is pressed open flat—you just don't sew the part the tie end needs to go through. In principle, it seems it should be possible on a French seam too—just leave that gap unsewn on both passes—though there are some additional considerations. Here's one way I've done it.

1. The first French seam pass will be done wrong sides together, as usual, except for leaving the gap unstitched between the markings.

2. Press these first seam allowances open flat, pressing under the edges of the unsewn part the same amount. (You may want to trim off any fraying threads first, so those don't stick out and make hairy seams on the next pass. But that's no different from an ordinary French seam.)

3. To stop the edges of the unsewn area from fraying or getting pushed out of the seam later on, zigzag them down. You could also include bits of single- or double-sided fusible here.

4. Now make your second French seam pass, again leaving the marked gap unstitched. You can pivot and stitch perpendicularly across to the edge of the seam at each marking, if you like.

5. It's a pretty normal-looking French seam at this point, aside from that gap and zigzagged area.

6. Press the seam to one side, the side the tie end comes from. If the tie end is to come from inside the front of the garment and 'escape' to go across the outside of the back, then press the seam to the front. Or if it's coming from the back and emerges to go across the front, press the seam to the back. This will let the tie end follow a straight path through the seam, rather than having to zig and zag on its way out.

7. Now that the seam is pressed in the correct direction, push the top layer of the slit to one side, so you can edgestitch the bottom layer down to the outer fabric. Make this stitching a neat, even distance from the edge of the slit, as it will show on the outside. Or you can do this invisibly by hand.

8. Here's that stitching as it shows on the outside.

9. You can now stitch perpendicularly across the top and bottom of the slit for extra security, if you like, or make bartacks. Strictly speaking, this is less necessary if you pivoted across the seam in step 4.

10. Here's how it looks on the inside now that it's done. Not much different from step 5.

That's what I did with my Hollywood 1512 housecoat. Here are some things to consider if you're thinking about doing this:

• This approach is best used on fabrics that don't fray too much, because unlike the rest of the seam, the zigzagged edge will be subject to friction from the tie ends coming through.
• In step 3, if you have a wide enough first-pass seam allowance width to work with, in the opening area you could turn under the raw edge on each side and stitch it down, instead of zigzagging—you'd have to either make a tiny clip on each end of the opening (or just outside it) to allow the seam allowance to return to normal, or taper out the turned-under width to nothing. I've done this on one other project and it's worked well.
• Another (somewhat more involved) alternative to step 3 would be to apply a tiny facing on each side of the slit, just wide enough to cover each cut edge.
• Finally, it's slightly more awkward to pass the tie end through than it would be with a seam pressed open flat. You do get used to it, though.

So there you have it. Similar things should be possible on (true) flat-felled seams too (assuming, of course, you don't put topstitching through all layers of the opening); the main issue is controlling, stabilizing, and/or covering up the cut edges that would otherwise be completely enclosed by the seam finish, but for that opening.

"Wigan" hem

This is one form of interfaced hem I use sometimes. In general, I interface hems to stop them from getting that ripply bedraggled look over time, or having a very sharp crease along the edge that may fade or even fray with wear. Of course, interfacing can change the body and look of the hem, which you may or may not want; the exact result depends on what you use.

"Fusible wigan" is a bias-cut woven fusible interfacing, in this case a bit over 3" wide. I'm told that it's nothing like real wigan, and that you'll be very disappointed if the latter's what you're looking for. In my case, ignorance is bliss. I most likely got this from Greenberg & Hammer years ago. That source is gone, but you might find it elsewhere in the New York area. You can make your own ersatz-ersatz wigan by cutting bias strips of woven fusible interfacing (which is similar to cotton batiste, with the fusing agent detectable as little rough dots).

The 3"+ width is about right for a hem that's around 2" deep; the wigan will extend a bit above the hem, which I find is helpful for preventing any shadow of the cut edge from showing through if it isn't pressed carefully later on. However, if your piece is unlined and the inside will be seen, you will want a narrower width in relation to your hem depth, so it won't show.

This is how I cut and fuse it to a slightly or moderately flared hem.

First I line up my wigan strip about 1/2-5/8" from the cut lower edge.

I apply it in sections, interrupting it at each seam so that it will sit under the opened seam allowances. (This isn't shown above, but you can see it in the last picture.) The one cut end of the wigan should line up under the seam allowance that is on the right of the section/panel you are currently working on, sidling right up to the stitching without going so far as to curl. If that seam has a lot of flare in it, you might have to trim off a little wedge from the wigan to get it to match the shape of the seam.

In the above picture I haven't got the fabric absolutely flat, either. It should really be completely flat by the time you're about to fuse anything, most especially the upper parts of the wigan. Otherwise the drape is liable to become distorted or worse, you might even get folds on the outer fabric. Ideally you should have a nice big flat surface to rest the entire piece on, so there won't be any weight hanging off. If you have to roll up parts of it to fit on the ironing board, do it.

The wigan should be an even distance from the cut edge all around, and flat at the lower edge (but not necessarily the upper, if the piece is at all flared). I interrupt it at seams, by the way; more on that later. Once it's laid out smoothly, and your fabric in the entire hem area is perfectly flat (unlike mine at that upper area), tack-fuse it lightly just along the lower edge. Stop before you get to any seams.

Now cut the wigan along the well of the seam, cutting it just a slight bit scant.

Stick the cut end back under the seam allowance. Brush away any loose wigan lint, since it may have fusing that could crud up your iron. Now you're ready for the final fusing of this section.

Press the wigan on in stages. I find it easiest to shrink out fullness by holding the iron perpendicular to the hem and just lightly brushing upward, before letting the iron rest on the wigan to really fuse it. If your piece is very flared, you may have to cut and lap the wigan to get enough of the extra fullness out.

That's pretty much it. You can run a line of stitching just above the lower edge of the wigan, and again just below the hem foldline, to really hold it on if you want. Then press up your hem and sew it as desired, by hand or machine. But one more thing....

There may be joins in the wigan, like this. I don't like them, because the fusing side comes out to the right side on those seam allowances. That'll get on your iron, fuse to your lining fabric, or cause who knows what other trouble. If you cut your own, don't seam it like this.

Here's how I deal with it: I chop off the seam.

Then place the one side as usual....

... lap the other over it, and lightly tack-fuse to hold everything together while you trim along the seamline to the left.

Put the end under the seam allowance and proceed as before.

You can sew the lapped-together ends of the wigan if you want, before fusing it. That might be a particularly good idea if the splice is farther from a seam, if it won't be covered by lining, if it will be laundered, or if the area will receive a lot of stress. I don't always find it necessary otherwise.

Your Wardrobe Unlock'd / Foundations Revealed

I've subscribed to one or both of Your Wardrobe Unlock'd and Foundations Revealed for a while now. They each publish an article per week; generally they are tutorials on how to make a specific garment or detail, draft a pattern, or approach some aspect of sewing as a business. What they offer is unique, so I was sorry to learn that they're having trouble getting enough subscribers and might not be able to continue.

YWO focuses on historic clothing (medieval to early 20th century, so far) and FR on underclothing (mainly historic but also modern). Yes, they are rather specialized, but do have a look if you're interested; some of the articles are accessible to non-subscribers, to give you an idea of what they do. They're discounting the subscription price for the first month.