Another foot to play with.

I have always liked the look of seams that are bound with seam binding, but have never been able to duplicate the look. My seam binding always slides off the edge, is crooked, or doesn't encase the entire edge. I really needed to figure out a way to finish the raw edges of this dress, and I didn't want to do a hong kong finish because of bulk and time. A "seam binding foot" did come with my machine, so I knew it was time to get to practicing. There is a thread on PR about sewing samples, and this kind of reminded me to get out this foot and try it.
The foot is kind of a monstrous looking thing, and I really didn't know where to begin. The instruction sheet that came with it was not very helpful other than showing how to adjust the screws.


I finally figured out that I needed to fold the seam binding over the raw edge and then push it through the slot on the side of the foot. You need to be sure and trim your selvages to the desired width first. With the fabric in the foot, you need to slide it forward and back until the seam binding settles in the little channels in the foot. Lower the presser foot and take a couple of stitches.







With the needle down, adjust the set screw on the side so that the width of the opening is just enough for the fabric and binding to fit through. This will help the binding fold over the edge of the fabric. You will need to guide it with your fingers, but it works really well and gives nice clean finish!










It only took about 3 practices to get a great looking seam finish! It will be much easier to try on a simple cotton, but use whatever fabric you are going to be working with to practice.