Matching Prints

Can you see the seam in this image? It's there, right amongst the swirligigs. Yes, there it is. Pretty good match, huh?

Is it really that important to take the time to match such a detailed fabric design? Yes! It might not at first be so obvious, but it can really distract the eye from your sewing skills. Think about a jacket back with a center back seam. If you are making the jacket out of a printed or woven design, and it is not matched perfectly, it can be very obvious....even if it's off just a little. While you are wearing it, you might not see it, but everyone else will.

Matching the design of your fabric is worth taking the extra time to make it perfect.

How to do this? I will demonstrate on a drapery panel, but this can be applied to most anything you are sewing.

On one edge of the 2 that I'm joining in this photo, I am pressing along where the seam will be sewn. I am joining a straight edge here, but this can work on a curved seam allowance just as well. Notice I've folded the fabric back just past where the print starts, instead of where the print starts. It will give you just a bit more "wiggle room" to make sure you don't let any of that unprinted edge show on your finished seam.

Turn that pressed edge over and line it up with the other side to match. You will be working on the right side of fabric to do this.

Use "T" pins to secure strategic match points. Looking at the print from the right side, you will easily be able to determine where it's really important to match it perfectly. Just push that "T" pin down and into your pressing surface (this can be a regular ironing board). Push the pins in all the way...angle them if necessary. Some fabrics will require many of these match points, some not as many.

After pinning the entire seam this way, carefully lift the side that has the pressed edge and fold it back so that both right sides are together. Be careful not to undo what you just spent time doing. Pulling too hard will make the "T" pins come out. Be gentle.

You will now be working from the wrong side of the fabric.

Along where the seam will be, add as many regular pins as you need. These will also anchor the "T" pins and stabilize them. I usually pin on both sides of the "T" pins...approximately an inch or so. After the entire seam is pinned, carefully lift both of the fabrics together that are to be joined and take them to the sewing machine.

The crease that formed when you pressed the first edge will be your guide to sew along.

Be careful when sewing over the pins. With this method, you will almost guarantee a perfectly matched seam as shown at the top of this post!