Flat Flange Edging Tutorial (Deployment Projects #154-157)

Have you noticed flat flange edging?  I’ve been seeing it everywhere and I really like it!  I love the simple yet sophisticated look of it.  Such a clean line, custom look.  I’ve been throwing it in on some of my projects lately.  And some of you have sent me questions asking about it, so I thought I would do a little tutorial on flat flange edging!

First, some inspiring photos of flat flange.  Let me just throw it out there that these are all pictures I have ripped out of magazines, so a. the quality isn’t that great and b. I have no clue where I got them from, but I can’t take credit for them :)

 

        Here’s how you do it:

1. We have to start by making the flat flange.  Start by cutting 2” wide strips of your fabric.

2.  Sew all your strips into one long strip.  The easiest way to do this, is to overlap your two pieces at a 90 degree angle.

 

3.  Sew diagonally across the two pieces.

This will form a little triangle seam…

Trim off the extra triangle of fabric.

4.  Iron your entire strip in half

Just match up the edges and iron down the length of your trim

5.  Now it’s time to make the pillow with the flat flange.  Cut out your front and back pillow fabric, adding 1 1/2” to the size of your insert on both the length and width - - this will be your seam allowance.

6.  For this pillow, I am attaching a zipper closure, so I folded and ironed a 1” edge along one side.

7.  fold the rough edge inside and iron to give it a finished edge.

Grab your zipper

And….here’s a little trick of mine.  To attach my zippers, I love to use my double cording foot.   I simply center the zipper under one of the channels of the zipper foot and it slides along like there is nothing there at all!

8.  With your sewing machine, sew along the edge of one side of the zipper - - letting the zipper slide through the channel of your cording foot.

9.  Attach the other piece of fabric to the opposite side of your zipper (this is why I like to use the double cording foot, because I can just let the zipper slide under the opposite channel.

10.  Now you have one big rectangle of fabric connected by a zipper in the middle!  Fold this in half, right sides together.  Make sure your zipper is opened at least 6”.

11.  You are going to make a sandwich.  With your rough edge of the flat flange facing out and starting with the flange between the opened edge of your zipper.  Your front and back pieces (right sides together) are the bread, and your flat flange is the peanut butter!

  

12.  Now, all you have to do is sew around the three sides of your pillow, using a 3/4” seam.  Now, look at how the corner is pinned closely.  I just freehand folded and pinned as I got to each corner.  You don’t need to accordion fold it as much as I did, you can just fold it and make it a 90 degree turn.  Because there is a zipper all along the bottom, you only have to sew the three sides.  If you wanted edging along the zipper, you could have just added that in as you were sewing the zipper on.

 

And, here’s your finished pillow!  So cute isn’t it?!?

I just finished these pillows, duvet cover, and chair cushion for one of my friends.  Her daughter is growing up and needed a “more mature” look for her room.  I used the flat flange edging on all of these projects.  The stripes along the duvet cover are also flat flange.

 

Are you inspired to go and try doing it yourself now?