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Finishing Your CrochetYour project pieces are done, now what? Completing your crochet projects doesn’t have to be a pain. Please don’t put them in your U.F.O. (Un Finished Objects) pile, just because you are unsure what to do next. (I know most people who crochet don’t always like to pull out a needle to finalize their projects. Use your hook, if that’s what it will take!!) With a few simple steps your projects will be complete and ready for gift giving. And you can avoid U.F.O. overload!! Weaving in Your Ends Weaving in your ends or “tails” is the first finishing step. (If you haven’t done this already. It is much easier to crochet them in as you go along). Using a tapestry or yarn needle, weave your loose ends back through your fabric. Be careful not to split your threads, or come across the top of your work. You want your ends to be hidden within the fabric and completely invisible. I usually go for a few stitches one way, and then work my way back the other. Sometimes, weaving your ends in is all a project needs to be completed. Sometimes there is a little more work to be done, such as blocking and seaming pieces together. Blocking Blocking your piece is a very important part of finishing if you are making sweaters or other specifically sized items.Get your piece damp, not soaked. Spraying lightly with a spray bottle of water is usually sufficient. Depending on what fiber the piece is made of, you can either iron it, or spread it out flat, until it dries. If you iron it, be sure to use a soft terry cloth towel under it, and a cloth on top of it. You do not want to iron your fabric directly, this will flatten any pattern it may contain. If you can’t iron it, or the pattern or fiber says not to, lay it out flat to dry. If necessary, you can pin it to a flat surface to maintain its shape. Most of the time this is not necessary for the kind of things I make. Smoothing it out on a flat surface with my hands is enough. **Be sure to check the pattern and fiber label Crochet Seams Finishing your project by sewing your crochet fabric together is quite simple. The questions come when you try to decide which method to use. There are a few different seams used in finishing. You pick the one that works for your project. Use a matching fiber to make your seams less noticeable, unless it being noticeable is part of your design. Lining up your stitches and pinning your project pieces together saves having to try and undo a seam if you get off a stitch or two. (Seams are a serious pain to undo!! Ya...Once again, I’m speaking from experience.) I highly recommend doing this with clothing pieces. The whip stitch is probably the most used finishing method. *Put your pieces together. With a blunt tapestry needle, insert your needle into back loops only (the two sets of loops touching each other) for a less noticeable seam...
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...into all loops for a little bulkier, but sturdier seam. Pull through until tight. (Not too tight, that will actually make the seam more noticeable.) Weave in any loose ends. The whip stitch goes over and under your loops. This is a strong seam, but it’s not very stretchy. Note: In my pictures, I have secured my beginning tail with the seam.
If you are familiar with cross stitch, this is exactly what the name says. A back stitch. You just made a “square” around the stem of your stitches. Skip the next stitch hole (it already has a stitch in it) and insert your needle into the next stitch hole, from back to front. Pull tight. Insert your needle “back” into the hole you did before, from front to back. Pull tight. Continue in this manner going forward and coming “back” to make “squares” around each stitch stem. Weave in any loose ends. (One side, the side not facing you, will have double stitches. The front side will only have one.) This seam is strong, and does not stretch, but it is a little bulky. Woven Seam
A woven seam is the least noticeable seam. It can be a very flat seam. It “weaves” the fabric together, giving you a nice finishing touch. You can do this seam one of two ways. As pictured above: weaving the “S” pattern through all the layers ...
Lay your pieces with the edges touching. (Wrong side up to hide the seam inside.) Insert a blunt tapestry needle under both loops of one side and both matching loops on the side. Pull through. Insert the needle in the next set of stitches, making a “U” shape around the stem of the stitch. Pull through. Do not pull too tightly. This seam is supposed to stretch with your fabric. If you pull too tightly, you will lose some of the stretch and make the seam pucker. Continue stitching through every other set of stitches all the way along. This will make a continuous “S” shape all the way along the seam. Weave in any loose ends. This is not the strongest seam, but it is the most flexible and stretchy. These next two finishing seams are worked with a crochet hook, not a tapestry needle. Crocheted seams are very strong, but they do leave a larger ridge than a needle sewn seam. Slip Stitch Seam
A slip stitch seam “sews” your pieces together with a slip stitch. (My slip stitch sample shows going through all loops for the first 5 stitches and then back loops only for the last 5 stitches. You can see how the slip stitch shifts from one side (first 5) to the top (last 5).) *Put your pieces together. Going through both pieces, connect your fiber with a slip stitch. Insert your hook through back loops only (or both sets of loops) of both pieces of fabric. Yarn over. Pull through all loops of fabric and all loops on hook. Slip stitch made. Continue slip stitching all the way. Finish off and weave in any loose ends. This seam will leave a set of “V”s on one side, and dashed lines on the other. (It is exactly the same as an overlaid chain.) This is a strong, but bulky seam. Single Crochet Seam
A single crochet seam is the same as the slip stitch seam. The only difference is you do a single crochet instead of a slip stitch. (My single crochet sample shows going through all loops for the first 5 stitches and then back loops only for the last 5 stitches.) *Put your pieces together. Going through both pieces, connect your fiber with a single crochet. Insert your hook through back loops only, or both sets of loops, of both pieces of fabric. Yarn over. Pull through all loops of fabric. Yarn over and pull through both loops on hook. Continue single crocheting all the way. Finish off and weave in any loose ends. This seam will leave a set of dashed lines on one side and a single crochet ridge on the other. This is a strong but very bulky seam. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ *Put your pieces wrong sides together if you want your seams to show ridge on the outside. (Some methods do not show a seam as much as others. Sometimes showing a seam can add to the design.) *Put your pieces right sides together if you want your seams to be hidden inside. Bulkier seams are usually put to the inside. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Other Crochet Stitch Seams You can use just about any crochet stitch to close a seam. The taller the stitch, the bulkier the seam will be. Seams like this are used when fringe or a flap is going to be added. Such as when making a purse or bag, you may use a double crochet or a treble crochet to close the bottom seam and use single crochet to close the sides. That way you have a nice line of stitches on the bottom to attach fringe, beads or more stitching to. You could also use the same stitch to seam the sides. Then you could add beadwork or tassels there, too. Any crochet stitch seam is a very strong seam. You can find some crochet stitches here Want to try some double crochet patterns? Click here ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Want to ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Return to Crocheted Gifts
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