If you like sewing clothes but you don't own a serger, consider using the overcast foot to finish the raw edges of your fabric. What is an overcast foot?The overcast foot is an attachment that comes packaged with most mid-range sewing machines. For Brother machines, the overcast foot is also labelled with the alphabet "G". Why do I need an overcast foot?When we sew clothes, we need to encase the raw edges of the fabric with stitches to prevent the fabric edges from fraying. This is usually done with a serger, but because a serger can cost as much as a sewing machine, not every sewist may have one. If you've tried sewing really close to the edge of the fabric with the standard foot ("J" foot on Brother machines), you have probably encountered the fabric being swallowed into the machine or uneven stitches. The overcast foot helps to stabilize the flimsy edge of the fabric so that the stitches can be done as close to the edge as possible. What stitch do I use with the overcast foot?Look for the overcast stitch on your machine. It looks like a combination of a straight stitch on the left, and a zigzag stitch on the right. But I don't have an overcast foot :(No worries! You can purchase the overcast foot from our online shop here. Do note that we carry the wide bar overcast foot with a guard, which is what is used on the video below. The guard is handy for keeping the fabric aligned to prevent excess fabric from folding under the stitches (which would result in bulky edges). Find out how to use the overcast foot in the short video below:
