Basics
Bagging out and turning crisp corners
Sew two layers right sides together, turn, done: this hides every seam allowance inside and gives you properly sharp corners without tearing anything.
Bagging out is one of the easiest ways to finish an edge neatly. All seam allowances disappear inside, and from the outside you only see a smooth edge. You need it for flaps, belts, collars, pocket bags or linings. On the Kirsche wallet, for example, it helps with the flap over the card pocket.
The principle is quickly explained. Whether the result looks good comes down to the details: where the turning gap goes, how you trim and what you use to shape the corners.
What you need
- Two cut layers of fabric, for example for a flap
- Small, sharp scissors
- Something blunt for shaping: a chopstick, knitting needle or point turner
- Pins
- Iron
- Hand-sewing needle and matching thread
Step 1
What bagging out means
Place two layers of fabric right sides together, so the nice sides face inwards. Then sew all the way round, but leave a section open: the turning gap. Through this gap you turn the whole thing right side out.
Now the seam allowances are inside, and on the outside you have a clean edge with no raw edges. If the piece gets interfacing, fuse it to the wrong side of one layer first. Which one to use is explained in Fusible interfacing: which one for what?.
Step 2
Place the turning gap well
Put the gap on a straight edge, never in a corner or curve. That's where it's easiest to close neatly. It has to be big enough for the piece to pass through: for a small flap about 4–5 cm is enough, larger pieces need more.
- Mark the start and end of the gap with two pins or chalk lines.
- Sew a few stitches forwards and backwards at both ends. That's exactly where the most strain goes when turning.
- Don't trim the seam allowance at the gap, leave it a little wider there. Then it's easier to fold in later.
Step 3
Clip corners and grade the allowances
Before you turn, some fabric has to come out of the seam allowance. Otherwise you get thick lumps in the corners and along the edge.
- Cut outer corners off diagonally, about 2 mm from the seam. On very sharp corners, also take a narrow strip off on either side.
- Grade: trim the two seam allowances to different widths, for example one to 5 mm and the other to 3 mm. The wider one belongs to the layer that will be on the outside. That way no hard ridge shows through.
Important: the seam itself always stays intact.
Step 4
Notch and clip curves
Curves need room too, so they lie flat after turning. It depends on which way the curve goes:
- Curving outwards (like a round flap): cut small triangles out of the seam allowance. Otherwise the allowance bunches up inside and the edge goes angular.
- Curving inwards (like a neckline): clip straight in. Then the allowance can fan out when you turn.
In both cases cut to about 2 mm from the seam, never into it. The tighter the curve, the closer together the cuts.
Step 5
Turn and shape the corners
Reach through the gap, grab the opposite corner and slowly pull the piece right side out.
Then shape the corners. Use something blunt for this: a chopstick, a knitting needle or a point turner. Push it gently into the corner from the inside until it's sharp. No scissors and nothing pointed: they poke through quickly and leave a hole exactly where everyone can see it.
If the tip is still a little rounded, a pin from the outside helps. Insert it into the corner just at the seam and gently tease the tip out.
Step 6
Press and close the gap
Roll the seam between your fingers so that it moves slightly to the underside. Then you only see the nice layer from above, and the seam doesn't peek out. Pin it like that and press.
At the gap, fold both seam allowances in exactly on the stitching line and press them too. Then close it:
- By hand with a ladder stitch: you stitch alternately into the two folded edges, and the thread disappears when you pull it tight.
- By machine: edgestitch once all the way round. That closes the gap at the same time and keeps the edge flat.