Technique: Hong Kong Finish

In keeping with my current theme of Better Sewing, I was curious to see what Roberta Carr recommends for the Hong Kong seam edge finish. I learned that the HK finish I've been using is really called a Mock Hong Kong finish.

Truthfully, my seam allowance finishes typically must adhere to a ready-fire-aim approach to sewing. That is, I sew the seam and then figure out how to finish the raw edge. In my Better Sewing mood, I considered and finished the raw edge before even sewing the seam.

Yes!

And so I learned about the actual Hong Kong finish. In this case the mock version is a better choice, according the Roberta Carr.

In the mock version, you place 1 inch bias strips on the raw edge, right sides together. Then you stitch with a 1/4" seam allowance. Next you wrap the bias strip around the raw edge and stitch in the ditch. Lastly you trim off any excess from the bias strip before sewing the regular seam.

I used a silk neck tie from the thrift store for the bias binding. You can get several yards out of one tie.

In the actual HK finish, the excess is not trimmed away. Rather it is folded under and slip-stitched so that there are really no raw edges at all. It is identical to a standard quilt edge finish. Who knew? Not me.

The mock HK finish results in less bulk and so was the best choice for this medium weight cotton Ikat fabric.

By the way, I am working on a version of the soon-to-be released Tremont jacket from The Sewing Workshop. Linda Lee allowed us to trace it while attending her July 2015 Sew Kansas.

Next step - add the back piece

So far, so good...