How To Use An Overcast Foot 8

AKA Overlocker Foot or Over-Edge Foot

Hello, lovely sewers! Have you ever tried sewing with an overcast foot? It’s one of my absolute favorite presser feet—perfect for sewing along fabric edges, and it’s got a few other handy tricks that it’s fantastic at too. I use it 6 different ways, and I will share with you exactly how so you can too. Fancy joining me for a bit of sewing fun? If you already have an overcast foot, then go grab it and let’s have a play to see what it can do!

I hope you’ll enjoy watching along with me, but if you prefer to read instead, just scroll on down and I’ve got all the tips shared in the pictures and descriptions below as well.

Haven’t got an overcast foot yet and wondering which one’s right for your machine? No worries—I’ve got you covered! Pop over to our overcast foot page in the Sewing Bee Fabrics shop, and you’ll find all our overcast presser machine feet listed. Click through to the one that sounds like it might be the best fit, and you’ll find a list with all the machines we know they fit. Can’t find your machine? Let me know and I’ll try to find out for you.

How To Sew Over Fabric Edges With An Overcast Foot to Stop Fraying

The overcast foot is most well loved for sewing over fabric edges—no serger (aka overlocker) needed! It’s definitely the thing I pull it out of my little set of draws most often for. Why don’t I just use a regular foot to do this? With a standard foot, the thread tugs at the fabric edge. You can see in the photo below where the fabric edge is being pulled over with the thread. The thinner and stretchier the fabric is, the more it gets pulled around and the sewing machine can be tempted to pull the fabric downwards into the machine to eat it too. This gives the edge a wavy finish which may or may not lay flat after.

The overcast foot is usually a snap-on foot, so it’s super easy to clip on and off to switch over. There’s a little guide at the front to line up your fabric edge against, and a special bar that runs down the middle of the needle-sewing area. Be careful here. It needs to have a wide zigzag or overcast stitch selected. When the needle jumps from side to side, the stitches form right over that bar. I’ve snapped enough needles in my time to make sure I always double-check my needle clears the bar before starting to sew with this foot.

Once the stitch has formed on the bar, as the fabric moves underneath, the stitch slides off the back of the bar to fall into the perfect spot on the fabric edge.

By creating the stitch like this, it keeps the tension just right. No pulling and no twisting. If it’s a thin fabric, it will wrap on the bar for a perfect little fold up. If you’re sewing over thick fabrics or several layers, it just sit’s flat. Either way, the edge looks crisp and straight. You can in the picture below see how much straighter the fabric naturally wants to lie after stitching the edge with the overcast foot (pictured on the edge closest being held) versus the wobblier edge on the opposite long side of the fabric.

When I start out stitching, I usually sew a couple of stitches forward and back to lock them in. This foot I have to be careful not to overdo that with. Too many stitches on the bar tend to pile on top of each other which means there isn’t space for them to slide off anymore, so they can jam things up inside the foot and get stuck.

For sewing over fabric edges, I usually tend to go for a 2-2.5mm stitch length—it catches all those loose threads that want to fray, but it’s not so tight it risks puckering the fabric edge.

If I want to make a feature of that raw edge and sew a dense stitch, what I prefer to do is to sew my regular stitch first to secure all the edges in place, then I reduce my stitch length down to sew a denser zigzag stitch to give a satin stitch-like finish. Slow and steady works best here. Too much speed and the stitches build on top of themselves and get stuck, so I find it’s better to take my time. Sometimes I’ll go over the edges for a second pass, although the finish can look a bit messier than just going slowly and closely the first time around, so patience pays off.

How To Secure Fabric Layers Together With An Overcast Foot Before Using Binding

Here’s a little trick I love to do for quilted projects — using an overcast foot to hold all the edges together before adding bias binding. Once I’m done quilting and I’ve trimmed the edges even, I like to whip around with the same zigzag stitch that I use for stopping edges from fraying (about 2-2.5mm stitch length).

Not only does it fix all the layers together, but it also squishes the edge a bit. So now I have edges that can’t accidentally slip out of place, and less bulk to try to sandwich in the centre of my bias binding, so wrapping it around after is so much easier.

How To Use An Overcast Foot To Sew A Narrow Hem

Ever needed a narrow hem but couldn’t find your rolled hem foot? The overcast foot’s got your back for this too! It’s not quite as posh and polished as a proper rolled hem, but it does the trick brilliantly in a pinch.

Let’s compare narrow hems. This one has been sewn with a rolled hem foot. It has a single line of straight stitching visible on both sides of the fabric which sits incredibly close to the fabric edge.

Rolled Hem Foot Narrow Hem:

Whereas when I sew a narrow hem with my the overcast foot, I like to catch the edge up first with a zigzag stitch, then pass it under the foot a second time to fold the fabric again to hide the raw edge on the inside. This leaves a straight stitch on the front and a crossed through zigzag stitch on the back. Although still narrow, it is a slightly wider hem than I can sew with a rolled hem foot.

Overcast Foot Narrow Hem:

To sew the narrow hem with an overcast foot, I like to fold a tiny bit of fabric over—about 2-3mm—and finger-press it to hold it in place.

I lower the overcast foot over the top of it. Then, with that fold up against the front guide, I sew a zigzag stitch (1.5-2.5mm long) to secure it in place. For thicker fabrics, I’ll leave it under the foot and work in sections to fold and sew as I go.

For thinner fabrics like cotton, there’s a much quicker hack. If I lift the fabric edge up a little, it’ll naturally want to loop the fold around that central bar. That guides it perfectly to stitch it up in place. Just be careful if you’re sewing around any bulky spots like seams, to pop it back underneath the foot as you go over them, so they can’t get stuck inside the foot.

Want the raw edge hidden completely? I usually do. To do it, I just fold it once more and switch to a straight stitch with the needle in the left hand position. By keeping it underneath the foot with the fold lined up next to the front guide, it tucks that edge away neatly. You’ll have a zigzag on the inside, but the outside will only show a straight stitch like you saw in the images of the finished seams above.

How To Use An Overcast Foot To Sew A Floaty Lettuce Hem

Have you seen those lovely, wavy edges on stretchy tops or skirts? The ones that just shout summer?! That’s a lettuce hem, and it’s far easier to sew it with this foot that you’d think!

The best fabrics to use are ones like jersey knit – the loose knit weave and slight structure mean that when you stretch the edge, it naturally wants to roll up and stay there. That’s your test to see which stretch fabrics will work best for this.

If it wont hold a curl when you stretch the edge, then the best you’ll get out of this technique is a gentle wave – which can be a fun, more subtle look if that’s what you’re going for. But it won’t end up as a lettuce hem regardless of how much you will it to! So just know that the fabric matters more than your technique does.

To sew my lettuce hems, I shorten my zigzag stitch length to about 1.5mm. As I sew, I gently stretch the fabric with both hands—one in front and one behind. If you pull too hard, you’ll be more likely to get frustrated at breaking threads. By sewing a nice dense zigzag stitch over the edge while it’s being stretched, those stitches will hold the stretched edge in place, while the rest pings back, and that’s what makes that cute little ruffle.

How To Use An Overcast Foot To Add Pintucks

No pintuck foot? No problem — the overcast foot can help make bold pintucks too. To make pintucks with the overcast foot, I just fold my fabric where I want the tuck—wrong sides of the fabric together—and give it a quick hot press for a crisp line. With a straight stitch and the needle in the left position, I sew along the fold, letting the guide keep a nice uniform couple of millimeters from the edge. Unfold it, and there’s a bold little tuck already there! Add a few more the same distance apart and it creates such a fun textured fabric effect. For these bold tucks, I often sew them around 1cm apart.

How To Use An Overcast Foot As A Top Stitch Guide

I love using the overcast foot as a topstitch guide, especially for long narrow bag handles where wobbles will show up a mile off. For straight projects, the guide keeps everything perfectly lined up and it works perfectly. Personally though I wouldn’t recommend it for anything that needs a lot of tight twists and turns. It’s not great at all the pivoting. If it was moderately curvey I’d use an edge stitch guide foot (also known as a stitch in the ditch foot) or if my top stitching needed to go around something really wiggly, I’d go guide-free and use an open toe embroidery foot or a free motion foot instead.

To use the overcast foot for bag straps, I like to hot-press the strap flat after sewing it up, then set a straight stitch with the needle in the left position. With the strap edge against the guide, it keeps my stitching a perfect couple of millimeters from the edge—consistent and smart-looking all the way down.

A Few Bonus Tips & Troubleshooting

• If your fabric puckers, try loosening the tension a touch.
• Slippery fabric sliding about? Stabiliser or tissue paper underneath and pulled off after can help keep it steady. Alternately a bit of starch can work wonders too.
• Thick layers making it tricky? If you can reduce the presser foot pressure on your machine, it’ll glide through more easily.

Have you had a go? Do you have any other tips or tricks for it? Let me know!

Happy stitching, everyone!