Hong Kong Finish Tutorial

Since some of you have asked I thought I’d put up a quickie how-to. The HK finish is one of the easiest “couture” finishes you will ever learn. It looks like a million bucks but even a beginning sewist can master it.

First, cut true bias strips using a rotary cutter. I generally cut my strips 1.25″ to 1.5″ wide, depending on the fabric. Unless you have long seams or a full hem to finish (or are short on fabric), it’s not usually necessary to piece your strips.

Place your bias strip RS together with your seam allowance or hem edge and stitch. You can use a 1/4″ foot for this but you can also use the edge of a straight stitch foot as I’m doing here. Press the strip away from the seam. Confession: A lot of times I simply finger-press because I’m too lazy to get up and go to the iron.

Wrap the strip around the raw edge of the seam allowance and stitch in the well of the seam (i.e. “stitch in the ditch”). If you can’t quite stay in the well of the seam, it’s perfectly okay to stitch on the binding itself or on the seam allowance.

Trim away any excess fabric from the underside using trimmers or applique shears.

Voila, you are done! It’s so simple yet gives the inside of your garments a beautiful high-end look.

As an aside, I’d love to hear from anyone who has made Silhouettes Barbara’s Trench, which I am considering. Likes? Dislikes? Comparisons to other patterns?