Hems

The Bottom Line

Hems
A. A properly sewn hem:
1. Should hang straight & even.
2. Be parallel to the floor.
Hems
B. There are 4 steps to
hemming:
1. Mark the hem length
2. Turn the hem up and
press
3. Finish the hem edge
4. Attach the hem
Hems
C. The raw edge of a hem must be
finished to prevent raveling.
1. The finish is determined by fabric &
function.
2. The raw edges of hems are finished
just like the raw edges of seams
Hems
D. The hem must be attached to the
garment.
1. Hems are attached by hand, machine,
or fusing.
 Hems: by hand
2. Hand Hemming:
a. The stitches should be:
• evenly spaced
• loose enough that the fabric
doesn’t pucker
• almost invisible
• sewn with a single thread
 Hems: by hand
b. There are 3 stitches used to hem by
hand. The blindstitch, Invisible (slipstitch)
and Visible (Running stitich)
 Hems: by hand
• Slip stitch(Invisible):
Stitches are almost invisible
Used to attach a folded edge
such as a hemmed (turned &
stitched) finish or bias binding.
 Hems: by hand
To sew, the hand needle is
slipped inside the folded edge of
the hem and the picks up one or
two threads of the fabric directly
below.
• This is my go-to stitch,
and my most often
used because it is the
most invisible.
Invisible
from both sides, that
is. Not only is it good
for hems, but it also
comes in handy for
many other cases –
like attaching patch
pockets, attaching
facing to zipper tapes,
attaching linings, etc.
1. Like the others, hide your thread knot by
coming up through the underside of the
fold. This time, make sure your needle
comes out right on the edge of the fold.
Right where it folds over.
2. Right above where you just came
through, pick up a tiny amount of fabric
above the fold (only one or two
threads).
3. Move directly back down, right next to
where you last came out of the fold,
and insert the needle back into the fold,
pulling it through about 1/4” through the
fold. Almost like you are going through
a tube.
4. If this sounds confusing, this photo
shows the thread left loose after
completing steps 1-3.
5. Continue steps 1-3 at an evenly spaced
pace. Again, this is what it looks like
with the threads loose so you can
see….
6. And this is what it looks like when it is
pulled tight. See? Nearly invisible!
 Blind Hemming
• First up is the
whipstitch. This stitch is
one of the more basic
and faster hem
stitches. It produces
slanted stitches on the
inside, and near
invisible, tiny stitches
on the outside. Here’s
how…
1. Start by hiding your thread knot, and
bringing your needle up through the
underside of the fold.
2. Cross over  diagonally, and catch just a
few threads of the fabric above the fold
with your needle. The less fabric you
pick up, the more invisible it will be from
the outside. If you can, try to pick up only
one thread. Then swivel the needle and
come back up through the fold.
3. Continue steps 1-3: Picking up single
threads and coming back up through the
fold diagonally.
4. Keep your stitches evenly spaced and
lined up. And keep your pick up stitches
small.
 Visible Hem
• A plain hem,
folded once and
sewn with a 
running stitch.
End