How to sew curved hems!

I thought I knew how best to sew a curved hem but hey, there are more ways than I realised. The aim is to fold up the longer raw edge (i.e. longer than the stitching line) and sew the hem without getting puckers, wrinkles or pleats.

I found this YouTube video by Prof PIncushion (Link here) showing three different methods.

I very much recommend the suggested machine-basted stitching line (that's the one with the really long stitch length) because it makes pressing over the seam allowance a lot easier. You will get a more even distance from the fabric edge to the fold line that will look a lot better than eye-balling while pressing. It is such a pain when you have to repeat ironing after a first attempt looks frustratingly wobbly. Folding the fabric over at the basted line is easier because of the perforations in the fabric: it's almost as if the fabric wants to fold along that line. Highly recommended.

When you work with a thickish wool fabric then a high iron temperature and plenty of steam will shrink the fabric a bit so you can get the raw edge to reduce to the smaller measurement. That's what I did: baste, fold over and press and then press and shrink. But you can't do that with all fabric fibres. You need a different method for other fabrics.

I would be inclined to go with the first method Professor Pincushion shows but baste two lines: one as she describes, and a second one for where I want to fold the fabric over. This saves on the time it takes to measure and mark the fabric as per her demonstration. The bit I learnt from this video is her tip to pull at the higher up basting stitch line in those places where your fabric won't lie flat enough - to ease it in. That's really useful!

The rolled hem also sounds useful but to be honest I wouldn't have the patience for trimming the seam allowance as shown. Instead I prefer baby hems, particularly with light-weight fabric. This works best if you can overlock (serge) the raw edge. I machine baste at a folding line at a distance of about a centimeter away from the edge, and then overlock the raw edge. Then I press the fabric over once. I then edge-stitch the hem two centimeter from the folded edge. This leaves a very narrow seam allowance and keeps the hem nice and drapey. This can be lovely for the hems of flutter sleeves. A edge that's been folded over twice could be too stiff.

I also like the third method of sewing a ribbon to the hem, either on the right side as a decorative feature or on the inside. Either would give a skirt hem a nice bit of weight. A variation of this method is to sew on a ribbon onto the outside to diguise your top stitching. Ribbon or braid can be placed at the edge or even a bit higher up for a very attractive feature. You may want to use the same ribbon or braid elsewhere in the garment to tie it all together.

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And here is another YouTube video by JOANN Fabric and Craft Stores (Link here).
 

 

I really like the look of the rolled hem. This method will probably strike you as needing too many basting lines that you need to pull out at the end - but just look at the neat result!  I think this makes it well worth it.

The bias facing method is also really impressive. It takes a bit of trial and error to figure out how much to pull at the bias strip to get it to the right tension. I would be tempted to pull a lot less than the word 'pull' suggests - just lay down the strip and smooth it to lie flat along the middle of the strip length (where you'll sew) as opposed to at the very edge. It is a touch annoying that you have to trim this down, but the sewn edge makes for a useful guide. I'm all for top stitching this instead of hand-sewing a blind hem. On the other hand, a thicker wool type fabric is quite forgiving and easier to hand sew, giving a really beautiful result.

The bias binding method takes more preparation for pressing the bias tape as described. The technique that I found handy involves a darning needle stuck into your sewing board cover at both its ends, as a "gate" to pull the flat tape through and press. This preparation will make sewing the strip onto the hem a lot easier. The suggested stitch-in-the-ditch method takes quite a bit of practise (you can also see how slowly she stitches). I must say that I am not hugely fond of the look you achieve with this method, I prefer a ribbon over binding or the above bias facing that will put the bias strip onto the inner side, making it invisible. I find that this looks a lot more grown-up, the binding method reminds me of kids clothes, but that's just me.

So there you have it!  Six different methods (seven if you count my baby hem method that I snuck in there), something to try out when you're not happy with another method. You'll find that the fibre and the weight of your fabric will make some of these methods more useful than another. Go and experiment!

If you are very new to sewing and find all these rather overwhelming then I recommend the first method Prof Pincushion describes (just with two basting lines). Or baby hems when you have an overlocker stitch available and need a really drapey hem for a thin fabric.

Getting to grips with an unfamiliar sewing foot

Do you use more than a couple of the sewing feet that come with  your machine? I must admit that I didn't.

The walking foot on a Janome sewing machine

I swapped the standard foot with the walking foot (also known as a even feed foot or dual feed foot) for most of my straight stitching: preventing slippage of one fabric layer is a wonderful thing!  I don't miss the standard foot at all.

I also use my zip foot for sewing in zips, obviously, - this tends to be the only thing that I remove my walking foot for.


But I didn't use all these other sewing feet except for trying out the blind hem foot (which works fabulously!) - the other day I was thinking about why.  I have a feeling that I somehow thought that I should be able to do all kinds of things with just these two feet, almost as if that was some kind of challenge.  How silly!

The other reason is likely a fear of a bad experience, that trying would make me feel very dejected (yes, call me chicken).  Just ask me about my experiences sewing in invisible zips because I didn't realise that I had the wrong foot. Yah, that one.

But the thing is that a specialised sewing foot can make your sewing much easier, if you give yourself enough time to experiment with it and learn how to use it without wanting to throw your machine out of the window...  You know, when things go really badly.

It is very easy to get discouraged when sewing isn't going well and you don't know why.  One of the more horrible feelings that could make you feel so wretched that you stop sewing. Let's not do that!

So how can you get to grips with a different foot without feeling like a right fool?


Sewing machine feet come in two different kinds on the main: those you screw on and those that snap on. Your machine will only take one rather than the other.  Make sure that the manufacturer of the foot lists it as suitable for your specific machine model - if you're not sure that you want to spend the money on the genuine part, maybe you can borrow it from a friend or try it out at their place?  It'll give you the best idea of whether it's a good investment. A generic foot may sound good but if it doesn't work then it's wasted money.

But let's say that you have the right foot and you installed it - that alone can take quite a while!  I try to do something unfamiliar only when I have lots of time and there's no pressure.

My very best tip is to check that a) you picked the right machine setting for your purpose, and b) that the machine needle will not hit the foot itself.

To do this safely: hold on to the sewing thread at the back (or use a starter patch) and then move your machine needle by turning the wheel by hand.  If the foot or the setting is wrong then the needle could hit the foot itself on any downward motion that make up the stitch.

Some feet work with a straight stitch and others with a zigzag stitch - that's why it is important to manually move the needle through a whole repeat of the stitch.

Use a test patch of fabric because it is much easier to manoeuvre a small piece.  Check for tips for using your specific foot online and on YouTube - there may be a trick or hint that's not obvious, e.g. that the fabric needs to touch the guide's side of the narrow hem foot when you guide it into the roll-over bit.  A rolled hem foot may behave similarly, please check.

Use your slowest sewing speed if you can adjust it and then play around some. Use a different kind of fabric if your first sample fabric turns out as stubborn and non-userfriendly, see what works for you.  Once you get to grips with another fabric, you can go back to the one you'll want to use.

If the foot isn't doing what you thought it would - there is a chance that it is a different foot or that the fabric needs to lie a different way to feed under the needle. YouTube videos can be particularly helpful for that.

For example a blind hem foot works by catching just a couple of threads of a fabric fold - so the fabric has to lie the right way.  I find it quite counter-intuitive and tend to try it the wrong way round first. Ugh.

The way you pin a seam can make a difference: a narrow hem foot won't work with pins put in perpendicular to the edge, you need to start off with just the one pin placed parallel to the edge, - any additional pins are in the way because you need to hold the fabric to guide it. I think this probably applies to a rolled hem as well.

There is a good article on the Threads website about the narrow foot:

The start of the three page article, and here is the link to all the pages. I think the first link has a bit more information.


What sewing feet have you tried and do you have any advice on how best to use them? Please share!

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The clapper - highly recommended sewing gadget

Have you ever heard of the clapper?  Sometimes known as a clapper board? No, not the black thing they use in filming, this is the wooden instrument that helps you put a beautiful finish on your dressmaking project and labour of love.

It produces crisper creases, at hems or along seams where you want them to lie flat and smooth.

The way to use a clapper is to first press a seam or hem with the iron using steam, then press the clapper onto the area that's hot from pressing and either just hold there some seconds for easily creasing fabrics, or press down a bit harder for fabrics that crease less easily. The raw wood of the clapper will absorb moisture and heat and leave the seam or hem cool to the touch - and the material will "remember" to hold this crease.

You can use it on hems, seams like shoulder and collar seams and it works beautifully on darts too.

I wouldn't have thought so myself before trying it, but it does work - the waterfall collar jacket I am making at the moment does look just that bit better than it would without using a clapper.  I am really pleased with the result!

It is made from hardwood, has a handy groove along both longer sides for easy handling:

And one side is narrower than the other:

As with everything, the best gadget does not guarantee an absence of user error - which is what I managed today: I was using my newly purchased clapper with abandon and delight on the seam between sleeve and body - to get the seam to lie that extra bit flatter, which it did...

...then I discovered that I hadn't removed the basting stitch and was therefore producing a crease where I didn't want one. Noooo! Just imagine...

Luckily my Jacquard-type fabric did forgive the rough treatment: with a bit more steam I was able to get the fabric to crease where I wanted it to, and the first crease in the wrong place did come one. Phew! Now that's a relief.

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