Mini Class - Blind Hemming

[Tornado Alli]

Hey there Folks!! Today I was working on a dress I am making for a friend's 15 year old niece to wear in the Teenage Miss America Padgett in November. I actually finished it today and it looks so cute!!!! Very elegant but youthful and fun! The skirt is really great! I used the CanCan pattern and elongated it to be full length. It is fitted at the hips but a full circle skirt at the hem! Imagine how much handwork would be involved in hemming that thing by hand!!! :18 So I decided to blind hem and while I was at it, I took some pictures to show you!

If you have already mastered this technique, then correct me if I show something you disagree with. However, this has worked well for me in almost every circumstance. But I am always open to suggestions for better ways to do anything!

Anyway, hope this is helpful! It sure does make hemming a skirt much more pleasant.

First of all, here is the finished dress:

[Tornado Alli]

That is actually a shawl/scarf around the top, not well placed but you get the idea. Anyway, for the hem:

First I stitched a 2 3/4 inch grosgrain ribbon facing to the hem to make a nice deep hem since this young lady is quite tall and we needed all the length I could get. Then I measured and pinned it the hem in place.

[Tornado Alli]

Then with the skirt lying open on my worktable, the outside facing down, I turned the hem back towards the outside, exposing the narrow strip of ribbon facing just above where I had pinned. This is the part you will actually sew on. The garment is folded back so that you will only catch just the edge of the fold.

[Tornado Alli]

Here is another shot of that. You can see that I then pin the bottom of the hem (which is folded up behind) in place so that it doesn't get caught in the stitching.

[Tornado Alli]

And here is another view of that. It is critical to get this done right because this sets up your nice even hem. You have to remember that you will be stitching on the hem facing, not the actually garment. So you have to turn it back out of the way.

[Tornado Alli]

Once the whole length of the hem is pinned, then it is time to set up your machine. I use a blind stitch foot from Bernina which is wonderful for keeping everything lined up. You see that bar in the middle of the foot? That is what you guide the folded edge along so that the needle just catches the edge. Done right, this hem is virtually invisible.

[Tornado Alli]

Okay, now you need to select the blind hem stitch on your machine. It kind of looks like an EKG stitch!!! The important thing is that the "peaks" of the stitch have to point left. A stretch stitch will look similar but the peaks point right. You want the left peaks because that is where your folded edge will be while stitching your hem.

[Tornado Alli]

Before you place your fabric under the presser foot, you will want to remove the original pins that you used to pin up the hem. They will get in the way and are no longer needed after you pin the hem back to expose the facing edge.

Now, line your hem facing up under the presser foot, with the folded edge right along the center guide. Take a few stitches and make sure the needle catches the edge. Adjust the width of the zigzag stitch if necessary.

[Tornado Alli]

Hopefully you can see the needle in the fabric on this shot. Tough Photography assignment!!!

[Tornado Alli]

This is what the actual stitching looks like: (If you look carefully, you can see a dropped stitch at the very top of the frame - Oops!!!)

[Tornado Alli]

Finally, after you have stitched the entire hem, remove all your pins and turn the hem back down in place and press it. Very simple!!! And it probably took less time that posting this class did!!!! These next couple of pictures will show the finished hem.

[Tornado Alli]

And here is the inside and outside of the hem:

[Tornado Alli]

Another view:

[Tornado Alli]

So that is a blind hem!!! I hope this made sense! If you have questions, post them. No question is dumb if it is asked! And the answers usually clarify something for everyone!

I hope this will be helpful to all of you!!!

Alli

Coming up next: I found the pictures from the pleater class!!! YEA!!!!!!!! So I will putting that class back up soon!

[Greeneyed Gypsy]

Very nice! I do it the same way minus the grograin ribbon which I think would be good to try some time.

Allie is so right that you need to line up that fold just right agienst the bar on the foot, then stich slowly and you will have a great hem!!

If you are worried about the the zig zag being deep enough or too deep, fold a piece of scrap and stich a few, and adjust so that the point just catches just like Allie's! :)

[Nellie's Mom]

Way to go, Alli! You did a great job of illustrating your "Class"! I like the idea of the grosgrain ribbon. It gives a bit of extra weight to the fashion fabric. I've never used the ribbon but will in the future. Nellie's Mom

[Tatted Lady]

Very nice Alli, :bow

The only thing I do different is to "very lightly" press the "fold" back. Lightly because you have to steam press it "back out" afterwards. It helps to control slippery fabric, and gives it a straighter stitch line. With a lining, you can get really good and just "catch" the lining only.

I use the blind stitch hem on almost everything, except something bias.

On a gore or flaired out hem, I use the differential feed " on the serger" to gather the edge first, then it lays nice and flat when turned up.

Keep up the classes, they are great.

Really looking forward to the pleater class again, because I didn't get to print it out.

[Desert Jewel]

Good job of illistrating a blind hem Alli.

Another idea for a blind hem is to use invisable thread in the top of your machine and a matching color thread to your fabric in your bobbin. This way, it is totally invisible and if your hem has more than one color in it........the thread doesn't ever show.


Love the classes! And I am also looking forward to the pleater class.:)

[Vessangel]

Excellant class thread! I was wondering how to do this for awhile. Thanks!

[Angel Outlaw]

I hope I have it right! I am going to try it on my skirt for the governers ball in SC, shoot this is scarier than that there halloweenie costume LB wore:noe

[Hugh Damwright]

Hey now! I resemble that remark!

Btw.... this blind hemming stuff... I can do it! I use a different method though. I just pull down on that little drawstring and when the blinds are hemmed to the proper height, I pull it to the left and they stay every time! :rolleyes:

[Angel Outlaw]

baahahahahahahaha. silly man.

[Mark Flint]

Don't know much about blind hemming, but I may be learning shortly:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[Allie Mo]

Thanks Alli,

I'm going to give it a try.

Regards,

Allie Mo

[Ida Hands]

Great instructions! Those photos are really good too! Hard to take pics and sew at the same time. Thanks for the class.