The Blind Hem is probably one of the MOST utilized hems (other than active wear/ cover stitch hems) and most people don't even know it. I know when I was starting out (and for longer than I'd care to admit) I was intimidated by the BLIND HEM.
The TRUTH is.... it is SUPER EASY. It is very quick and once you have it down you will be surprised how many things you want to hem. Most alterations shops also use this method, so once you nail this down, imagine bringing in a little cash on the side by hemming garments.
Let's get to it!
For this example I have serged the hem edge with white so you can see it. This is the bottom edge of your garment.... Skirt or pants/ shorts hem.
First you will start by pinning up your desired hem length. Fold it up to the finished length and pin.
NOTE: If you are pinning the garment while it is physically on your model/ client you may want to pin with safety pins and then transfer to sewing pins after its off your model/ client.
After the garment is off you will go around and measure what you've actually pinned. sometimes you will need to take the average measurement to make it even all the way around.
I pin perpendicular to the hem line for sewing it around. Pin the hem as it will look finished.
Then you will fold back the pinned hem towards the right side of the garment to expose the "hem allowance" this is the serged edge (shown in white). This is where your stitching will go.
Set your machine to the BLIND HEM setting. it looks like this, you may also want to check your manual if you are not sure.
These two stitches are the same only pointing in different directions depending on which way your hem is lined up.
The dotted lines stitch into the hem allowance and the side stitch nicks the garment with a single stitch.
Line your hem allowance up to be sewn. I leave the pins in place but you can certainly pull them as you go. This is a personal preference.
As you stitch along the hemline, it will look like the following clip. Regular stitching in the hem allowance only and the cross stitch into the folded hem.
When you have stitched across your hem, turn it right side out and straighten it out. You should use a matching color so you cannot see the pricked stitches but for this example I've used white so its easy to see.
Make sure you press your hem.
If video is your thing, here is an example from start to finish. I hope you will find the blind hem to be as easy as it looks. Given some practice, you will be mastering this hem in no time at all.
HI! Im Jacquline Terry. I have been sewing for 20 years and I believe sewing is a skill we have to pass on. Even if your experience is just basic sewing, it matters
and taking the time to learn is important work.
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