Alterations 101 - Perfecting the rolled hem - Threadmarian

Honestly I love to sew but I just hate the rolled hem from Hell! That was until I perfected it. Now I am going to show you how in these very easy steps that will make the nightmares of rolling a hem disappear! 1. Stitch as straight as possible ¼ to ½ inches from the edge using the longest machine basting stitch. Make sure that you have allowed for the extra length at the hem to accommodate the roll. it is imperative that if you want to make the perfect rolled hem for your delicate fabric finish, such as silk satin or chiffon, you Must use a basting stich first . it is non negotiable and its about 75% of the battle of rolling the edge. Whether you are trying to roll a hem use a foot or a by free hand a machine basted stitch helps you to accurately fold and guide the fabric while machine stitching the perfectly uniformed roll. 2. Step 2: fold the edge over and press creating a sharp edge with the pasted stitch on the topside of the edge. 3. carefully cut as close to the basting stitch as possible . there should be only the stitching and the crease left. 4. beginning at the corner fold the hem up to its desired placement and pin. Using a rolled hemming foot 5. if you are using a hemming foot 6. Make sure that the needle is in the CENTER POSITION begin as close to the end of the roll as possible but making sure that the end of the fabric is beyond the hole in the machine plate so that the end does not get caught in the hole. Do not back stitch as well if you can help it. 7. lower the foot securing the roll and then remove the pin 8. lift the roll in front of the pin and feed it into the scroll. 9. keep the roll lifted high as you slowly feed it through the scroll. Do not try to feed it through flat against the plate or feed dogs. 10. when guiding the roll through the scroll make sure that the basting stitch line is a little left of center of the scroll insuring you get a full roll, but not so far left that you are not able to keep all of the edge in the roll. 11. use your left hand to pull the fabric flat and tight in the roll. 12. Go slow. Going faster will only make the stitching wavy. Free hand tips using a regular foot When using a regular foot Once you get to the step where the end of your roll is held in place by a pin... The first thing that you want to make sure is that your needle is in the far left position. You do not want to go down the center of the foot with the fold because the fabric will get caught within the gap and you will spend most of your time fishing the roll out of this gap and end up with a sloppy roll and wavy line. This time your will use your left hand to tuck and flatten the edge of the roll to the plate while you guide the roll under the foot. Go slowly and work in spurts. Going slowly will be much quicker than going fast and having to redo sloppy work.