Voile and organza are beautiful and fun to wear, so it's easy to become sucked into buying some for your project... until it comes time to hem that skirt. What now? How do you hide your hem? First of all, don't use a machine stitch. Hand sewing takes time, but the finished product looks very professional.
Step 1
Have another person measure the garment so that it is an equal distance off the floor. Trim it off at the lowest equal point.
Step 2
Set up your iron and ironing board. Set your iron to your fabric's setting. If your fabric setting isn't a steam setting, set the iron to the lowest steam setting and set the steam as low as possible (sometimes fine fabrics will water-spot, simply set your iron to the lowest heat setting and iron until the waterspots have evaporated).
Step 3
Fold over a quarter of an inch of hem and iron that down.
Step 4
Fold over three sixteenths of an inch of hem and iron that.
Step 5
Turn off the iron and unplug it. Empty the water from it. (Store the iron completely dry for best working order next time.)
Step 6
Thread your needle with about eighteen inches of thread. Yes, you will have to stop sooner, but a shorter piece of thread insures smooth working without snags or as many mistakes. Tie a knot in one end of the thread -- don't tie them together -- you will be working with only one thread, this will help your stitches appear invisible.
Step 7
Slip the knot under the fold of fabric to catch the hem. Then, catching just a few threads of the outside of the fabric start hemming. To speed yourself along catch first the hem then the fabric, then the hem until your needle is full, and then pull the thread until it lies flat again. Don't worry about doing anything fancy, just a basic slip stitch is fine.
Step 8
Double back on your stitch every so often. In other words, make another stitch directly on top of the last one. This will act as a safety: if part of your hem falls, it will stop before the whole thing unravels.
- It is a good idea to buy pin and needles made for lightweight and silk fabrics,also there is thread that is light or made of silk that will work better than a regular thickness.
Tips
- Start well. When you cut out the pattern, be sure all the pattern pieces are straight on the grain. They usually come with an arrow telling you how they should go. If all the pieces are straight on the grain, the finished project will hang better, and is less likely to stretch later. When you put the garment together sew all seams from the top (your head) to the bottom (your feet), this will also help the hang of the final piece.
- Don't rush, but don't be too exacting. It's a hem after all, people are unlikely to stare at it, and what seems to you to be a glaringly huge stitch is probably smaller than an eighth of an inch, and nearly invisible.
- Calm down. This isn't a New York fashion show. Your first attempt won't look terrible, but it won't be perfect either. Accept that it's a learning curve.
Warnings
- Have fun! If you're not enjoying your hobby then there's no point to it.
- Don't work when you're too tired. You'll make more mistakes. If you start getting frustrated then stop. Chances are you're just tired. Have a backup outfit for projects on a short deadline, because you're liable to ruin your project if you push too hard or late.
Things You'll Need
- Iron
- Ironing board
- Long, fine needle, with a fairly small hole
- Thread which perfectly matches your frabric, preferably high quality polyester or rayon (polyester is strongest, and wont fray)
- Sharp, small embroidery shears
