Hems That Hold

a hem is a folded edge, sewn. that is the whole idea, and it is exactly why hems expose sloppy work: a wavering hem line is visible from across a room, on the most looked-at edges of everything you make or mend. the good news is that hem quality is mostly preparation, and preparation is mostly ironing.

this course assumes the machine basics and the blind hem and rolled hem feet from the presser feet course. the kit below is about measuring and pressing, which is where hems are actually won.

1. The double-fold hem

the workhorse. fold the raw edge up by a centimetre, press. fold again by the hem depth, press. stitch close to the inner fold. the raw edge is buried, the hem is strong, and the stitching shows on the right side as one tidy line, which on most things is fine and on jeans is the whole look. this hem does trousers, curtains, tote bags, pillowcases and pyjamas, which is to say most of your sewing life.

2. The machine blind hem

for trousers and skirts where visible stitching would cheapen the garment. the hem is folded, then folded back on itself so only a lip of the hem allowance shows, and the blind hem stitch sews along that lip, swinging over to bite the garment fold once every few stitches. from the right side, done well, there is nothing to see but a row of single-thread pinpricks a moth would be proud of. the foot's guide does the aiming; your job is a consistent fold.

3. The rolled hem

for fine fabric where any doubled bulk would look clumsy: scarves, napkin edges, floaty summer things. the rolled hem foot curls the raw edge under twice at a few millimetres wide and sews it in one pass. it needs a consistent feed and rewards the drill time from the presser feet course.

4. The knit hem

knits stretch, and a hem that cannot stretch with them either ripples or pops its stitches. the twin needle is the domestic answer: two straight rows on top, a zigzagging bobbin thread beneath that lets the hem extend. feed the fabric without pulling, let the machine set the pace, and a t-shirt hem comes out flat and stretchy like the shop made it.

four real jobs, in rising order of consequence. raid the wardrobe and the charity shop: the point of this step is hems on things that get worn and used, because scrap practice does not teach the fear and the fear is part of the skill.

Job 1: a pillowcase or tea towel edge

double-fold, one centimetre then two. measure with the seam gauge, press both folds, sew a whisker from the inner fold. this is the calibration piece: if the stitch line wanders, slow down and watch the fold against the foot edge, not the needle.

Job 2: trousers, blind hemmed

a pair of work trousers or charity shop chinos. mark the new length worn, with shoes, standing on a hard floor while someone pins or you use the mirror-and-pin method. allow 3cm of hem, trim the excess, press the blind hem fold, sew with the guide. the first leg takes forty minutes. the second takes ten, which is the course working.

Job 3: jeans, shortened properly

the test of nerve. jeans needle in, stitch length up to 3.5mm, gold topstitch-look thread if you want the shop finish. double-fold hem, and at each side seam stop the machine and walk the needle over the bulk with the handwheel. a hammer, gently flattening the seam junction first over a scrap of wood, is a real tailor's trick and not a joke. keep the offcuts: they are patch material for the repairs course later in this path.

Job 4: a t-shirt, re-hemmed with the twin needle

unpick a tired hem or cut a long t-shirt shorter. press the single fold up, thread the twin needle with two spools, and sew from the right side at an even feed with no pulling. stretch the finished hem: it should extend and recover without a pop.

hemming mastery is measured in things you no longer avoid. trousers that fit nobody off the peg, curtains sold in one length, the skirt that was nearly right: all of them become twenty-minute jobs, and every one saves the £10–15 an alterations shop charges for the same seam.

• Made to Sew (YouTube): precise hem tutorials, including the blind hem fold demonstrated in a way that finally makes it click
• Evelyn Wood (YouTube): hem finishing with a tailoring sensibility, and honest talk about which hems suit which garments