Hemming jersey

How do you hem your fine jersey? Why, with a twin needle on a sewing machine or a coverlock machine, of course - I hear you say. This is indeed a common technique and is essentially the same - and it requires you to fold your fabric beneath the surface and to stitch exactly on…

Felled rolled hem that lies flat

Summer dresses often have wide skirts, so the hems are curved. Yet they also often have rolled hems that don't roll nicely on curves, they get all wrinkled up. I found that a two-step hem works better and lies flat, and I'm using the felling foot again to make it. See my previous post on…

A neat plain opening

In many situations you have to make a plain opening by just making a cut in the fabric. Think for example of openings at the bottom of a sleeve or at the front of a neckline. If you are making a thin blouse, you don't necessarily want a placket there. How do you finish an…

The best stitch for blind hem

...is plain zig-zag. Why? Because it resembles manual blind hem most closely, and manual blind hem is, of course, the golden standard. Domestic sewing machines have come up with a variety of special blind hem stitches, from a wiggling attachment for straight stitch only machines, to fixed or programmable combinations of straight stitching or narrow…

Fancy hem finishes

I've been playing with some options for hem finishes on several recent projects, and thought I'd put them together in one post. There are so many ways to make a hem - it's mind-boggling! And after you read this, you'll be thinking up even more! Stitched overlock hem I needed a way to finish several…

What to do with fancy stitches?

Your machine has loads of them but all you use is straight stitch and occasional zig-zag... Sounds familiar? 😉 Obviously, fancy stitches are there for fancy work. Or are they? What is the difference between utility stitches and decorative stitches? Well, utility stitches are there to help with boring work like sewing a blind hem,…