Archive for the ‘Hems’ Category
Some fabrics ladder if you pull on them too much. To stop this from happening, mark the new hem allowance you want including the new fold line, and the new cut line which should be below the new fold line (finished length). Place the garment on your sewing machine and stitch around the garment just above the cut line. If you are really concerned then sew it a second time. If you are not concerned about the stretch of the fabric, you can iron some interfacing onto the garment, but cut it on the bias so that it has a small amount of stretch.
Happy sewing
Judith aka genie
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I talked before about the Oscars and other shows where the people are dressed superbly, but the hems are too long. Trousers can fray at the bottom after half an hour of scraping on the ground. It may only be the back, but that is enough for them to look tatty after one wear. The problem with this is that usually trousers are JUST A LITTLE BIT TOO LONG. That means when they fray, you are left with no hem allowance if you cut at the fray. So your choice is a false hem, which isn’t a bad thing, or you could try this little technique. Iron the trousers so that the frayed section is sitting flat. Have the person try them on and pin at the correct length. Let’s say it is 1cm (1/2”) above the fray. You need to calculate what the hem allowance will be. For ladies I do a 4cm (1½”) hem allowance and for men I do a 5cm (2”) hem allowance.
Turn the trousers inside out.
Place the tape measure on the original hem fold, with the tape at 1cm (1/2”) at this point. Place a mark above the fold at the end of the tape measure, then come down to 1cm (1/2”) BELOW the original hem fold and place a mark, then down another 4cm (1½”) for ladies or 5cm (2”) for men.
Cut on the bottom line. If the hem has to be unpicked, then unpick the hem first.
Check to see that the hem allowance will fit up into the trousers. If it doesn’t then release at the side seams, or take in if the trousers are flared. All of this is explained in my book Clothing Alteration Secrets Revealed.
Fold the trousers at the ORIGINAL HEM and stitch around the bottom 1cm (½”) up from the original length. This means that the frayed section is encased in the stitching. Turn the trousers the right way, and under stitch around the base, joining the seam to the hem allowance. This ensures that the hem allowance and the seam will lay flat. Overlock the edge, or sew ribbon around the raw edge and stitch.
Happy sewing
Judith aka genie
The types of hems I am talking about are the full skirt gown. Gowns like this are generally worn out for a special function, or a bridesmaid gown or wedding dress. The skirt is full, and this means that at certain sections the skirt will fall on the bias. The fabric drops at this section which causes the skirt to be uneven. Shops that sell gowns have them hanging on the rack ready for the customer to come and view. The longer a gown hangs, the more the gown will drop.
The other extremely important point is that when a gown is manufactured, the hem is not always completed accurately. Added to this is the fact that we are all different body shapes, so that means when the gown is on the body, it may dip in the front or dip in the back because of a large bust or round bottom. The most common problem I found was that the back was usually higher than the front!
So imagine what happens, when a person brings in a gown and says, “Take it up 10 cm (4”)” and doesn’t try it on. I have had people bring me gowns that are shorter in the back than the front, and are looking for solutions. If this ever happens to you and you then you can insert a panel across the bottom, but make it look like it was meant to be by having one side longer than the other as if it is a triangle. This is just another good reason for saving off cuts from alterations.
Another tip when pinning a gown is to make sure that the straps are correct, BEFORE you pin the bottom. Even if they do not need to be altered, check to make sure they are sitting correctly on the person. It is very frustrating when you have spent time pinning the bottom – all the way around the gown, only to have the person give a tug here and a tug there AFTER you have done all that.
Generally I will say something like, “Before I pin the hem, I need to be sure you are comfortable with the top section. Because if that changes then the hem will change.”
Pin the front of the gown first; getting the length the person wants. Make sure they are standing with their spine straight. A person’s first reaction is to bend down and look at what you are doing! Then they look up and it’s too short! Work with the person wearing the gown. They have paid a lot of money for that gown, and having the hem straight it important.
Have you ever noticed at the Oscars how the hems are all over the place! Seriously, the ladies gowns are very seldom straight, and men’s trouser hems are generally way too long! I watched a show on Oprah one day where they did a transformation of these men. The transformation was amazing, but the only thing that I felt let it all down was the fact that the trousers had not been hemmed to the persons correct length. They were so long; they bunched up around their knee and thigh area. But I am digressing…
Once you have the length at the front, measure from the floor to the new fold. Whatever this measurement is move around the gown folding the hem up the same amount. Double check the side seams because they may have pulled up slightly with the stitching.
If you have a hem chalk marker, you could have the person stand on a stool. Place a pin at the new fold, and drop the hem. Then set the chalk marker at this new length and puff chalk around the new hem line. This is a major time saver, and saves your back.
Sewing your hem
1. Most domestic sewing machines have a rolled hem foot. They can be an excellent method for sewing a small rolled hem on a gown, but they are not without their frustrating points. When you hit the bias of a gown the fabric is harder to feed through. And when you come to side seams, the thickness can be a problem. Try sewing a row of stitching around the bottom of the hem just in from the cut line. This may help you a little to stabilize the fabric.
2. Use your normal sewing foot and stitch around the bottom of the gown, then fold this over and stitch around again. The first row of stitching makes it easier to fold and gives you a nice tiny hem.
3. Instead of sewing around the bottom just up from the cut line, fold the fabric over .5 cm (1/4”) and stitch in place. Once you have stitched all the way around the garment, fold this section over and stitch around again. This also gives a tiny hem.
4. Convert your overlocker to a three thread machine. Take the needle out of the left hand position and only have one needle in the right (next to the machine). Set the overlock width to as wide as possible, and overlock the edge of the garment. When you are finished, use your normal sewing machine to fold the overlocking over and stitch a small hem.
5. If you want to create a flounce on the bottom of the gown, switch to zigzag with a medium width stitch and lay some fishing line underneath the gown. Zigzag as you go and make sure you catch the fishing line as you stitch.
6. If you own an overlocker, and the gown is a chiffon or similar soft fabric, you could put a rolled hem on using your overlocker. Switch to the rolled hem foot, or if it has an adjustment only, make the adjustment. I find that turning the blade down so it is not cutting the fabric gives a nicer finish. Also consider putting an embroidery thread in the middle. This gives a really great finish. For some fabrics, I will go around once, and then go around a second time over the top of the first. It makes the rolled hem thicker and looks great.
Tip – Instead of hanging a gown in the wardrobe on a hanger, either lay in flat in a draw, or place it inside a clothes bag which you can hang in the wardrobe, but have the bag folded in half and attached back on the hanger, so that there is no weight pulling the skirt down.
Happy sewing
Judith aka genie
False hems
When I do false hems, I always use a fabric that is a similar WEIGHT to the trousers. The last thing you should be using is bias binding. It flops and looks terrible after a few washes. Try using a look quality fabric, cut it into a strip about 6.5 cm (2 ½”) wide for men and 5 cm (2″) wide for women. I always prefer to put a larger hem for men. Also unpick the overlocking on the edge of the old hem. This can make the false hem bulky. Sew the new false hem on, and under stitch the new seam and the new false hem together because this will help it to stay up. I save all my off cuts. Because I do a lot of alterations, and most people do not want their off cuts, I save the pieces are a reasonable fabric. That way when I have a false hem come in, I have a hem ready to go.
Happy sewing
Judith aka genie
Insert a “V” (Upside down) in the side seams and an extension on the bottom.
I was sent this information by a wonderful lady called Nancy who is from the USA. I thought it was a brilliant idea.
Open out the seams on the outside leg, cut out a triangle which you can insert into the opening, along with a strip for the extension on the bottom. For jeans, heavy lace would be great, or heavy curtain fabric, or something to contrast with the trousers. If you can work it out, cut the triangle and the piece to go around the bottom all in one piece.
Thank you Nancy
Idea – The triangle could be lace, with a satin ribbon gathered at intervals down the lace. Begin at the top where it would be a small section, and all the way down the triangle (4 cm (1 ½”) apart) then attach the lace or satin around the bottom for the length.
”If any of you have ideas you would like to pass on to others, I would be only too happy to include them in this newsletter. It’s all about “sharing the knowledge”.
Happy sewing
Judith aka genie
A friend or customer asks you to shorten a pair of trousers 3cm, or was that 3”? The trousers belong to their husband or son or someone you don’t know. You have no body to put with the trousers. No fitting. This scenario has happened to most people who have the ability to sew. The casualness of the instructions at the drop off should cause alarm bells to ring in your head. I know a lot of people don’t care, but they will care when they put the trousers on and they are too short. Who is going to be blamed? Guess who?
Take the time to make sure the length is accurate. Take an inside leg measurement or an outside leg measurement. Write this down on a piece of paper or on your business card, or invoice if you write one. Make sure that you are both on the same page. I had a lady give me a piece of paper once that had – Take up 2. Two what? Two hem turns, 2”, 2cm?
One of the biggest complaints I had in my shops was people who had had their trousers shortened too much. Let’s unite and begin to teach customers about the importance of writing down measurements, and in particular ‘FINISHED LENGTH” measurements, both your world and your customers worlds will be happy.
Sleeve length – measure the inside arm from under the arm to the new length
Skirt length – measure from the top of the band to the new finished length
Jacket hem length – measure from under the arm down the side seam to the new finished length
Trouser hem – measure from the top of the band down the outside seam to the new finished length or from the crotch down the inside leg seam to the new finished length
Happy sewing
Judith aka genie
The fashion with the younger generation is to wear their trousers touching the ground. In some cases they are 15cm (6”) longer than they should be. I am sure you see them walking around with their trousers frayed. The worst I have seen is trousers where the back has completely worn away, and the front is very long. Well if that’s the fashion, I don’t want to join in. Even if trousers are worn touching the ground, they WILL fray after that first time wearing them. If you think the fashion states trousers musts be worn very long, then may I suggest you try and change people’s minds. This is what I say to people.
“You have just spent $? (Ask how much the trousers cost) on a pair of trousers and you now want to wear them so that the new hem is touching the ground!! What is going to happen is that your trousers are going to fray at the ends on the first wear. What this means is that when you bring them back to me to repair, I will have to put a false hem on them. I need a seam allowance to join the new piece of fabric on. That means they will be a lot shorter from the ground than they are now. In fact I would say about 1” or more, shorter than you should have them.” At this point I get a response, like “Well you are the expert. How long should I have them?” This is where you can start talking about the correct length. Are they going to wear with low shoes or high shoes? A great length for people who want them long, is just off the ground when they are wearing their shoes or boots by about 1cm (1/2”). That would be the longest I would take up a pair of trousers.
If you do clothing alterations for a living, take the time with your customer to get the correct length for them, and remember. Unless the trousers are the exact, identical pair of trousers, the length will be different from one pair of trousers to another. Even the exact same brand and size can be different. Best to try each pair on unless you are satisfied you can make them all the correct length.
Happy sewing
Judith aka genie
Most people who have a big tummy prefer to buy their skirts with elastic as the waist. Shortening a skirt from the hem for these people will mean you are going to be cutting on the bias. Instead of cutting the hem, try shortening from the waist.
Roll the fabric over at the waist. Do the front first, and put a double pin to make sure it doesn’t undo. If you are concerned about pinning the person, use safety pins.
Measure from the floor up to the new hem length, then move around to the sides and roll the back up the same about. Check the length is the same as the front from the floor to the new length. Move around to the sides and do the same thing. You should have four safety pins or double crossed pins at the waist band.
When you are preparing the garment, work on these measurements. The band will be on the bias, but because it’s elastic it should be easy to sew. You also don’t need to worry about unpicking the band if it’s going up more than one band turn.
Happy sewing
Judith aka genie
Be extremely cautious when you do this. I would recommend doing this in two stages. The reason for this caution is this – When you fold the fabric up on the customer to find the right length, the weight of the knitted fabric pulls the garment lower on the body. When you cut the knit will spring back up and the garment will be way too short.
So what I do is find out where the customer would like the new length, put a pin at this measurement. Then I would cut the majority of the fabric off, leaving about 15 cm or 6” hanging down longer than she wants or even longer if the fabric is springy.
Get her to try the dress on again and fold the excess up but remember that even with this little bit of weight it will spring up a little, so be cautious.
Happy sewing
Judith aka genie
If you ever would like to put splits in a tee shirt, I would recommend using a herring bone tape which will be featured on the inside of the split.
Tee shirts are usually put together with a four thread over locker, which means no seam allowance, therefore to open out the seam and turn a section back would not look that great, plus the split will probably roll because there is nothing of substance to hold it back.
Leave some tape hanging over the hem for turn back and sew the herring bone tape on so that it is lying over the top of the right side of the fabric. This way when you lay the tape flat there will be no bulk. Make an upside down “V” at the top of the tape with the excess tape underneath, and then sew down the opposite side.
Turn the tape back to the wrong side and fold the excess at the hem under and sew around the outer edge of the tape.
Happy sewing
Judith aka genie