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Make A Tiny 1/8 inch Couture Hem for Sheer Fabrics

05/27/2011

easy method for hemming sheer fabricsWhen I was making a bridal gown I took a class from master couture sewing expert Susan Khalje. I learned a technique from her which I will share with you. Have you ever had  problems hemming sheer fabrics like organza, chiffon, or cotton batiste? You can’t sew a normal hem because it will show through and look bad and a serger hem looks mass produced. Mrs. Khalje doesn’t think very highly of sergers, I might add. I for one have a rather unfriendly relationship with mine! One method of hemming sheer fabrics is a rolled hem which is done by hand but this tiny machine hem method is a faster and easier method. For some reason I have never read about this method in any of my sewing books. I believe it is a couture secret. I hope she doesn’t mind my giving it away!
1. Start with a 5/8 inch seam allowance. Fold over the hem 3/8 of an inch and iron to the wrong side.
2. Now stitch with about a 2mm length stitch with a very thin machine needle as close as you can to the fold. About 1/8 of an inch from the fold.
3. Take some small scissors and trim as close as you can to the stitch line you just made.
4. Finger fold the hem over one more time as small as you can, between about 1/8 and 1/4 of an inch to cover the raw edge and stitch again. The stitch line will almost be at the hem fold and will barely be noticeable.
5. This is how it will look from the right side. As you can see from the tape measure it’s about 1/8 of an inch.

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Related posts:

Sewing For Kindergarten: Tiny Tailored School Blazer Rolling trolley flea market cart liner tutorial Draft -a- Long Day 2: Making Pencil Skirt Front Pattern My Week At Susan Khalje’s Couture Sewing School.
-McKenzie

Filed Under: Couture sewing, Sewing Tutorial

About Justine

You made it to the end of the post! Please stop by often for a variety of sewing projects, clothes making tips , and stylish handmade living. Feel free to email me at justine @ sewcountrychick.com if you have questions.

Comments

  1. Debi says

    05/27/2011 at 11:15 pm

    Fabulous! Thanks so much!!

  2. emily says

    07/20/2011 at 3:04 pm

    I wish that I had come across this before I had finished a bridesmaid dress with a regular hem. I did not know that I could have used this. Next time though I will because of this post.

    Thank you!

  3. Leta says

    09/20/2011 at 10:07 pm

    Thank you! I had to put a tiny hem in a bridesmaid dress and had no luck with my rolled hem foot on this slippery fabric. Your trick works like a charm, I was finished in no time.

  4. Elizabeth says

    10/15/2012 at 1:22 am

    Thanks so much. I was not happy with anything I tried on a sample of the material, so wen’t looking on the internet, and there you were. You saved the day. I have been sewing for many years and have never run across this.

  5. Kim Curtis says

    04/11/2013 at 11:42 pm

    I think you may have just saved me. My daughter’s wedding dress has two layers of organza and I need to bring the hem up a bit for her. Our seamstress backed out at the last minute and budget is at its limit, so it’s up to me to do this!! Thank you so much for this brilliant explanation!

  6. Sharlyn says

    07/05/2013 at 4:17 pm

    Pinning for future reference, thank you!

  7. Barb Lankes says

    10/19/2013 at 4:35 am

    Just the trick I needed for adding some sheer sleeves to a Mother-of-the-Bride dress for my daughter. My applique scissors (which I’ve hardly ever used for applique) made easy work of cutting the initial hem very close. Thanks for the expert advice!

  8. Charlie says

    03/04/2014 at 6:24 pm

    This is so helpful. Your instructions are very readable and the pictures are well photographed. I have so much sewing I need to get to now!! Thank you!

  9. Dorothy says

    03/22/2014 at 4:46 pm

    Hello,
    I need to hem a dressy,sheer fabric, full skirt. The hem needs to be rolled and a fishing line inserted to make the hemmed skirt ruffled like. Can you help?
    Thanks,
    Dorothy

    • Keena says

      04/23/2014 at 12:59 am

      Dorothy,
      For the fishline, if using your sewing machine, set it to a narrow zigzag stitch and use your rolled hem foot, then as you are sewing the rolled hem feed the fishline through the foot and the machine catches it in the hem. HTH

  10. Keena says

    04/23/2014 at 12:57 am

    Thank you so much! Awesome instructions!!

  11. Phoebe says

    07/24/2014 at 3:46 pm

    I was taught this at the london college of fashion! It’s called a “pin hem” for anyone interested!

  12. Vickie says

    01/26/2016 at 1:35 pm

    Thank you for this. I’m a beginning seamstress. I am shortening the sheer material on my daughters winter formal dress. Its one of those that has a short under skirt and a floor length sheer over that. She wants it only about an inch longer tops. I can’t get it 1/8 of an inch, but at least I can maybe sew a decent hem on it!

Trackbacks

  1. 7 Ways to Make Your Home Sewn Clothes Look High Quality and Not Homemade | Beginner Sewing Club | Best Sewing Machines for Beginners and Easy Sewing Projects says:
    06/15/2014 at 10:33 pm

    […] and opt for a 1/4″ or even a 1/8″ seam allowances for a smoother look. Check out this tutorial on making tiny hems, and I promise you’ll begin to look for reasons to use nothing […]



I'm Justine! Welcome to my sewing blog! Here you'll find lots of handmade clothing for myself and other lucky folks! I'm a native Los Angeleno who moved to a small farm outside of LA with my family.

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