Read my posts to Juliet about stitch length and width. I’m sure there will be a time when I’m in a rush and want to do a blind stitch by hand. Using the blind stitch presser foot on your machine as well as the blind hem stitch, you should be stitching mainly on the fold and catching just a tiny bit of the wrong side of the main fabric. This is so easy to understand! A blind hem stitch, used in combination with a blind hem foot and proper folding of the fabric can create a nice blind hem on your next project- Nicki LaFoille shows you how. I use this method all the time – it is fantastic – I often just serge and then fold in once and run the blind stitch through (rather than the extra fold). 5) Now, pinch along the middle (yellow) line to fold. Fold upward along the top (white) line this time. You can just remove the existing pins and repin at this point. We’re sorry, comments for this post have been closed. How to Fold Fabric in the Round for a Blind Hem. Thanks so much for another well written tutorial. Measureing and doing the lines is a great way to make sure the hem falls right, I learned without one.). It’s stressful as I’m aiming to sew a silk skirt and the hemming issue is going to be an issue. I have tried so many times to do a blind hem and always failed. I remember I had to experiment with stitch width a bit, but the results were surprisingly good. 11) Again, here’s how it will look once pressed. The trickiest part of sewing this seam is prepping the fabric. Stitch slowly, making sure to keep the fold right up against the plate. But now I know how to do the blind hem on my next Meringue. I have done a blind him with my walking foot just fine, but the walking foot also has a lot of pieces that I could use to line up the edges. The trick is to keep it positioned so that the zig zag gets just a little bit of garment but not too much. Get out your blind hem foot and put it on your machine. It’s been a while (just use straight stitch lately! Amy, You just need to sew from the wrong side. They should be of equal distance to the hemline, however deep you want your hem to be. I have often wondered how to do this and the instructions that that came with my machine didn’t make sense to me. I just googled to find a better way to do a blind hem and that is how I found your site. Thank you so much! For a dupioni silk, probably yes. Now I’ll look for a better foot! Your web site is awesome! It makes about 5 straight stitches and then does one zig zag to the left. It’s a special foot with a little fence to help guide your stitches. Join me for this quick video showing an easy way to fold the end of a pant leg for a blind hem. The corollary to that is, if you need a really sharp crease, Spray it the same way, line up your crease and press. Et voila! gawd, I was so confused at first!! Thank you a million times!!! Position the fabric under the presser foot with the garment fold touching the guard in the middle and the hem fold sticking out to the right. Thank you! You want a shorter length and a wider width. Rip the side and inside seams below the fold line. What a great super fabulous wonderful tutorial for blind hem. This is EXTREMELY helpful. ), Step 4: Slowly start to stitch. Now I’ll have to give it a go! Try on scraps. There are also to consider, the Narrow hem; the turn up 1/2 inch and another 1/2 inch machine stitched hem; the rolled hem, etc. Remove the seam from the existing hem. A rolled hem is sewn by hand or machine on lightweight fabric. You’ll often get a little crease where the hem was previously pressed. Set your machine on the blind hem stitch and use an average stitch length, between a 2 and a 3. I most often use it to hem pants or skirts. What a perfect tutorial on how to get exact length along with the folding of material and lastly the actual sewing. Thanks for showing me the way……. As the machine stitches, it will stitch across that plate every few stitches, taking a tiny bite out of the fold. You saved me the humiliation of defeat! Learn how to sew a double hem here. I think it gives the foot better control, but I am not really sure why. - Elastic blind stitch for soft, stretchable fabrics Directions: 1. Remove the basting stitching and reverse the fabric. Blind hem presser foot. This is the hem of these pants. Love your site. I’ll keep this tutorial in mind for when that happens. Here’s how it will look after you press it. However, a deep hem (even a 1 inch hem) might not be what you want, depending on the type of skirt. (Different machines can behave differently.) 13) Set your machine to the blind hem stitch. You can do this with a seam ripper or small nail scissors. 15) Look at the stitches carefully at this point. Login | … As always, if you’re unsure that you’ll like the finish, test it out on scrap of fabric. Great tutorial! Fold the hem with the seam allowance inside, so that the hem allowance is 1 inch – this way the outer fabric is folded 1 inch to the inside, as in the picture below. Place the fold of the pant leg right up against the guide on the blind hem stitch foot. That said, when sewing with heavier weight fabric, a double fold hem can be hard to achieve due to the added bulk. At 65 I decided to learn to sew over the winter months as golf is out of the question. I was so close to doing just that when you saved the day. Those are Kork-ease, some of my favorite and most comfy shoes. This is creating a pick. I wrote as a note to myself – use length 2. That would be the middle line here, shown in yellow. Step 3: Fold hem towards right side so that the heads of the pins are now on the right and there is a fold in the garment just to the left of the hem fold. Loved this tute and thank you for the exceptionally patient photography. Your sewing machine needle sew a couple stitches on the hem allowance and the moves over to do one stitch in the main fabric. Once I learned how to do the blind hem stitch, I use it often (for the appropriate hem application.) old) manual recommends a medium to wide stitch width, and a 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 stitch length. I love this machine.. 2. Wrong side of fabric Right side of fabric ***** Procedure of Blind Stitch Foot "R" is Ends here. Excellent Tutorial; At the last you talk about ironing out the crease…. Let it cool on your board before moving the creased fabric. It makes PERFECT sense!! That way you can control your stitches as they are being stitched. I followed your instructions with my janome machine using the zigzag foot and the result is great. Do you start the folds on the right side of the fabric instead of wrong side? 2) Mark two more lines, one above and below your hem line. 1) First, figure out exactly where you want your hem to fall, and mark that line in water soluble pen, pencil, or chalk on the right side of the garment. Use a little spray of water to help remove the crease as you press. This was a wonder while my kids were little. When completed, the stitching is almost invisible on the right side of the fabric. Thank you for this tutorial! Wonder clips (pictured above) is … Crease will be gone after you press it. Wow, thanks! Or, if the garment is much longer than desired, you can cut off the bottom with fabric scissors. 2) Mark two more lines, one above and below your hem line. It’s really important to have your tension just right for blind hems. This site is no longer being updated so head over to Seamwork to get all the latest patterns, tutorials, video classes, and more. No matter how hard I try I end up with very visible stitches. The pictures are awesome! Use good lighting. I am old school in that I blind stitch by hand. Thank you! You may need to go back and restitch over parts if this happens. (If you don’t have a special foot just use the regular one and keep the fabric folded as you stitch.) 6) Fold along this line, matching up the top (white) line with the bottom (pink) line as you fold. Then turn the hem up the required depth, press and pin in place. Never again will I pay a tailor for hemming. Wrong side of fabric Right side of fabric ***** Procedure of Blind Stitch Foot "R" is Ends here. Thread the needle with a single thread and tie a knot at one end. Continue in this fashion. I’m not sure why, but it does. Is it totally necessary to have a blind hem foot? I finally get it!! It’s really important to maintain an accurate distance, so that the tip of the ztitch just barely bites into the fold. Basically, you’re folding it in half so that the raw edge on the inside hits right at the pink line. So for a 2″ hem, you’d draw a line 2 inches above (the white line) and a line 2 inches below (the pink line). Remove the basting stitching and reverse the fabric. 7) Pin the fold in place. This step is optional, but I want you to know that makes all the following processes easier. She believes the primary role of a business should be to help people. The number of times their school trouser hems fell down through playground activity, needed taking up … Thank you! Fold the hem. At least that is what works on my mahine (one of them , a 15 year old Singer. Yay! 16) Remove the pins if you haven’t already and let the hem come down. A brilliant tutorial – well done! Finally i know what is this for!! I’m up to the bottom hem of a top this weekend, maybe I’ll give it another go. I have a blind hem stitch on my machine but I am pretty sure I don’t have a special foot. ), but I think I lined up the crease with the centerline on the foot (like you would to stitch in the ditch). It’s cathartic to me; I like the process. I have been wondering how exactly to do a blind hem stitch. 8) Fold again. I’m so glad you posted this :). Sew with the fold of the hem against the presser foot guide. It’s a fantastic way to create a deep hem on a skirt, unlined jacket, or pants. This is the part that used to frustrate me, but with a higher quality foot, this never seems to happen anymore. Thanks!!! Slide in the fabric wrong side up, and put the foot's plastic straight edge guide right up against the fold. My machine blind hems take too much of the folded fabric and don’t look good. (If you don’t have a special foot just use the regular one and keep the fabric folded as you stitch. STEP 7 – Place the hem under the presser foot. Then take the needle to the hem fold and take a two or three width stitch. Now I just need to find a blind foot…I only have a basic with my Brother. I like to start on one of the inside leg seams. And remember even if you can see the stitch a little bit, it’s unlikely that anyone else will notice. Thanks! Then, starting from the edge, create a second fold over the first ⅝-inch wide, so that the … I can now practice with confidence where as before Iwould be guessing the final length. The more it catches the more visible it will be on the outside. My machines manual made no sense, online videos were tough to follow, but your site was a breeze! All your pictures and directions are super clear. I’d love to master this foot/fold technique as I end up hand sewing everything which i hate doing. Thank you very much, I have that foot in my machine (that I bought 4 years ago) and always wondered what it was for. Step 4: Blind hem the main skirt bottom using the blind hem foot and blind hem stitch on your sewing machine. I decided to put my sewing machine to work and “figure out” how to do a blind hem. Method 2 Hand sew hem with invisible stitches. I always have trouble with blind hems this really helped sooooo much! The straight stitches will be sewn on the allowance of the hem that is visible next to the folded edge. Rolled Hem. Here you can see that the middle (yellow) line is now at the bottom of the hem. Fold at the Fold Line and iron it. 9) Pin in place again. Don’t over-pin when coverstitching, just add a few and remove them before you’ll get too close with the machine. You will notice that every few stitches the needle will jump to the left side to catch the fold. You can even try different colors of thread to see which is the most invisible. If you are using the blind hem foot you can align the fold of your fabric along the guide on the foot. Finally a tutorial on blind hemming that makes sense and shows all the steps! If you miss a section of the garment you can go back later and stitch again by machine or by hand. This definitely makes sense! And that’s it! I know I can do blind hemming on my machine but it always seemed a lot of hassle so I haven’t bothered. I first learned the machine blind hem stitch in my high school sewing class. Make sure the blind hem foot is attached and the machine set to make a blind hem stitch. Set machine to correct blind stitch for your fabric. Perhaps I’ll have to practice on my machine even more, or just attempt to do it by hand. How, Fabric, Fold, Sell My Handmade Crafts. It could make all the difference. You can use the Blind Hem stitch on a number of fabrics (like twill , canvas and cotton !) Also, hem styles have different purposes. I hate my blindstitch foot. But if you miss just one zig zag the hem will probably stay up fine without additional stitching. Gah- blind hems! Refer to your machine’s manual to confirm the foot and the stitch number. The other thing is to sew slowly, so you can manipulate the bite of the zig to be small. Here's the right side of the garment. 3. Lay out your clothing on a countertop pattern-side down, with the hem/edge in front of you. they look so similar! The folding confuses me? (If your machine doesn’t have a special presser foot don’t worry about it. This method sounds great – can’t wait to try it. ( If you have that option. ) Even though I love handstitching there has been times when I’ve longed for the speed of a machinestitched blind hem. With the Blind Hem Stitch in particular, you have the ability to join two pieces of fabric with practically invisible seams! Oh, and depending upon your fabric and the style of your skirt, a blind hem may or may not be the right hem to use. Press Turn over – There, your hem is invisibly stitched. I havent done a hand stictched hem in half a century. A lovely blind hem, all done by machine. This is definitely something I had always figured was too complicated to bother trying, but your tutorial made it really clear and it doesn’t seem too difficult after all. Thanks! This site is no longer being updated so head over to Seamwork to get all the latest patterns, tutorials, video classes, and more. Step 5: Sew the blind stitch. I’m so glad I know you can do this now! Once you’ve pressed them in place, you can remove the pins if you like. Thank you for the tips. I have been doing blind hems for years but never thought to do it this way. I went to fix it today and noticed the other leg had no stitch marks, and was SO confused on how it was hemmed! 17) Finally, give the hem a press. Thank you! Let me know if you have any questions. 12) Put the blind hem presser foot on your sewing machine. Do a practice bit first to be sure your guide is in the right place. Fold and press the like you normally would, but remember that a blind hem stitch is best suited for wider hems, such as 25 mm (1’’) or more. It is a really nice finish although sometimes you have to play with the stitch width to ensure the fabirc being caught in isn’t too big and shows as big stitches on the right side of the fabric. Appears I may have forgotten a couple of steps so that could explain things… Thank you for this tutorial! Learn how to sew a blind hem stitch using a machine foot you already own! You can see what it looks like here. Brilliant tutorial – I’ll be using this for my next pair of pants/skirt/shorts – heck, pretty much anything that needs a hem. I was using stitch #4 which 0n my machine is like an overlock stitch, instead of the correct # 6!! But I’m going to stitch by hand on my boyfriend’s fancy suit trousers that he just got in the sale, because I feel like I need more control to make sure I don’t mess those up…. Also, make sure you have enough seam allowance for a fairly deep hem. If you have trouble with your hems, you might consider trying another foot, if your machine accepts them. Don’t try a blind hem on an A-line skirt or one where you have to ease in any fullness in the hem. Here I'm using a dark thread so that you can see the stitching but if your thread matches the fabric then you won't be able to see the stitching that much (see below). 2. The inside of the garment should be facing you with the 1/4″ of the hem allowance up. Position the fabric under the presser foot with the garment fold touching the guard in the middle and the hem fold sticking out to the right. Add an extra inch to that. The double fold hem is the most basic hem out there, which also makes it one of the most useful hems you can learn. That would be the middle line here, shown in yellow. I cant seem to figure out where I am going wrong. Haven’t tried the others.) Place the hemmed fabric on the bed of the machine so the edge of the bottom folded edge of the hem is facing the foot and the heads of the pins are facing away from the foot. Next you want to sew through the fabric marked by the top line, exactly where it is folded. So I think your comment about maybe needing a new foot, if I can find one to fit my machine, might make all the difference in the world! Fold the garment fabric so that about 1/4″ of the hem allowance is showing. Looking forward to receiving your book and learning more. Sew with the fold of the hem against the presser foot guide. Blind hems are fantastic. A good sewing book will have the different types of hems. Fold the fabric edge up ⅝-inch, and use an iron to flatten it out. My machine’s instructions for a blind hem had me machine basting instead of marking/pressing and that was a huge pain. What type are they? to hem dresses, pant legs, sleeves, and more that need an invisible hem. Use good lighting and watch each stitch. Now fold the fabric as illustrated with the wrong side up. I am visual learner, books just don’t always cut it for me! Thanks for reading the Colette blog! A Blind Stitch Foot is required to do a blind hem. The stretch blind hem provides more elasticity than the woven blind hem, thanks to the smaller zigzag stitches in between each larger zigzag. Fold open the outer layer hem Fold the outer layer back so that only a 6 to 10 mm (¼â€“3/8) extension remains on the inner edge. On materials that can take a little heat, ironing the fold is recommended as it makes hemming easier. Sew the side and inside seams. I’ll make that clear in the instructions. This process is one of the best things about the Bernina design!!! Here I used a white thread and you can see it if you look really closely but from a distance it's invisible. Step 1- The first thing you want to do is fold and press the hem towards the wrong side of the fabric. Here’s how it will look once it’s stitched! Fold your hem. I need to make a blind hem tonight on my beignet and though I have the foot I’ve never used it before and found the prospect daunting. … I like to make mine at least 1 1/2 to 2 inches. This setting will make three stitches in the rolled edge, then bite over to the fold for one stitch. 3) If necessary, trim the raw edge of the hem so it is only about 1 inch below the bottom (pink) line. 14) With the wrong side up, lower the presser foot onto the hem. Thank you for this tutorial! when I tried it at home it was a bit of a hot mess. If it doesn’t adjust the guide (B) on the Blindhem Foot (A) so the needle just pierces the fabric fold and the guide rests against the fold. I wonder if industrial machines have blind stitch feet (I have a Juki)? Also, I find that it seems to work best, for my machine anyway, if I move the needle to the left position. That being said – it is still faster, easier and neater than hand stitching (at least for me – I dislike hand stitching and will figure out how to machine stitch something as often as possible.) Now I will use it. Use a fine spray of vinegar from a spray bottle. I try and try and all i get is really long, visible stitches and/or the stitches dont have enough ‘give’ to allow the dress or skirt bottom to sit flat and it ends up with a visible fold. I need to pull some things out of the mending pile and give this a go! I love your site. I used to find them to be a bit of a pain, but honestly my Bernina and it’s wonderful blind hem presser foot have banished all my frustrations. Don't make the garment too short, though! The three-lines technique was a wonderful light-bulb moment. Keep up the great work, how did we ever make it without computers and all the information they provide.??? Awesome! How do you do this if the “blind hem stitch” points to the right instead of left? On your sewing machine you need to select the blind hem stitch, it will look something like stitch 10 in the image below. For a lightweight silk fabric, probably not. 1) First, figure out exactly where you want your hem to fall, and mark that line in water soluble pen, pencil, or chalk on the right side of the garment. 10) Lightly press the folds. Stretchy fabrics require more flexibility. Step 2: Fold the hem of the fabric towards the wrong side two times and press. I have a pair of work pants with a fallen hem that I’ve been wishing I could fix for months! First finish the raw edge. It will probably come out with washing. This is what the foot looks like. The vertical plate should sit right along the fold. This is perfect and incredibly timely. Did I miss a step? Perhaps another reader could chime in if they’ve had luck! Tried it out and it makes it so much more precise and less stressful. Go back to the main garment and take a single thread width stitch. In my experience, blind hems are good on straight things, where the hem is turned up and the fabric lays flat as it is the same shape and width. Using an ingenious method of folding and stitching, you can create a machine stitched hem that is nearly invisible from the outside. 1- How to do an Invisible hem with an Invisible Hem Serger/Overlock Foot. somewhere between step 10 & 14 you turned the garment inside out, right ? How to Machine Blind Hem Stitch - DIY Tutorial. I have a pair of linen Banana Republic pants where one of the legs’ hems fell out. You will need to press a double fold hem which is then folded back on itself. After looking on the web to learn this stitch I finally came across this one. I’ve had a Bernina for 45-50 years… [two different machines] Non digital.. Adjust the plastic fold guide to accommodate your machine’s blind hem width. The stitch simulates a hand done blind hem stitch by stitching a few straight stitches in the hem and then one zig zag to catch the body of the garment. :), Thanks so much for this! I have been sewing for over 40 years,so it’s refreshing to see people are still doing their own clothes. I have a blind hem foot and I did try to use it once without perfect sucess, but I’m going to give it another try with these instructions!