How to shorten the bottom of a dress. Hem hems in knitwear

Of course, you can contact the studio for help. But if you decide to hem it yourself, we bring to your attention this article, in which we will look at how to hem the bottom of a dress made of fabric various types using a sewing machine and without resorting to its help, and also consider the advantages and disadvantages different methods.

The result will be a shortened hem and a suitable length of the product, and possibly a completely new look.

Using adhesive tape

This method is one of the easiest; it can be used even when you have absolutely no knowledge of any sewing technique. The adhesive tape itself comes in different widths, so you can find it in the same size as you want the width of the hem to be.

Glue it on the wrong side, iron it on the side of the paper tape, moving about a centimeter away from the edge of the folded fabric. After this, you need to remove the protective film from the paper, bend the hem to the desired length and iron again.

The excess fabric must then be carefully cut off. The seam will not be visible.

If the dress material is heavy textile, you will need two inserts.

Advantages of the method:

The tape is suitable for fixing the hems of skirts, trousers, and coats.
In fact, it is convenient and quick, and you can easily secure any hem.

Flaws:

Professionals do not recommend using this option for securing the hem, believing that it increases the stiffness of the fabric, which will affect the appearance finished product. Since the glue has the property of hardening.
The web is printed onto the face of the skirt fabric.
Low quality cobwebs quickly lose their stickiness after just a few washes.

We offer you a two-minute video on how to properly glue the tape:

There are options for finishing the hem with and without a hem.

Processing without bending

Overlock processing

A fairly simple method that does not require the use of complex techniques is finishing the edge with an overlocker. A similar stitch can be made with thread in a completely different color. Even in this version it will look quite beautiful.

Processing the cut with a zigzag seam or a roller overlock, which produces an even hem, is perfect for a dress made of thin fabric and, if the hem is “torn”.

There is no need to bend the edge of the material. After finishing, it is necessary to cut off the threads that stick out. The seam comes out even better if you do a zigzag stitch, stepping back from the edge, and then carefully trim off the excess material.

You can see how contrasting colors look on light fabric when processed with overlock in this video:

Using bias tape

An excellent hem can be achieved using bias tape. For thin material, it needs to be stitched like an edging. The bias tape (you can use a ready-made version) must be folded in half and ironed, then a piece of fabric is placed in the middle and stitched.

This option can be used to finish the inside seams of fabric that frays easily.

To hem such a thick fabric, you will need a hem of half a centimeter. The bottom of the dress and the trim need to be folded face down, then stitched along the bottom. Next, the binding is turned inside out, ironed and stitched along its top. This hem option can be used when the length of the skirt does not allow for a standard hem.

The process can be seen clearly in the video:

Finishing the edge with a hem

The typical hem size is 3-4 cm, for thin fabric this variable may be smaller. To create a perfectly straight line, you can use a sheet of paper with horizontal lines drawn at the required distance.

Afterwards, you need to bend the hem to the required width and iron it with an iron. The result will be a perfect line, plus the hem will not be printed on the face of the fabric.

If the dress has a flared skirt, then folding will be more difficult. To facilitate this process, you need to lay a couple of parallel lines along the bottom of the dress. After the bottom line is slightly gathered, the material needs to be folded inside out along the line of the top line, pinned and smoothed.

This technique requires some skill. In the professional version, a hidden machine stitch is appropriate.

A simplified method is to topstitch the folded edge twice.

With a thin hem, such a stitch can be made with a special hewing foot. For fabrics made of thin material, as well as for dresses with a flared skirt, it would be advisable to process the edge with an overlock, and then stitch it 2 mm above the ironed fold line

To prevent the top edge from sagging, when folding wide, you should make a couple of lines that will be parallel.

Using the “Moscow seam”

Performed using sewing machine on the wrong side. The initial hem is 2 mm and is fixed with a stitch. Then wrap it again, approximately 0.3-0.4 cm and then with a finishing stitch by 0.2. This way, you won’t need to overcast the edges of the hem of the skirt and this will prevent the fabric from fraying when it is washed.

This is a rather difficult option for finishing the edge of a dress, but it is a godsend when hemming a circle skirt and other options cut on the bias. It will help you master it next video:

How to hem a dress by hand using a blind stitch

If you decide to hem the dress by hand, it is better to use a blind stitch in one thread. The thread must be chosen in the same tone as the material, and the needle must match the thickness of the thread. It is advisable to start with the seam.

If it is not there, then you can start working by choosing any place.

The beginning of the blind seam is the puncture of the top hem. When the thread is pulled out completely, you need to pierce the hem at a distance of 0.5 cm from the previous puncture, hook the needle thin thread material and pull the working thread under it, pushing it out again to the wrong side.

Next, pierce the upper part of the hem, on the same parallel with the previous puncture on the hem, and again pulling the working thread under one thread of the fabric. Thus, you need to go over the entire hem.

Hand hemming is most suitable for dresses made of suiting or woolen material, for those fabrics in which needle punctures will not be noticeable on the face of the hem.

When choosing a thread, you should also pay attention to its color - it must completely match the color of the dress material. Preference should be given thin thread and a needle of appropriate size. Hemming is done in one thread.

The dress is the favorite clothing of many fashionistas. If you have purchased an outfit you like, but you are not satisfied with its length, you can shorten it. In this article we will tell you how to hem a dress from different materials.

Hemming a knitwear dress

This fabric is considered the most difficult, since it will not be possible to overcast with a classic seam. After all, when stretched again, the thread will simply break. In order to shorten an outfit, you need a special flat-stitch machine. She processes the product with a double seam. If you look from the wrong side, you will see a dense thick line of tangled threads. There are two neat lines on the front side. Of course, not everyone has such a car. Therefore, you can roll up the dress using a regular sewing machine using parallel lines.

How to make stitching invisible

This can be done in two ways:

manually;
using a thin fabric lining.

The first method is suitable if the outfit is made of thick suiting fabric. The thickness of the fabric allows you to lay the thread between the fibers of the material. To avoid visible puncture marks, you will need a thin and short needle, as well as dense fishing line of small thickness. You need to overlock the cut area and bend the edge by 5 mm. After this, using an oblique seam, grab the cut and the fabric 1 cm above it. Try to thread the needle between the fibers so that the puncture site is not visible. After the entire edge has been processed, iron the product.

How to hem a chiffon dress

For this you will need a thin lining. It can be soft knitwear or organza. Make a pattern that should be shaped like the bottom of the product. Sew the bottom of the dress and the lining together. Turn the seam inside out and press it. Now sew the upper part of the lining to the seam on the waistband. It is necessary that the length of the lining be several millimeters longer than the length of the dress. This way the product will not “pull”.

Clothes made from very thin fabric can simply be overlocked. Once you get rid of the fraying threads, there is no need to hem anything. The more often the seam, the more reliable the stitching. This is the way to treat fabrics that are fraying. This is usually done in casual wear or maxi dresses.

American seam

This method of hemming a dress is used if the outfit is made of translucent fabric. You need to use your thumb to roll the bottom of the outfit into a roller of small diameter. You should end up with something like a tube. Now pierce the fabric from the front side to a width of 1-2 threads. The entire tube should be covered with thread. After work, iron the cut area.

Finishing the edge with a braid

To decorate the bottom of the product, use a special braid. This method is ideal for processing the cut area of suiting and plain fabrics. You need to sew one edge of the braid on the wrong side. And pin the ribbon from the front edge with pins. Sew the binding, retreating 1 mm from the edge.

If your dress is very expensive and you are not comfortable with needle and thread, contact a tailor. There, for little money, they can make a dress from any fabric.

Hemming the bottom is one of those operations that even those who do not like to sew have to deal with. Of course, sewing curtains or adjusting trousers according to height can be entrusted to professionals, but almost every woman has had to deal with the problem of a torn hem or the need to shorten too much long skirt. This is not difficult to do, and perhaps, having mastered these simple operations, you will love to sew on your own.

How to level the bottom?

When it comes to sewing curtains, most often the hem line is straight. If we are talking about a skirt, especially a flared one, then the bottom line is aligned directly on the figure, while the belt and clasp should be well adjusted.

To carry out this operation, stand on a flat surface in the shoes with which this item is supposed to be worn. In this case, an assistant, using a vertical wooden ruler, one end of which is placed on the floor, marks the corresponding level with chalk along the entire circumference of the hem.

However, this operation can be done independently if you fix a rope thickly rubbed with chalk in the doorway at the required height (Fig. 1). To the marked line it is necessary to add an allowance for hems and seams, the width of which will depend on the method of processing the bottom.

How to mark the hem line of a skirt yourself

Processing without bending

The simplest way, which does not require the use of special techniques, is to process the edges with an overlock. In some cases, such a stitch, for example, made with a contrasting thread, looks very attractive (Fig. 2).

Processing the cut with a zigzag seam or a roller overlock, which creates a neat scar, is also good for thin fabrics (Fig. 3). After processing, the protruding threads of the fabric must be trimmed. An even more beautiful seam is obtained if you lay a zigzag stitch at some distance from the edge, and then carefully cut off the excess material.

A beautiful and neat hem is obtained by using bias tape. For thin fabrics it is attached in the form of a border. To do this, the bias tape (it’s better to take a ready-made one) is folded in half and ironed, then the edge of the fabric is placed inside it and stitched (Fig. 4). The same method is well suited for processing internal seams of bulk material.

To hem dense material in this way, you will need a hem of about 0.5 cm. The fabric and binding are folded right sides together and stitched along the bottom edge. Then the binding is folded over to the wrong side, ironed and stitched along its upper edge (Fig. 5). This hemming method is well suited when the skirt is not long enough for a standard hem.

Finishing the edge with a hem

The standard hem width for a skirt is 3-4 cm; for thin fabrics this value may be smaller. To make a neat hem line for a straight cut, it is convenient to use a sheet of paper with a horizontal line drawn at the required distance. Bend the edge of the hem this distance and iron it - you will get a perfect straight line, besides, the hem will not be printed on the front side (Fig. 6).

In flared lines, the fold is much more difficult to perform. To facilitate this operation, two parallel lines are laid along the bottom of the product (Fig. 7). Then the bottom line is gathered up a little, the fabric is folded inside out along the line of the top line, pinned and pressed.

The simplest method for processing a folded edge, which even those who do not know how to sew can quickly handle, is to use adhesive tape. It is placed in the fold and treated with a hot iron (Fig. 8). For heavy textiles, it is recommended to insert two such tapes.

Professional dressmakers do not recommend using this method of fixing the hem, believing that it makes the fabric more rigid. In addition, the adhesive tape will most likely have to be re-glued after washing. In the time of our grandmothers, traditional stitches were used for products made from suit and coat fabric - blind (Fig. 9) and goat (Fig. 10), which are still made in expensive studios.

Beautiful execution of such a binder requires skill and a lot of time. In professional clothing production, this operation is most often performed with a hidden machine stitch. A simpler solution is to simply stitch the double-folded edge (Fig. 11), which is well suited for sportswear.

One of the most beautiful, albeit complex, methods of hemming thin materials is the so-called Moscow seam. Its width is about 3 mm, while there are 2 lines on the wrong side, and one on the front side. They are performed in the following sequence (Fig. 13):

Leaving an allowance of 1 cm when cutting, make a hem of no more than 4 mm, iron and sew the fold as close to the edge as possible.
Carefully cut the fabric from edge to stitch, leaving more than 1 mm.
Once again turn the hem to the wrong side so that the stitching is approximately in the middle, and iron it.
Sew the hem from the inside out as close to the first line as possible. Experienced craftswomen make the first stitch with a contrasting thread, and then remove it to get one seam from the face and from the back.

If the dress is too expensive and you don’t want to trust someone to shorten the product, you will have to do the work yourself. Hemming options will depend on what fabric the product is made from.

Knitwear is considered a difficult material to process, so a knitted dress cannot simply be overcast with a classic seam. To shorten a dress, you will need a flat-stitch machine that processes the hem of the dress with a double seam.

But not everyone has such a machine, so to shorten a knitted product you can use parallel stitches made on a sewing machine

For items made of thin and flowing fabrics, you can use the invisible hem method. Such a seam requires additional time and materials, gives some thickening to the hem, but is well hidden.

To hem the hem using this method, you need to take a lining (organza or soft knitted fabric), make a pattern shaped like the bottom of the dress, sew the bottom of the dress and the lining pattern together, turn the seam inside out and iron it. Next, sew the top of the lining to the seam on the waistband of the product.

It is important to make the lining longer than the product itself (a couple of millimeters) so that it does not “drag”

Here's how to hem a dress without a machine: when hemming items made from woolen and suiting fabrics, a blind seam is used. Needle punctures will not be noticeable on such products. You need to hem using this method with a thin needle and one thread. The work should be carried out from right to left, with stitches of approximately 0.7 cm. The thread should be passed below the overlock stitch, then the blind seam will be strong and reliably hidden from prying eyes.

Also, for products made of dense and woolen fabrics, you can use the method of processing the hem with a special braid (braid). You just need to sew one edge of the braid on the wrong side, and on the front side, fixing the braid with pins, sew it, retreating 1 mm from the edge.

These are the ways you can bend hems various dresses. And if you are wondering whether it is possible to hem a wedding dress, then folk signs do not advise doing it yourself. Moreover, Wedding Dress is a very complex product, so it is better to entrust its shortening to professional craftsmen in the studio.

Hemming the bottom is one of those operations that even those who do not like to sew have to deal with. Of course, sewing curtains or adjusting trousers to fit your height can be entrusted to professionals, but almost every woman has had to deal with the problem of a torn hem or the need to shorten a skirt that is too long. This is not difficult to do, and perhaps, having mastered these simple operations, you will love to sew on your own.

How to level the bottom?

How to mark the hem line of a skirt yourself

Processing without bending

The most in a simple way, which does not require the use of special techniques, is processing the edges with an overlock. In some cases, such a stitch, for example, made with a contrasting thread, looks very attractive (Fig. 2).

Finishing the edge with a hem

The standard hem width for a skirt is 3-4 cm; for thin fabrics this value may be smaller. To make a neat hem line for a straight cut, it is convenient to use a sheet of paper with a horizontal line drawn at the required distance. Bend the edge of the hem this distance and iron it - you will get a perfectly straight line, and the hem will not be imprinted on the front side (Fig. 6).

The most simple method processing a folded edge, which even those who do not know how to sew can quickly handle, is to use adhesive tape. It is placed in the fold and treated with a hot iron (Fig. 8). For heavy textiles, it is recommended to insert two such tapes.

Professional dressmakers do not recommend using this method of fixing the hem, believing that it makes the fabric more rigid. In addition, the adhesive tape will most likely have to be re-glued after washing. In the time of our grandmothers, traditional seams were used for products made from suit and coat fabric - blind (Fig. 9) and goat (Fig. 10), which are still made in expensive studios.

For a narrow hem, this stitch can be done using a special hemming foot. For thin fabric, as well as for flared models, a more suitable option is to process the edge with an overlocker, and then stitch it 0.2 cm above the ironed fold line (Fig. 12). To prevent the top edge from sagging, you can make two parallel lines with a wide hem.

Leaving an allowance of 1 cm when cutting, make a hem of no more than 4 mm, iron and sew the fold as close to the edge as possible.
Carefully cut the fabric from edge to stitch, leaving more than 1 mm.
Once again turn the hem to the wrong side so that the stitching is approximately in the middle, and iron it.
Sew the hem from the inside out as close to the first line as possible. Experienced craftswomen make the first stitch with a contrasting thread, and then remove it to get one seam from the face and from the back.

Let's take a closer look at pencil and several other options for processing the bottom.

The first thing to do is try on the skirt and determine its final length. When trying on, make a mark on the front at the desired height, we will use it as a guide.

Fold the skirt so that the side seams are aligned, and the folds are in the middle of the front and back panels of the skirt.

The pencil skirt is tapered at the sides, so when laid out on a table, its bottom has a curved appearance. This is completely normal for a tapered skirt. The smaller the taper, the straighter the hemline. For a straight skirt it is completely straight.

Before, how to hem a skirt, draw a bottom line. We draw a line through our mark to the side seam. This line should be at a 90° angle to the fold of the front panel of the skirt (can be checked with a triangle). We do the same with the rear panel.

These two lines converge at one point on the side seam and form an angle that needs to be smoothly rounded. To do this (preferably using a pattern), draw a smooth line a little lower. We got the hemline of the skirt.

Now you need to even out the hem allowance and cut off the excess. The normal allowance for processing the bottom of the skirt is 3-4 cm. At this distance from the first line below, we will draw another line in parallel - this is the cut line.

Pin the skirt along the first line to secure the two layers of fabric. Now we cut off all the excess along the cut line.

Do not rush to remove the pins - on the back of the skirt they will help to copy the hemline. We put marks and draw a line along them.

We continue processing the bottom of the skirt - we sew the cut, turn it inside out exactly along our line, and pin it with pins. We do this all over the bottom of the skirt.

How to make a double wide hem at the bottom of a skirt

Another option - suitable for sports style models - denim skirts, cotton and linen skirts with stitching. We hem the bottom of the skirt with a double hem and stitching. The hem can be quite wide - up to 8 cm.

The internal fold of such a hem can be narrow - 1-1.5 cm or wide, like the external one. So, for a finished hem 3 cm wide, make an allowance for finishing the bottom of the skirt of 6 cm.

Procedure: draw a hem line on the front side of the skirt, iron all 6 cm on the wrong side, and now bend this 6 cm in half (cut to fold) and iron it again. All that remains is to hem the skirt on the machine. It is better to stitch from the front side. You can pre-baste.

Finishing the bottom of the skirt with a narrow hem

If you saved on fabric and the allowance turned out to be narrow, there is this option for processing the bottom of the skirt - overcast it and stitch it to the edge. But still, this treatment is more suitable for thin fabrics or models with oblique cuts - skirts cut on the bias, flared skirts (sun, half-sun), skirts with flounces, frills.

For light skirts made of chiffon and other thin fabrics, a master class will help you hem the skirt correctly. This seam is used for straight and rounded cuts of the thinnest fabrics.

Moscow seam

If the skirt is from light fabric, easy to process and the bottom cut is straight or slightly rounded, then a narrow double hem can be made. The hem allowance is 2 cm. Fold it twice, 0.5-1 cm each, and stitch. If your eye is weak, do as in the example with a wide double hem using an iron.

Sometimes the purchased dress turns out to be too long and you need to shorten its hem. To do this, you can contact a studio or do the work yourself. From this article you will learn how to hem a dress correctly, whether it can be done without a sewing machine and what methods of hem hem to use for products made from various fabrics.

How to hem a dress correctly?

How to hem a dress yourself

If the dress is too expensive and you don’t want to trust someone to shorten the product, you will have to do the work yourself. Hemming options will depend on what fabric the product is made from.

But not everyone has such a machine, so to shorten a knitted product you can use parallel stitches made on a sewing machine

For items made of thin and flowing fabrics, you can use the invisible hem method. Such a seam requires additional time and materials, gives some thickening to the hem, but is well hidden.

It is important to make the lining longer than the product itself (a couple of millimeters) so that it does not drag

Here's how to hem a dress without a machine: when hemming items made from woolen and suiting fabrics, a blind seam is used. Needle punctures will not be noticeable on such products. You need to hem using this method with a thin needle and one thread. The work should be done from right to left, with stitches of approximately 0.7 cm. The thread should be carried below the overlock stitch, then the hidden seam will be strong and securely hidden from prying eyes.

I can’t call myself such a fan of sewing, but every woman should be able to sew the simplest skirt, much less sew up a hole or sew on a button.

However, sometimes you have to work hard on the product. My headache- these are stitches on thick areas of the product. For example, when working with denim items.

It can also be problematic tame the dress or a skirt that is too long when you want to do it quickly and without the help of an atelier.

How to sew on a machine

Experienced dressmakers know special tricks with which these everyday moments cease to be a problem.

We have prepared 10 for you useful life hacks, with which sewing will become interesting, exciting, and most importantly, simple.

1.If you don’t like doing monotonous work, a real challenge for you will be to mark exactly the seam allowances on the fabric. To make this process easier, the best solution would be to make a template like this.

2. When you are alone at home, and you want to wear a recently bought, but too long dress tomorrow, exactly measure out the part that needs to be shortened, this simple method will help you. In the doorway, fix a rope or thick thread at the required height, rubbing it thickly chalk. To the marked line you need to add a hem allowance, the width of which will depend on the method of processing the bottom.

3. To make stitching on thick areas of fabric easier, place cardboard under the back of the foot and neck with ease and pleasure.

4. And this is another simple and convenient trick. Take some thin elastic bands and use them as stitching guides.

5. I really like this one convenient way outline the pattern immediately with seam allowances. To do this, wrap two pencils with tape and feel free to get to work. And if the allowance should be wider, add another pencil with the lead facing up in the middle of the design.

6. Correctly and accurately prepared binding is the key to convenient and quick edging of the entire product. Creating bias tape for many craftswomen was, is and remains one of the most difficult problems. I suggest you make such a template from paper, and working with the processing of this “terrible beast” will become easier and simpler.

7. Here’s an idea for a template for even allowances for hemming the bottom of the product. Very convenient and not difficult at all!

8. Another clever trick to make pinning easier air loops. The basis is again a paper template.

9. If there are no pins at home, ordinary clothespins or hairpins will replace them.

10. How do you like this method of processing loops on knitwear? Very convenient, isn't it?

As you can see, there are such subtleties and wisdom in sewing that are sometimes difficult to reach on your own, and here they really help out advice from experienced dressmakers. Feel free to adopt these simple tricks, and the issue of sewing and repairing your favorite clothes will no longer be a problem for you.

If your prom dress is a little longer than ideal, the problem can be solved by hemming the hem a little. On most dresses, the initial hem is often large and noticeable, so try adding a hem or blind stitch to make the garment look more flattering.

Steps

Hem

Measure and pin the new hem. Whoever wears the dress must wear it. The second person should fold the hem of the dress to the desired length so that there is excess fabric on the back of the garment. Pin the hem along the entire circumference of the product and check the length.

It must be kept in mind that the wearer of this dress will also wear shoes on prom. Due to the height of the heels, the length of the product will also change.
Another person must pin the hem together. If you try to do this yourself while you are wearing a dress, it may skew the length of the garment, resulting in a hem measurement that is either too short or too long.

Trim the original hem. Take sharp scissors and cut off the excess fabric from the bottom of the dress. You need to trim enough fabric so that you have about 6mm extra left after the hem is finished.
- The hem seam itself will be about 3mm.
- If you can't trim the old hem when the fabric is pinned, mark the new hem with a pencil and remove the pins before trimming the excess fabric.
Remove the bottom seam. Use a seam ripper and remove approximately 2.5cm of stitching from the hem side seams.
- These side seams are too bulky and almost impossible to thread through the presser foot of a sewing machine. For this reason, it is highly recommended to remove them before making a new hem.
Using your hands, make a small hem along the entire edge line of the product and pierce it with a needle. Place it in the sewing machine and carefully lower the sewing needle, holding the hem there.
- The hem seam should be about 3mm. Fold the fabric under so that the seam is hidden on the inside of the hem and the selvage (edge of the fabric) is hidden under the folded hem.
Secure the seam with the presser foot of the sewing machine. Hold the needle down and snap the presser foot closed.
- Something to keep in mind is that if you don't have a presser foot that snaps into place and you need to screw it on, you'll need to do this before you insert the needle into your hem.
Sew a few stitches. Slowly sew about five stitches on the machine. All you have to do is start stitching the seam and press it down.

Using your fingers, guide the unhemmed edge of the piece into the curved insert on the front of the presser foot.
- Make sure the needle is in the down position at this time.
- This insert will guide the unhemmed edge of the product while sewing, folding it and bringing it to the stitching site. As a result, you don't have to manually roll up the rest of the edge; the machine will do it for you.
Sew along the rest of the edge slowly. Continue stitching the hem along the entire length of the product. The presser foot will do most of the work, but you must manually pull the fabric slowly, carefully and correctly into the curved insert on the front of the presser foot.
- The edge of the fabric should be parallel to the edge of the presser foot, and the edge of the hem should be parallel to the right side of the presser foot.
- If you work in parts, you need to start the process all over again with each new section.
Return the bottom seam. Once the hem is done, the side seams should be pinned and sewn together with a straight stitch.
Try the product on. The owner of the product should try it on to see how the new hem looks. After this the process is over.
- Please note that this is the recommended method for hemming. Because the bottom of many prom dresses not straight, but flared, the length of the product along the entire circumference is uneven. The initial hem may cause wrinkles because there is so much fabric being hemmed. When using this technique, as little fabric as possible is hemmed, therefore the risk of gathering is minimal.
Machine blind stitch
1. Measure out a new hem and remove the old one. The one who plans to wear this product must try it on, the second must measure how much material needs to be hemmed from the edge. After that, trim off the excess fabric with sharp scissors. Leave a 2.5 cm allowance from the edge for processing. The dress must be tried on together with prom shoes. The height of the heels matters when determining how the hem of the dress should be.
  - You can measure the length of the hem using a tape measure and cut that way, but if you want a straighter hem, you'll have to mark the desired seam using sewing pins or a pencil around the entire circumference of the piece.
  - Fold over and press the raw edge. Fold the raw edge of the product inward and hide it on the wrong side of the product. You need to wrap about 6 mm of fabric. Press the new crease with a hot iron.
2. You may need to turn the garment inside out to ensure that the hem is evenly folded and pressed.
  - There is no need to use sewing pins to secure the hem at this stage.
  - Fold and press the remaining part. Fold the remaining 1.8cm of fabric in the same direction as the original fold. Press the folded edge of the product with a hot iron.
3. The raw edge that you folded over earlier should be hidden inside the second fold. Again, make sure that the folded fabric is hidden throughout the entire interior surface of the product.
  - At this stage it is recommended to pin the new hem. Insert pins along the hem so that the heads are on the inside of the piece, away from the edge of the hem.
  - Attach the presser foot to the sewing machine. Screw the foot according to the directions on your sewing machine. This presser foot is needed to finish making the hem on the machine.
4. Your sewing machine should be designed to make blind stitches. Read the instructions that come with it to determine how to do this.
  - Fold the edges of the hem and place under the machine. Place the product on the wrong side. The folded edge should be placed towards the outside of the presser foot. Fold the edge over, leaving a narrow edge showing.
5. Fold the edges of the hem and place under the machine. Place the product on the wrong side. The folded edge should be placed towards the outside of the presser foot. Fold the edge over, leaving a narrow edge showing.
  - The heads of the pins will no longer be visible, but they will be facing out from under the fabric towards the sewing machine.
6. Sew along the folded edge of the fabric. Move the fabric under the presser foot and place the presser foot flange on the new edge. When the needle comes down, make sure it sews up the remaining hem and sticks out the back of the fabric. Sew along the entire length of the edge until finished.
  - Most seams will break at the edge, and every third seam or so will end up in the fabric.
  - The flange is the middle section of the presser foot and is often made darker or painted a different color to make it stand out. This part of the foot acts as a guide for the blind seam.
7. Try on the dress. When finished, unroll the border and straighten the seam, carefully pulling out the hemming stitches so that the fabric remains as straight as possible. Use a hot iron to smooth out the gathers and try on the dress to make sure the new hem looks great. This completes the process.
  - A blind stitch will hide more sewing thread than a regular stitch for proms and other evening dresses this option is better. If the hem of the garment is too flared, or if you have hemmed the fabric too much, you may notice ruching along the hem.
Hand blind stitch
1. Measure out a new hem and trim off any excess fabric. The one who plans to wear this product should try it on, and the second one, using a tape measure, measure how much fabric needs to be hemmed. Then use sharp scissors to trim off the excess fabric.
  - Make sure the dress wearer is wearing prom shoes when you take measurements. The height of your heels can make a big difference.
  - It will be easier for you to trim away excess fabric if the dress is removed.
  - To make the seam even, it is recommended to mark the intended hem with straight sewing pins or a pencil.
  - Leave about 1.25 cm of excess fabric beyond the length of the intended hem.