The Renaissance Girl
Member since 9/10/04
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Date: 6/3/05 1:13 PM Ok, I am having the WORST time hemming curved and/or round hems, like on shirts, skirts and stuff. It doen't lay flat, it'll "bubble" on me and, it's personal favorite, gets caught and creates a dart. Could anyone please give some tips or advice on hemming curved and rounded objects??? |
Gigi Louis
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Date: 6/3/05 1:18 PM Have you tried the ease-plus method? About 1/4" from the edge of your hem sew, with a longer straight stitch (3 or longer, depending on your fabric and how much you need to ease in - test). Hold the fingers of your left hand firmly behind the presser foot preventing the fabric from feeding. Once the fabric can no longer move at all, release your hand and begin again. This will automatically ease in your edge. If you find you've eased too much, simply clip a thread where you need to. If you're finishing the raw edge with a serger you can use your differential feed on a plus setting to do the same thing for you. |
Gigi Louis
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Date: 6/3/05 1:19 PM If you're making a double-fold hem you'll do your ease stitching on what would be the fold of the hem. For instance, if you're folding in 1/4" twice for a 1/2" double-fold hem you'd stitch right at 1/4". Make sense? |
Stitchology
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MD USA
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Date: 6/3/05 3:18 PM In addition to the easing I find it helps to press the eased fabric with steam if it will tolerate it, to shrink the eased part flatter. It also helps to make a template of the curve and press the fold over that. If it's still giving you trouble it's worth hand basting. ------
Buy the best and you only cry once.
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elizajo
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LA USA
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Date: 6/3/05 4:00 PM If you are trying to put a very narrow hem on your fabric, do you have a rolled hemming foot? I discovered this afternoon that it is amazingly easy to use.
I put a curved hem on flounced sleeves made from chiffon. Its been staring at me for days while I gathered my courage to attack this slippery, ravelly stuff with a curved edge. I knew it would be horrible to do a double fold narrow hem.
So for the first time I used my shell (rolled) hemming foot, which uses zigzag stitches to hold down the rolled hem and is supposed to give a scalloped or picot edge to the rolled hem at the same time. All I had to do was feed the edge of the fabric into the rolling mechanism. I got a beautifully rolled hem anchored with zigzag and no shell effect, which was ok. I am just glad to get that sucker hemmed. It even managed to bump over 6 french seams when I went on to do the blouse hem. With stitch width and tension experimentation I'm sure I will be able to get the shell edge.
My machine foot collection doesn't have a regular hemming foot, which uses straight stitching to secure the rolled straight-edged hem, but I think I can adapt because they look almost identical. If you have either kind of hemming foot it would work.
Note: These is not the same as a blind stitch hemming foot. It has a definite roll shape in front of the needle hole.
------
Elizabeth |
seKimberlyso
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FL USA
Member since 5/7/04
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Date: 6/3/05 6:11 PM Very timely, I was just sewing a flounce to a skirt today. The easing, as Gigi brough out, along with the steaming that StitchMD mentioned makes it so easy. Flounce came out great. ------
Kimberly |
The Renaissance Girl
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Date: 6/4/05 8:32 PM *GASP* I think it worked! A little more pratice and I should be fine. Thanks everyone!!!!! |
solveg
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MN USA
Member since 2/16/12
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Date: 3/2/13 8:17 AM If you're using a serger, how do you now what to set your differential to so that it comes out just right?
Ooops. Really old thread. I was researching last night and left it to this screen, but forgot it was old this morning.
-- Edited on 3/2/13 8:18 AM -- |
beauturbo
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CA USA
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Date: 3/2/13 3:32 PM That would be a good use of your serger, If it's a circle skirt and you want your final hem, done straight sewing machine or hand stitched up, maybe at a depth of 1/4 to 1/2 inch there or so, if after the skirt side seams are sewn up. So it's in the round, if you just finish off the whole bottom edge of it, (3 thread overlock) just only barely trimming anything off with the knives (just because serger stitches form a lot better if cut with the knives and not on air on a raw edge instead) with your differential feed cranked probably all the way up or close to it, then afterwards, when you go to press it up at the ironing board, and turn it under twice, it might be really gathered up and eased up enough, that you can sewing machine straight stitch it or hand slip stitch it down, without even having any parts of having to be to be manually eased anyplace. All circles are different in diameters though, and fabric and fabric thickness can all be different too, but just try it, as good chance it might just be what you want even. |
solveg
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Date: 3/2/13 4:02 PM Thanks!
So, if I'm understanding you right, there really is no way to know with certainty that you are setting the differential correctly.... the material and the shape determine what you need. That's very intimidating, although I suppose you develop a feel for it once you use it a lot. |
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