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Hem Facing self fabric facing? or store bought cotton/poly?
FromHeadToFoot Beginner USA Member since 11/18/12 Posts: 7	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 3/1/13 11:50 AM I'm sewing a dress, but didn't quite buy enough fabric to have both the skirt length AND 2" hem I like. So I want to try a hem facing. This is the EOS description of the fabric: "... wool gauze (scramble weave) in sandy ... muted tones. Has a crepe-like texture, semi-sheer. ... line for a dress ...." It's very stable in both directions. Slightly more "give" in width. The pattern in such that direction isn't noticeable. I've thought about packaged cotton/poly binding/hem facing in 1 7/8" width. Though I thought the opacity of it might seem stark. And it wouldn't be remotely drapey. I'm leaning toward self fabric hem facing instead unless someone here tells me something that changes my mind. I'll have enough fabric for self fabric hem facing IF it's ok to cut some with grain on the width. The fabric is semi-sheer, but pattern direction isn't noticeable and doesn't matter as seen through the hem. I could also cut it all with grain on width. Does this matter for some other reason? I'm going to do a test sample, I wonder how effective hem facing will be on such drapey material. I could interface, but then I have the same opacity issue as with store bought binding/facing. Thanks for your input.
Debbie Lancaster   Intermediate CA USA Member since 9/18/02 Posts: 1662	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 3/1/13 1:03 PM Is the skirt straight or A-line or full? So do you only have a strip of fabric that runs parallel to the selvage? It's going to hang differently than the fabric for the skirt. You could use the dreaded lace hem facing that comes on cards at Jo-Ann. It's scratchy, but it is very lightweight and stretches just a bit. It actually makes a decently hanging hem if you don't mind the scratchiness. And there's no opacity issues with it. ------ Debbie
FromHeadToFoot Beginner USA Member since 11/18/12 Posts: 7	Login to reply to this post In reply to Debbie Lancaster << Like this post Date: 3/1/13 1:48 PM Thanks. It's a straight skirt. On a shirt dress with one back piece, two front pieces Yes. I meant that I could do all facing cut paralel to the selvedge. (that's what i meant by on grain with the width. The dress itself will be on grain with the length) I don't have enough fab to do all facing on grain with the length hmmm. so the facing will hang oddly I will look for lace wide enough for me I want 15" - 2" wide
rivergum   Advanced AUSTRALIA Member since 12/17/06 Posts: 1289	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 3/1/13 2:40 PM I wouldn't stress too much, as a hem facing is easy to replace if it doesn't turn out right. By all means try the self facing with the grain going the other way and see how it hangs. It's much more of a problem if you make the wrong decision with something that needs a lot of deconstruction to put right. ------ Taking in is happier than letting out. Sydney, Australia
Debbie Lancaster   Intermediate CA USA Member since 9/18/02 Posts: 1662	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 3/1/13 4:48 PM Yes, maybe you could machine baste it in and see. But the fabric is a gauze, and sometimes just the act of putting a cross-grain seam on a fabric like that can make it hang wonky. The same will apply to a lace hem facing, but you could apply that by hand. ------ Debbie

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