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Member since 2/20/20
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Posted on: 3/8/20 9:42 PM ET
Beginner here with a very basic question. I've had the same problem consistently on a few projects and it's really bugging me so I would be extremely happy if anyone had some advice: let's say I have to turn up a hem 1". If i simply measure 1" all around and press that distance up, my hems form a slight V shape upwards when the cross a seam, pulling up slightly. If I press the hem so that it looks flat, it will actually be 1/8"-1/4" inch less than 1" at the seamline (but only at the seam). I trimmed everything down, so there's no undue bulk at the seam. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong! This happens very consistently, so it's not just that I messed up one seam or pulled the fabric off grain.

Picture here: https://www.friendsofpr.com/aja88/badhem.jpg
  
Member since 1/20/16
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Posted on: 3/8/20 9:58 PM ET
That happens to me all the time too. I think the stitches of the seam tighten the fabric a bit, pulling it upward. I just compensate when I'm folding up the hem -- measure the hem allowance an inch or so away from the seam on either side, then fold straight across between those two points.
  
Member since 1/12/04
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Posted on: 3/8/20 10:02 PM ET
In reply to aja88
I think it might help if you say what garment you are showing. It doesn’t appear to be a pants hem, which would be cut on the cross grain. This hem appears to be cut on a curve. If that is the case, it may just be the way the pattern intends that part of the hem to look? Sorry if this sounds confused, but I don’t really know what I’m looking at.

If you have a level hem, cut on the cross grain and it still does this, then it is probably due to sewing the seam with too tight a stitch, so that the seam is slightly shortened. If it is just slightly tight, sometimes you can just give it a little stretch to lengthen it, but if the seam looks puckered you might want to sew with a looser tension.

ETA just looking at your pic again, wondering if there is an issue with grain. Are you cutting the pieces according to the grain line on the pattern? Just guessing of course, since I don’t know what the garment is.


-- Edited on 3/8/20 at 10:06 PM --
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Member since 2/20/20
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Posted on: 3/8/20 10:03 PM ET
In reply to itssewover
Thank you! Good to know this might not be a big deal and is easy to fix.
  
Member since 2/20/20
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Posted on: 3/8/20 10:35 PM ET
In reply to mhk
Thanks for the response! The picture is of a sleeve hem. I've also have it happen at a pants hem and when folding over for an elastic waistline. I definitely try to cut correctly according to pattern grain lines but user error happens sometimes! I may well have the tension set slightly too tight on my machine: my seams don't look really puckered or anything, but it's worth experimenting with for sure.
  
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Posted on: 3/8/20 10:43 PM ET
I have it happen when rehemming RTW garments too, especially jeans.
  
Member since 3/24/04
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Posted on: 3/8/20 11:04 PM ET
In reply to aja88
That hem looks like the seam has drawn up. You might try sewing scraps cut on the same grainline with longer stitches and slightly loosened tension to see if that helps.

Do the angles on the pattern meet between side seam and hem at 90 degrees? That can also cause V or ^ shapes at seams.
  
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Posted on: 3/9/20 7:02 AM ET
In reply to aja88
When you look at the sleeve before folding up the hem, does line (edges of the fabric) continue smoothly across the seam? If not, then the problem is either with the pattern or the sewing technique. But if the line is smooth, then your a fine with those two items.

The fabric is thicker at the seams (2 or 3 layers, depending on how you have the seam allowance folded, vs 1 layer). So when you fold the fabric, more of it is used for the actual bend of the fold. It might not be much thicker, but it is thicker. If you measure your 1" hem after folding it over, you might actually be ending up with more than an inch taken away from the front. (It depends a bit on how you measure.)

Try using some chalk or washable pen and mark the inch before you fold the fabric up, and make certain that your mark is at the bottom of the fold.

------
With a great wardrobe that's still in the flat-fabric stage.
  
Member since 2/20/20
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Posted on: 3/9/20 7:19 AM ET
Great advice from everyone: looking forward to trying out your hints!
  
Member since 6/18/04
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Posted on: 3/9/20 7:47 AM ET
This is just the nature of the slight fudge that goes on with a cut on hem facing. Grabbing a sleeve pick at random:

Consider the cut edge of the hem and also the point where it will be sewn. The cut edge is shorter than the length of the hem seam. Some patterns have a flare at the hem fold, such that the cut edge is a little longer, and the geometry at the seam is less awkward. But even then, the cut edge is not a perfect match to the shape of the hem line, and depending on the fabric, it may be hard to get an even fold. A facing that has the exact shape of the sleeve end is the only perfect solution. But, in most cases that would be overkill, the slight fudging at an underarm seam is fine.

ETA: Unless you’re sewing a rectangle you’ll have this issue, but sometimes the give of the fabric will mask it. Consider folding even a slightly curved hem in paper. You can't do it.
-- Edited on 3/9/20 at 8:39 AM --
  
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