Tutorial: Rolled hem

When should you use a rolled hem? How do you make one? What do you need?

A rolled hem is a fantastic finish for garments that are made of lightweight or sheer fabrics, they work very well on bias cut garments and on curved hems but work just as well on the straight grain. They are simple to make and look good inside and out, I've used them on shirts, dresses and skirts. If you have a fancy rolled hem foot these can be done in minutes. I don't have such a foot, but it doesn't stop me creating beautifully finished garments. It might take a bit longer to do with a regular foot, but the finish is still lovely. I've used this technique on the Sew Over it Eve dress as the hem is dipped and I didn't want overlocker stitches on show.

What you will need:
The garment you wish to hem
Matching thread
Iron and Ironing board
A sewing machine that sews a straight stitch

How to Sew the hem:
You will need between 1cm and 1.5cm hem allowance - depending on how tiny you make the hem.

Sew a line of stitching close to the edge

1. Sew a line of stitching about 5mm away from the edge of the fabric, all the way along the edge to be hemmed. I use the edge of my presser foot aligned to the edge of the fabric.

Turn and press the fabric - see the stitches?

2. Fold the fabric to the wrong side so that the line of stitching is just visible on the reverse and press in place.

Stitch the fabric on the fold

3. Stitch the folded edge down close to the edge. Try to stitch as close as you can to the folded edge - I aim for the line of stitching.

Trim the hem allowance as small as you can

4. Trim the fabric close to the stitching line, but not through it. Your hem should be 3-4mm wide at this point.

5. Turn the hem under again so that the raw edges are completely hidden. At this point, you can decide how deep you want the finished hem to be. If I'm making a shirt I tend to make this slightly wider than if I'm working on sheer or lightweight fabric. Press the edge again.

Last line of stitching

6. Stitch again. Try to sew an even distance from the folded edge for a high-end finish. You should see a line of stitching on the hem and the raw edges should be enclosed in the fold. Use your fingers to guide the fabric through the machine, ensuring the fold is in place as you sew. I don't recommend using pins as the hem is so small the pins can distort it.

Wrong side of the finished hem

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Once finished you should see two lines of stitching on the wrong side of the hem and one line on the right side. Finish the end of the sewing with either a backstitch or by pulling the threads through to the wrong side and knotting.

Finished Hem

Give your hem a good press and admire a lovely finish!