This may be the most common technique needed in sewing. I want you all to have the most success in your sewing projects as possible because I know from experience that it is way more fun when your projects turn out well. So in this post, I am going to completely break down how to sew a hem that is perfect every time.
I think there are a lot of sewing tutorials and sewing patterns for beginners that will just say “sew a hem” or “hem the bottom.” When you are new to sewing, that can be super intimidating and make you feel like you can’t complete the project. I totally get that because I have been there myself.
How to Sew a Hem That Is Perfect Every Time
Here is how I do all of my hemming and I am excited to share it with you so you know how to sew a hem that is perfect every time. You are going to want to start out by making your own hem guide! Yes- that’s right, there is such a thing as a hem guide and you can make your own right now.
If you need to sew a rolled hem, we can show you how to do that too!
How to make a hem guide
To make your own hem guide all you need to do is find a piece of cardboard or chipboard- a cereal box works perfectly! Use your ruler and draw a line 1/2 inch from the bottom. Draw another line 3/4 inch from the bottom. Then go ahead and mark those lines so you know the measurements. Now let’s use it!
Using your hem guide – Step 1
You are going to place your fabric or project with the right side facing down and then place the hem guide on top of it towards the bottom. Fold the bottom edge up so that it just touches the 1/2 line on the hem gauge.
With the hem gauge still in place, go ahead and press the edge with the iron. Once that section is pressed. Move the hem gauge down to the next section of fabric and do it again. Repeat till the whole edge is folded over and pressed.
Step 2
Repeat the process again but this time bring the folded edge up to the 3/4 inch line.
Step 3 – time for sewing!
Head to the sewing machine and sew close to the folded edge. I use a 5/8 seam allowance but it doesn’t have to be super precise. A seam allowance is the distance that you sew from the edge.
Look how clean and beautiful that hem is! Now that you know how to sew a hem that is perfect every time, the possibilities are endless! This new technique is going to give all of your projects a super-professional look.
I love that it looks clean and professional on both sides. This definitely takes projects to the next level. Without a nice hem, a project can look unfinished. When I learned to hem was when I started to feel comfortable gifting my sewing creations to others which was a total game-changer and goal accomplished for me. I hope you found this tutorial helpful!
