How to Sew a Neat Straight Hem
How to Sew a Neat Hem
This might seem easy but if you are a beginner, learning how to sew a neat hem will make all the difference to your work. Once I knew how to sew a neat hem, it was a good feeling because everything I created turned out nice and neat and the neat hemline would just add that professional touch.
The first and most important thing is to make sure your free edge is cut as straight as you can possibly get it. I really like to use the Black and Decker Cordless Power Scissors, which take away the effort of cutting thicker fabric as well as making it very easy to cut a straight line.
Once you have your straight cut free edge, the best thing to do is to decide how far in you want your hem to go and make a double fold, keeping it STRAIGHT. Use a few pins to secure the double hem in place and then iron over to press in the folds. You should now be able to remove the pins without the fabric moving.
It does take a bit more effort than usual to iron over the soon-to-be hem as well as pin it, however, it does make a much neater hem not to mention making it much easier to sew.
Now you have your neat, pressed edge that’s just waiting to be stitched up. I like to make double stitches, one along each side of the fold, which helps to keep the hem straight and neat.
Once the hem has been stitched you MUST iron over it once more to flatten in the stitches and just ensure that it is straight as sometimes the fabric may have moved about during sewing.
And voila! You now know how to sew a neat hem.