It worked. Thank you for this tutorial! Now I can fix all my store bought dress pants that have come un-hemmed. 17) Finally, give the hem a press. This site is no longer being updated so head over to Seamwork to get all the latest patterns, tutorials, video classes, and more. Also, it is in how well you fold your fabric, and that you should slow slowly and watch each stitch. I like to start on one of the inside leg seams. All your pictures and directions are super clear. As you might remember, the blind hem stitch consists of zigzag stitches with straight stitches in between. Refer to your machine’s manual to confirm the foot and the stitch number. Rip the side and inside seams below the fold line. I second the shoe love. You want a shorter length and a wider width. Fold the hem. Next you want to sew through the fabric marked by the top line, exactly where it is folded. What a perfect tutorial on how to get exact length along with the folding of material and lastly the actual sewing. I followed your instructions with my janome machine using the zigzag foot and the result is great. How to Machine Blind Hem Stitch - DIY Tutorial. Thank you! I know I can do blind hemming on my machine but it always seemed a lot of hassle so I haven’t bothered. After anchoring the knotted thread inside the fold, start stitching by taking one thread width of fabric from the main garment. I went to fix it today and noticed the other leg had no stitch marks, and was SO confused on how it was hemmed! Now I just need to find a blind foot…I only have a basic with my Brother. I’ve had a Bernina for 45-50 years… [two different machines] Non digital.. :o). 3) If necessary, trim the raw edge of the hem so it is only about 1 inch below the bottom (pink) line. Try using a shorter stitch length, with a wider stitch width. This is the part that used to frustrate me, but with a higher quality foot, this never seems to happen anymore. I have two pairs of beautifully hemmed slacks, and the knowledge to do it again. Appears I may have forgotten a couple of steps so that could explain things… Thank you for this tutorial! Then turn the hem up the required depth, press and pin in place. (The straight stitch will only be visible on the wrong side.). Yay! With the Blind Hem Stitch in particular, you have the ability to join two pieces of fabric with practically invisible seams! 3. As always, if you’re unsure that you’ll like the finish, test it out on scrap of fabric. This setting will make three stitches in the rolled edge, then bite over to the fold for one stitch. This is creating a pick. Lay out your clothing on a countertop pattern-side down, with the hem/edge in front of you. Just curious. There are also to consider, the Narrow hem; the turn up 1/2 inch and another 1/2 inch machine stitched hem; the rolled hem, etc. You will notice that every few stitches the needle will jump to the left side to catch the fold. Sew with the fold of the hem against the presser foot guide. Place the hemmed fabric on the bed of the machine so the edge of the bottom folded edge of the hem is facing the foot and the heads of the pins are facing away from the foot. Love your site. Sew the side and inside seams. You can do this with a seam ripper or small nail scissors. I just googled to find a better way to do a blind hem and that is how I found your site. I have a pair of linen Banana Republic pants where one of the legs’ hems fell out. We’re sorry, comments for this post have been closed. 15) Look at the stitches carefully at this point. Did I miss a step? 1) First, figure out exactly where you want your hem to fall, and mark that line in water soluble pen, pencil, or chalk on the right side of the garment. I havent done a hand stictched hem in half a century. You can see what it looks like here. 2. Join me for this quick video showing an easy way to fold the end of a pant leg for a blind hem. 16) Remove the pins if you haven’t already and let the hem come down. So I think your comment about maybe needing a new foot, if I can find one to fit my machine, might make all the difference in the world! She loves good books, sewing with wool, her charming cats, working in her garden, and eating salsa. Are you folding like a fan??? Once you’ve pressed them in place, you can remove the pins if you like. It was really helpful! Step 2: Fold the hem of the fabric towards the wrong side two times and press. Blind hems are fantastic. Loved this tute and thank you for the exceptionally patient photography. Fold the hem with the seam allowance inside, so that the hem allowance is 1 inch – this way the outer fabric is folded 1 inch to the inside, as in the picture below. I haven’t tried it without a foot. Finally a tutorial on blind hemming that makes sense and shows all the steps! I pinned this so I can find it again later :-). The stitch simulates a hand done blind hem stitch by stitching a few straight stitches in the hem and then one zig zag to catch the body of the garment. I used to try and try until I actually read the instructions in my manual (and then tried the settings they recommended. (Different machines can behave differently.) But I’m going to stitch by hand on my boyfriend’s fancy suit trousers that he just got in the sale, because I feel like I need more control to make sure I don’t mess those up…. Learn how to sew a double hem here. When completed, the stitching is almost invisible on the right side of the fabric. You are tackling all the techniques that I have been avoiding for years , blind hems and invisible zippers! You can just remove the existing pins and repin at this point. Your sewing machine needle sew a couple stitches on the hem allowance and the moves over to do one stitch in the main fabric. (If you don’t have a special foot just use the regular one and keep the fabric folded as you stitch.) STEP 7 – Place the hem under the presser foot. The trickiest part of sewing this seam is prepping the fabric. My machine’s instructions for a blind hem had me machine basting instead of marking/pressing and that was a huge pain. at least I know now :) I am always so happy to learn how to do more of the things my amazing bernina is capable of — thanks!! You saved me the humiliation of defeat! I was ready to give up when I found your site. Now fold the fabric as illustrated with the wrong side up. Remove the basting stitching and reverse the fabric. (And also styles of garments and appropriate hems, and types of fabrics.) And now they are easy to do. I am definitely going to give this a try. What a great super fabulous wonderful tutorial for blind hem. I was so close to doing just that when you saved the day. So I might try it. In this clip, Angela shows you how to align and sew your hem for a no-show finish. The other thing is to sew slowly, so you can manipulate the bite of the zig to be small. As the machine stitches, it will stitch across that plate every few stitches, taking a tiny bite out of the fold. First finish the raw edge. Leave several inches to prepare your blind hem. Step 3: Fold hem towards right side so that the heads of the pins are now on the right and there is a fold in the garment just to the left of the hem fold. 5) Now, pinch along the middle (yellow) line to fold. I’m not sure why, but it does. Wonder clips (pictured above) is … Sew slowly and watch each stitch, so you can see that the needle will zig to the correct amount. I am visual learner, books just don’t always cut it for me! To hold it in place, insert pins with the point sticking out towards the bottom and the head in towards the top of the garment (the opposite of how you’d normally do it). It’s been a while (just use straight stitch lately! I feel the same as Juliet. The Stitch for the hem is a few straight stitches to the right then a jump to the left, where the nibble is taken from your hem fabric. I need to make a blind hem tonight on my beignet and though I have the foot I’ve never used it before and found the prospect daunting. This process is one of the best things about the Bernina design!!! This definitely makes sense! I cant seem to figure out where I am going wrong. Do you start the folds on the right side of the fabric instead of wrong side? Sew with the fold of the hem against the presser foot guide. Position the fabric under the presser foot with the garment fold touching the guard in the middle and the hem fold sticking out to the right. Join me for this quick video showing an easy way to fold the end of a pant leg for a blind hem. Thank you, thank you, thank you! 2) Mark two more lines, one above and below your hem line. Tuck your hem under the fabric (towards the right side) so that just the ¼ an inch of the half inch hem you did shows next to the back of the fabric (as per photo below). I’d love to master this foot/fold technique as I end up hand sewing everything which i hate doing. to hem dresses, pant legs, sleeves, and more that need an invisible hem. 7) Pin the fold in place. Make sure the blind hem foot is attached and the machine set to make a blind hem stitch. A blind hem stitch, used in combination with a blind hem foot and proper folding of the fabric can create a nice blind hem on your next project- Nicki LaFoille shows you how. I think it gives the foot better control, but I am not really sure why. Line up the guide bar on presser foot along the fold line of hem and stitch. A follow up to the "How to Use a Blind Hem Foot" tutorial showing how to use the Blind Hem foot to hem a pair of trousers. Using an ingenious method of folding and stitching, you can create a machine stitched hem that is nearly invisible from the outside. ), but I think I lined up the crease with the centerline on the foot (like you would to stitch in the ditch). Perfect! Sew one stitch starting in the hem allowance and also finishing in the hem allowance, sewing along the edge of the hem and just above the fold of fabric that corresponds to the top and bottom lines of tailor’s chalk. My Singer (about 15 yrs. It feels a little counterintuitive but after you’ve done it once or twice, it will make sense. Get out your blind hem foot and put it on your machine. I hope that you find this useful. Thank you! Thank you very much, I have that foot in my machine (that I bought 4 years ago) and always wondered what it was for. I wonder if industrial machines have blind stitch feet (I have a Juki)? Tried it out and it makes it so much more precise and less stressful. It’s really important to have your tension just right for blind hems. Stretchy fabrics require more flexibility. And remember even if you can see the stitch a little bit, it’s unlikely that anyone else will notice. The folding confuses me? Use good lighting and watch each stitch. This is definitely something I had always figured was too complicated to bother trying, but your tutorial made it really clear and it doesn’t seem too difficult after all. Finally i know what is this for!! 2) Mark two more lines, one above and below your hem line. This is EXTREMELY helpful. Fold upward along the top (white) line this time. So it depends on your garment, as well as the fabrics. 4) Turn the raw edge under and press. You will need to press a double fold hem which is then folded back on itself. Thank you! 8) Fold again. Let it cool on your board before moving the creased fabric. My blind hem foot doesn’t look anything like yours. Using the blind stitch presser foot on your machine as well as the blind hem stitch, you should be stitching mainly on the fold and catching just a tiny bit of the wrong side of the main fabric. 1- How to do an Invisible hem with an Invisible Hem Serger/Overlock Foot. I should do an FAQ on my shoes! I first learned the machine blind hem stitch in my high school sewing class. Perhaps another reader could chime in if they’ve had luck! Thank you for the tips. Set your machine on the blind hem stitch and use an average stitch length, between a 2 and a 3. Learn how to sew a professional looking blind hem in this tutorial. It is a really nice finish although sometimes you have to play with the stitch width to ensure the fabirc being caught in isn’t too big and shows as big stitches on the right side of the fabric. thanks. Fold and press the like you normally would, but remember that a blind hem stitch is best suited for wider hems, such as 25 mm (1’’) or more. I find the lighter the fabric the narrower the stitch width.. Good luck! It’s a fantastic way to create a deep hem on a skirt, unlined jacket, or pants. I have a blind hem foot and I did try to use it once without perfect sucess, but I’m going to give it another try with these instructions! How to Fold Fabric in the Round for a Blind Hem. Great tutorial! In my experience, blind hems are good on straight things, where the hem is turned up and the fabric lays flat as it is the same shape and width. And that’s it! The more it catches the more visible it will be on the outside. Here you can see that the middle (yellow) line is now at the bottom of the hem. The double fold hem is the most basic hem out there, which also makes it one of the most useful hems you can learn. Step 4: Blind hem the main skirt bottom using the blind hem foot and blind hem stitch on your sewing machine. Will definitely try it now as my sister wants me to make her some curtains with deadline! I most often use it to hem pants or skirts. I’m sure there will be a time when I’m in a rush and want to do a blind stitch by hand. Wrong side of fabric Right side of fabric ***** Procedure of Blind Stitch Foot "R" is Ends here. Use good lighting. Now I will use it. Don’t try a blind hem on an A-line skirt or one where you have to ease in any fullness in the hem. Don't make the garment too short, though! I use this method all the time – it is fantastic – I often just serge and then fold in once and run the blind stitch through (rather than the extra fold). It could make all the difference. Thank you! That would be the middle line here, shown in yellow. The pictures are awesome!