by Susan Khalje
Host of
Sew Much More A friend of mine recently designed and sewed a wonderful dress (she later confided that she hopes to be married in it!) The fitted bodice featured two cleverly positioned ruffles--one along a shoulder seam, the other along one of the front princess seams.
The dilemma was how to hem the ruffles cleanly, evenly, and easily. They weren't attached separately; they were extensions of the garment sections themselves, so each was from a single layer of fabric, and for the most part, on grain.
I suggested a narrow machine hem. It's ideal for crisp silks, chiffon and lightweight cottons--I've even used it to hem ruffles on 3-ply silk crepe. And although this isn't the quickest hem treatment in the world, I think you'll appreciate the control that's built into the process--with none of the diagonal lines that are so typical of narrow, twice-folded machine-stitched hems, nor the distorted, wavy hemlines of bias skirts that get pulled off-grain in the hemming process.
With the wrong side of the fabric facing up, apply a row of stay stitches (regular length) about 1/4 inch below your intended seam line. Give yourself a decent seam allowance--an inch or so is fine. You'll be manipulating it in a minute, and the more fabric you have to work with, the easier it will be. After you've stay-stitched the entire hem, check the placement of the stitches.
I usually put the garment on a mannequin or dress form at this point for a careful look. Making changes is easy now but once you've applied three rows of machine stitches and trimmed off all of the seam allowance, changes are very labor-intensive. If you're not happy with any part of the stitching, simply correct what needs to be fixed, without disturbing the rest.
After making your fixes go to a pressing surface and press the seam allowance toward the inside of the garment along the stitches you've just sewn, slightly favoring the fold so that the stitches lie just inside it. It's not necessary to put any pins in the garment. Your second row of stitches (same direction as the first) will be placed just to the left of the first row of stitches, this time through the two layers.
Then, with your sharpest scissors, and a great deal of patience, trim the seam allowance. Cut off as much of it as you can, taking care not to inadvertently take a little bite out of the garment (it's very easy to do, so go slowly). You may want to use duck-billed scissors, but I find small, sharp scissors to be just as effective.
Once you've removed the seam allowance, go back to your pressing surface, where you'll narrowly fold the fabric inward and press the hem once more. And, as before, there's no need for pins.
Now, it's time for the final row of stitches--in the same direction as before, on the wrong side. Stitch carefully--these are the stitches you'll see from the right side of the garment, so be sure they're evenly sewn from the edge. A final firm press is the finishing touch.
So, the next time you have to hem a circular chiffon skirt, or finish the edges of endless yards of circular ruffles, try this technique. The careful stitching, trimming and pressing provide control, which, along with a beautiful result, is what good sewing is all about.
(Susan Khalje is an author and host of Sew Much More. Contact her at skhalje@aol.com or Box 51, Long Green, MD 21092. For more information, visit www.SusanKhalje.com.)
