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HOW DO YOU
SEW A BLIND HEM STITCH?

There are many different kinds of hems, but among the most popular is the blind hem. Fundamentally, the blind hem is achieved by folding fabric and sewing the blind hem stitch. Once it is sewn, garment has a nice folded over edge with almost no evidence of a seam line on the face of the fabric. (Hence, Invisible.)

To sew the blind hem, it is essential that you have a blind hem presser foot and a blind hem stitch on your sewing machine. The blind hem presser foot has a special guide on it to help keep your hem straight and reduce sloppy hemming. The blind hem stitch is essentially a straight stitch that zigs periodically to pick up the fabric.

Notice the guide running down the center of the presser foot. This is essential to help you keep the blind hem stitch under control and sewing precisely down the edge of the hem.

You may begin by overcastting the edge of the fabric to prevent fray. To do this, simply zig zag along the edge of the fabric keeping the stitch right along the edge of the fabric. You may also leave the edge of the garment as is if desired, or you may fold over an additional one quarter inch fold encasing the edge. As usual, there are often multiple options depending on how much of a perfectionist you are.

Fold your fabric properly. This is simple if you have done it a hundred times, but amazingly it is hard to remember if you don’t do it periodically. Fold the fabric two inches wrong sides together and press. (TIP: Whenever you fold the fabric it is a good idea to press the fold in place.)


With the fabric folded, sew a basting line all the way around the fold maintaining a one quarter inch seam allowance from the raw edge. This will hold the hem in place while you complete the sewing and makes a neater hemline.

Another technique that achieve the same result is to pin the fold in place being sure to remove the pins as you sew.

Fold the fabric back good sides together along basting line (or pinned line).

You will see a quarter inch zig zagged edge exposed.

Using the correct presser foot, sew along the edge of the fabric using the blind hem stitch or blind hem stretch stitch if sewing on stretchy material.

Note there are a couple of different styles of blind hem feet, but the essential feature you need is the little finger that splits down the center of the presser foot which serves as a guide for sewing. Place your presser foot so that this finger or guide lines up just outside the fold of the fabric. As you sew the blind hem stitch will stitch on the edge of the fabric with a straight stitch and periodically jump across this guide to sew one stitch on the edge of the fold.

(TIP: You want as little bite into the fold as possible while still stitching in the fold.)

If the bite of the jump stitch is too deep or too far into the fold of the fabric, it will be seen on the face of the fabric when you are finished. If the jump stitch does not penetrate the fold at all, it will not be attached and will hang loose. You can adjust the bite of the stitch by changing the stitch width adjustment on your sewing machine, or some blind hem feet will have a small screw that will allow you to adjust it with a quick turn of the knob.

Once you have finished your seam, turn the fabric over and remove the basting stitch. Using your fingers or a seam ripper, it is easy to quickly remove the basting stitch. You will notice that if everything worked like it is suppose to, you can barely see where the blind hem stitches are on the face of the fabric.

The blind hem has become such an important part of sewing that a whole line of specialty machines have been created for the sole purpose of sewing blind hem stitches. These machines do a fabulous job for professional seamstresses, custom clothiers, and commercial applications, but you can achieve almost the same quality using your home sewing machine using the right presser foot and carefully sewing with the blind hem stitch.


AUTHOR:
Donna Trumble is a professional designer, seamstress, author, sewing educator, and sewing business owner.   She leads several Sewing Show And Tell groups in her stores guiding participants to shop sewing machines and learn about sewing and quilting.

David Trumble is a sewing professional, author, semi-retired minister, sewing machine technician, and CFO of Temple Sewing And Supply, Inc.

RESOURCE:
For more information on sewing show and tell groups, check out "Sewing, The World's Greatest Hobby" by Donna and David Trumble.  And check out the local Sew And Quilt Stores in Killeen, Temple, and Waco, Texas or at www.sewandquiltstore.com.