The Impatient Hem

Except for the rare cases when facing takes care of it, most garments have hems. I don't know about you, but I hate pinning those things up the way my mother taught me -- it's time-consuming and hard on the fingers. So I stopped doing it that way, and simplified the process.

The Impatient Hem

Step 1. Zigzag edge of fabric.
Step 2. Fold up the edge of the fabric to the width of your presser foot (usually 3/8")
Step 3. Using your presser foot as a guide, stitch a 3/8" single-fold hem.

The first time I tried this, I neglected to include step 1. It was a wool dress. I'm still snipping "fleebers" from the edges. But finish the edge first, and you are golden.


Some other tricks to keep from having to sew hems:

• Use a fabric such as felt, which doesn't fray. Knits tend not to fray either, but it's up to you to decide whether you like the aesthetic of "the roll".
  
• One trick I use for things like patch pockets is to zigzag the edges with a short (buttonhole) stitch. It uses a lot of thread but can create a lovely effect, especially with contrast thread.
  
• If you fuse a piece of interfacing to your fabric before cutting out a shape, the edges will not fray.
  
• You can always use a product like Fray-Check but keep in mind that this will make the edges all crusty and hard.