I love curved hems on tops and find them to be flattering, but they can be a little tricky if you haven’t done one before. Have no fear—with a few tips, you’ll be sewing curved hems like a pro!
- Gather the edge of the hem. You can move the differential feed on your serger to 1.5 or 2 and serge the end of the hem to gather the fabric slightly. I find 2 to be the best setting on my machine. If you don’t have a serger you can sew a basting stitch around the edge and pull the threads to slightly gather the fabric.
- Wash away tape. I LOVE this stuff! I use it on all types of hems, not just curved. For a curved hem apply the tape and then, starting in the center of the front or back, fold up the hem all around the shirt making sure the sides match. I’ve heard of people using a glue stick instead of tape but I’m not sure if it would cause your needle to get gummed up from the glue. It might work in a pinch!
- Hem the front and back before sewing together. Some people find it easier to hem first and others perfer sewing together first so the side seam is hemmed.
- Use a curved hem gauge. I’ve used this one and find it helpful!
- Iron a memory hem to help make it easier when sewing.
- Use lots of clips/pins. You can use them in combination with wash away tape to really keep things in place!
- Be a rebel and leave it unhemmed. Always an option.
After using these tips you should be able to sew your curved hem much easier! If you don’t have a coverstitch and don’t like the look of stretch stitches on hems, check out my post on sewing with twin needles.
