Blind Hemming by Machine and by Hand

The trick of a blind hem is the fold. The hem allowance is turned up and finished, then the garment is folded back on itself so only the very edge of the hem allowance protrudes. Stitches worked along that edge reach across and catch just a thread or two of the main fabric before returning, so almost nothing shows on the outside.

Because each securing stitch grips only a couple of fibers, the tension must be gentle. A blind hem is deliberately not a tight, load-bearing seam; it is a soft anchor that holds the hem in place without dimpling the right side of the garment.

1. 1.Finish the raw edge of the hem allowance, then press the hem up to the finished depth.
2. 2.Fold the garment back so a small margin of the finished hem edge extends beyond the fold.
3. 3.Fit the blind hem foot and select the blind hem stitch, which sews several straight stitches then one sideways zigzag.
4. 4.Position the fold against the foot's guide so the zigzag just bites the fold of the main fabric.
5. 5.Sew slowly, checking on the right side that the stitch catches only a thread or two.

For the most invisible result, a hand-worked hem is unbeaten. Fold back the garment as for the machine method so only the hem edge shows, then work a catch stitch or a blind catch stitch along the fold. Take a tiny horizontal bite of the main fabric, then a bite of the hem allowance, working from right to left with the crossed stitches loose rather than tight.

Keep the thread tension relaxed so the stitches do not pucker the fabric. A single thread rather than a doubled one, and a fine needle, keep the hand hem as discreet as possible. This is the method couture workrooms use on fine garments where no machine stitch may show.

• Deep hems of 4 to 5 cm suit straight skirts and trousers, adding weight that helps the hem hang.
• Narrow hems suit curved edges, where a deep hem would have too much excess to ease in.
• Finish the raw edge to match the fabric: serged for most, turned and stitched for fraying wovens, bound for unlined jackets.
• Match the thread color precisely, since even an invisible stitch shows if the thread contrasts.

Machine blind hemming is fast and hard-wearing, ideal for trousers, tailored skirts and garments that are laundered often. It is less suited to very fine or very stretchy fabrics, where the sideways bite can distort the surface. Hand hemming is gentler and more invisible but slower, reserved for special garments and delicate cloth.

On knits, a blind hem worked with a slight zigzag or a stretch blind hem stitch keeps the hem from popping when the fabric stretches. Always test the chosen method on a folded scrap of the actual fabric before committing to the garment hem.

Press the hem before hemming, not after, so the fold is set and you are stitching to a crisp edge. After hemming, a light press with a cloth settles the stitches without flattening the fold into a hard crease. Avoid pressing hard directly over the stitched line, which can push the securing stitches through to the right side as faint dimples.

The hem depth and shape come from the pattern, and a curved hem in particular needs its allowance drafted to ease in cleanly. Minerva Patterns supplies made-to-measure patterns in DXF AAMA, PLT and PDF with hem allowances included, so the finished length is correct for the individual before you turn the hem.