How to Sew a Narrow Rolled Hem

The narrow rolled hem is for lightweight and sheer fabrics where any bulk shows. On a silk scarf, a chiffon ruffle or a fine cotton blouse hem, a conventional folded hem would be stiff and visible, while a rolled hem keeps the edge soft and lets it flutter. It is also the standard finish for circular and curved edges, where a deep hem cannot ease in the excess.

It is not suited to heavy fabrics, which will not roll into a fine tube, nor to edges that take heavy strain, since the tiny hem holds little. Reserve it for the light, mobile edges it was designed for and it excels.

1. 1.Fit the rolled hem foot, which has a curled scroll that rolls the fabric edge as it feeds.
2. 2.Start the roll by hand, folding the first centimeter of edge twice and placing it under the foot.
3. 3.Guide the raw edge into the scroll of the foot, keeping a steady, even feed.
4. 4.Let the foot do the folding; your job is to feed the right amount of fabric into the scroll, not too much or too little.
5. 5.Keep the edge fully in the curl so the hem stays an even width all the way along.

The finest rolled hems are worked by hand, the way silk scarves have traditionally been finished. Trim the edge cleanly, then roll a tiny amount of the raw edge between finger and thumb into a fine tube as you go, securing it with a slip stitch or a rolled hem stitch that catches only a thread of the roll and a thread of the fabric.

It is slow and meditative work, but it produces an edge of a delicacy no machine matches, with no visible stitching and a soft, rounded roll. This is the method reserved for fine silk accessories and couture edges where the hem is part of the luxury of the piece.

A serger, or overlocker, set for a rolled hem produces a fast, durable narrow finish by rolling the edge and covering it with dense thread. Reducing the stitch length and adjusting the tension pulls the edge into a tight roll wrapped in overlock thread, often using a woolly nylon thread in the loopers for full, soft coverage. It is the production method for ruffles, table linens and lightweight garment hems.

The serger finish looks different from a plain rolled hem, since the edge is wrapped in thread rather than left as bare fabric, which can be an attractive decorative feature in a contrasting color. It is by far the quickest route when you have many meters of edge to finish.

• Stabilize slippery silk or chiffon with a strip of water-soluble stabilizer or tissue that tears away after.
• Use a fine, sharp needle, size 60 to 70, so it does not snag the weave.
• Shorten the stitch length for control and a finer-looking roll.
• Trim the edge dead straight first, since the roll only follows a clean edge cleanly.

A narrow rolled hem needs only a small hem allowance, since almost nothing is turned under, so a pattern drafted for a deep hem must be adjusted or the finished garment will come up long. On a circular hem in particular the allowance should be minimal so there is little excess to roll. Minerva Patterns supplies made-to-measure patterns in DXF AAMA, PLT and PDF with hem allowances stated, so you can confirm the allowance suits a rolled finish before cutting a lightweight fabric.