How To Sew a Rolled Hem with a Narrow Hemmer Foot

The narrow hem, also known as the rolled hem, is a very small hem. This video will demonstrate  how to do it with a specialized presser foot. If you want to see it done without a  specialized foot see our description. The narrow hem is done when you don’t want to  weigh down lightweight fabrics like chiffon, organza, and silks but can also  be done on cottons as well. It’s also a great option for curved hemlines, like if you’re sewing a circle skirt.  Because it’s narrow, it’s better than a stan

dard hem because you don’t have  to ease it or have it looked puckered If your pattern includes a larger hem  allowance you can trim this down as you need less fabric to sew a narrow  hem, leaving about ½” or so. Also, if working with a slippery, tricky fabric  like chiffon, sometimes it's easier to spray it with a fabric stiffener that can  be washed out when done to stabilize it. You can order a narrow hemmer foot for  your sewing machine either online or at a sewing machine shop. They’re  usu

ally not too expensive but can save time especially if you  plan on doing a rolled hem a lot. Make sure to select a straight stitch  that is centered to your presser foot. Place your fabric under the presser foot wrong  side up, putting the needle ⅛” from the side edge. Sew about 3 or 4 stitches at  this ⅛” seam allowance. This will allow us to anchor the threads to the fabric. Lift your foot and pull the fabric  out but do not cut your threads. Be careful when doing this so not  to pull out you

r anchor stitches Take those two threads attached from the fabric  to the needle and pull it onto the curved or swooped section of the presser foot, going  from front to back. Keep pulling until your fabric goes into the swoop, starts to roll  over, and is a little ways past the needle. Put your foot down and start sewing, slowly  at first and continuing to hold the threads to hold it taut in the back. My right  hand is lifting the fabric and making sure it folds over to touch the small  ledge o

n the left of the presser foot. Keep sewing, holding it taut by the fabric  in your left hand while guiding it with your right. Definitely practice on scraps as it  can take some time to master using this foot. Here’s what it looks like  when finished. If you want to see how to do a rolled or narrow  hem using a standard presser foot, we’ve also done a tutorial on this and you  can check out the description for a link. Our book, Professor Pincushion’s  Beginner Guide to Sewing: Garment Making fo

r Nervous Newbies  is now available to order. Go to professorpincushion.com/books to see a  list of vendors where you can purchase it.