Beginner · 20–40 minutes · 7 steps
How to sew a hem
The hem is the last thing you sew and the first thing anyone looks at. There are only three hems worth learning, and picking the right one for the fabric matters more than how neatly you stitch it.
Why it's worth learning
Every garment ends in a hem. A confident hem is also the fastest alteration skill there is — shortening ready-made trousers uses exactly the same steps.
What you'll need
- A hem gauge or a strip of card cut to your hem depth
- Iron
- Twin needle or blind hem foot, depending on the hem
Fabric notes
- Crisp wovens take a double-turned hem beautifully.
- Curved or flared hems need a narrower turn — the wider the fold, the more the excess fabric fights you.
- Jersey and other knits need a stretchable stitch: twin needle, narrow zigzag or coverstitch.
The steps, in order
- 01
Let the garment hang before you measure
Anything cut on a flare or a bias contains grain that drops. Hang it overnight, then mark the length while wearing the shoes you plan to wear.
- 02
Mark the hemline, not the raw edge
Mark where you want the finished edge to sit, then add your hem allowance below it. Trim the excess away so the fold isn't fighting extra bulk.
- 03
Press the first fold with a gauge
Turn up your first fold — often 1 cm — pressing against a card gauge as you go so the depth stays identical all the way round.
- 04
Press the second fold and stitch (double hem)
Turn again by the same amount, press, then topstitch close to the inner fold. This encloses the raw edge and is the strongest everyday hem.
- 05
Or fold back for a blind hem
For a hem that shows no stitching, press a single fold, finish the raw edge, fold the hem back on itself and use the blind hem stitch so the needle only catches a thread of the outer fabric.
- 06
Or use a twin needle for knits
On jersey, press one fold up, then sew from the right side with a twin needle. Guide the fabric — never pull it — and the hem stays flat and stretchy.
- 07
Press the finished hem from the wrong side
Press over a ham or a rolled towel on curved hems, so you don't flatten shaping you built in earlier.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Hemming a flared garment straight away
The bias sections stretch downwards over the next day and the hem ends up uneven at the sides.
A wide fold on a curved hem
The excess fabric has nowhere to go and you get puckers. Narrow the fold, or ease the excess with a row of long stitches first.
Straight stitching a jersey hem
It pops the first time the hem stretches over a hip. Use a twin needle or narrow zigzag.
Practise it on a project
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