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Thursday, September 29, 2011

How to Sew a Blind Hem

Earlier in the week I shared with you a tutorial on how to sew pinch pleat lined drapes.
When sewing my drapes I wanted them to look as professional as possible.  One of the ways I achieved this was to sew a blind hem on my drapes.
What is a blind hem?  A blind hem is a stitch that is barely visible from the right side of the fabric.  The best part is that it is easier than you would think.  If you can sew a straight line, you can sew a blind hem.
Ideally you would start with the blind hem foot that came with your sewing machine.  Here is what the foot looks like from the back...
...and the front.  If you are unsure which foot is the blind hem stitch foot, just refer to the owners manual for your machine.  Most machines come with this type of foot.  If you don't have this foot you could still do it, you would just have to guide yourself carefully to keep the line straight.

Next select the blind hem stitch on your machine.  On mine it is #17.  See how the stitch looks...that is typically the universal symbol for the blind hem stitch.
For the hem...I folded my fabric up two inches and pressed it into place.  
Then I folded it another four inches and pressed it for the final hem.  Then I pinned it into place.
Now if you were to sew the hem with a straight stitch the stitches would be visible from the front, even if you used the same color thread.  
Here comes the important part...Take your hem and fold it back as shown above.  You want there to be about 1/4" of the hem to sew on as shown.
Next, line up the fabric under your blind hem stitch foot.  Notice how the fold is lined up with the cut out part of the foot.  
I used green thread so that you could easily see the stitches.  For my actual drapes I used an off-white thread so that it completely disappeared.  Notice how only each sixth stitch catches the fold to the left.
This is all you would see from the front of the fabric (see the green dots).
Here's what the blind hem looks like on the actual drapes that are now hanging in my guest bedroom.  That's a super up-close photo.  When standing in the room you cannot see any stitches and even up close all you see is some faint dots.
It's as simple as that.  I hope now that you know how easy it is, you too will try to sew a blind hem on your next project.

I always love and appreciate your comments.  Have a great day!

-Judy



10 comments:

Mel said...

Thank you Judy, I've always wondered what that thing was :)

Can this also be used to hem pant cuffs?

laxsupermom said...

The last time I had to sew a blind hem, I was nearly in tears because I couldn't find the right foot and we had to leave(these were my son's pants for a funeral in another city.) I'm happy to say that it's possible with the regular foot, too. Great tutorial. Thanks for sharing.

Jenny @ Simcoe Street said...

Love that fabric!!!

Susan Anderson said...

I guess as one who doesn't own a sewing machine (nor do I know how to operate one), my goose is cooked on the blind hem thing...

;)

Modern Country Lady said...

Yep same here just like Sue, I don't really have a fancy machine like yours, so all the blind hemming is done..... by hand !! hahaha you can imagine the amount of work it is.. but you know , you get very Zen about it, once you stop fretting about how much time it takes, and relax, it;s quite enjoyable :) Guess I need your machine for Christmas.. :-))
Bea

Aubrey {All Things Bright and Beautiful} said...

This is such a revelation to me...I never even thought about this with drapes, but yours ended up looking completely professionally made, totally amazing! Great tutorial, girl!

Fiona, Lilyfield Life said...

Great tutorial! And your room looks gorgeous!

Stacey said...

Thanks so much for the info on the blind hem...I am teaching myself to sew & this will be A LOT of help to me! My machine did not come with the foot but the book has the item number. I wasn't quite sure what a blind hem even was! Love your blog...I am new here but enjoying poking around. You have a beautiful home!

Mallory said...

I've seen people show me this several times. I still don't get it! My sewing skills have a long way to go. But your curtains are GORGEOUS! Love the fabric! :)

backup camera said...

That's amazing! I've always wondered how people did that...um, except I don't know if I can really sew a straight line! Lol. But I can try. :)

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