Improve Your Rolled Hems
Guarantee flowing hemlines that hang like a dream. Keen dressmaker Sarah Greeff has colourful memories of her first attempts at making a rolled hem. “I was first asked to make rolled hems for a colleague at Fenwick of Bond Street"
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Make sure your hands are clean and nails smooth. Check the needle is thin and sharp and use a fine thread in the same colour; a contrasting shade is used here so it’s easier to follow. Secure the end and run a medium length through your fingers to prevent slip knots, then thread the needle.
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After ensuring the edge is straight, fold over 5mm and press with your fingers. Use a pin to anchor one end into an ironing board. Slide the needle along the inside of the fold for 2cm. Take one-three threads (depending on fabric delicacy) 5mm below the fold, then continue for 6cm.
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Gently pull the thread tight so the fabric folds over itself. You can use damp fingers to roll the material first, then sew in the same manner. Make a couple of tiny backstitches on the rolled part of the fabric, slide your thread backwards for 3cm inside the roll, then pull and snip so that the end is enclosed.
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