How to Hem Gabardine With a Sewing Machine
Gabardine is a sturdy suiting fabric traditionally made of wool, but is now also made of rayon, polyester and linen blends. It has a diagonal rib, which helps discourage fraying, and shows off rich colors and gives greater depth to pastels. Gabardine is an all-season fabric with timeless appeal. A "blind" hem is well-suited for hemming unlined gabardine trousers and skirts. It is nearly invisible on the right side of the garment, and requires no special tools, as blind hem attachments are included with basic sewing machines.
Things You'll Need
- Iron
- Scissors
- Straight Pins
- Thread
- Sewing machine
- Ruler or sewing gauge
- Straight pins
- Blind hem foot
Instructions
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1
Press all seam allowances open. Trim any fraying edges. Finish the raw edges with an overcast stitch or a zigzag stitch over the edge of the garment.
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2
Put the garment on and have a partner fold up and pin the hemline to your desired length. Remove the garment and lay it flat. Adjust the hemline so that the fold is even all the way around.
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3
Press the hem fold. Remove the pins to press the fold, and replace the pins so that they are perpendicular to the hem fold.
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4
Attach the blind hem foot to your sewing machine. Turn the hem fold up so that the hem fold faces out. Place the garment under the presser foot so that the wrong side of the fabric faces up, the edge of the inside of the hem fold is under the needle, and the remainder of the hem fold is under the presser foot. The finished fabric edge will be just to the right of the needle.
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Set your sewing machine to the blind hem stitch function. Most of the stitches will be on the inside of the hem fold, with one stitch every few stitches crossing over to the fabric above the hem fold. Use a few straight stitches for reinforcement at the end.
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6
Remove the fabric from the machine. Turn the hem fold back down and press.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/BananaStock/Getty Images
