The Sewing Place

Hemming a silk velvet dress.

Goth Gardiner

Hemming a silk velvet dress.
« on: October 08, 2018, 23:38:31 PM »
This has been in my "too difficult" ufo pile for ages because i can't get a decent hem on it.

It is above knee height at one side  going to ankle length at the other and so has all sorts of odd grain lines plus a sharp corner at the longest side.

What hints can you give me for getting a decent looking hem?

There's no workman, whatsoever he be, That may both work well and hastily

BrendaP

Re: Hemming a silk velvet dress.
« Reply #1 on: October 08, 2018, 23:54:20 PM »
Hand sewing.  :thread:   Overlock or overcast the raw edge and turn a single hem.

Can you press the velvet?  If so would a strip of wonderweb inside the hem help stabilise the off-grain cutting?
Brenda.  My machines are: Corona, a 1953 Singer 201K-3, Caroline, a 1940 Singer 201K-3, Thirza, 1949 Singer 221K, Azilia, 1957 Singer 201K-MK2 and Vera, a Husqvarna 350 SewEasy about 20 years old. Also Bernina 1150 overlocker and Elna 444 Coverstitcher.
http://paternoster.orpheusweb.co.

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Re: Hemming a silk velvet dress.
« Reply #2 on: October 09, 2018, 00:54:11 AM »
Is it woven or jersey? If you can have a visible seam, you can get by with a walking foot, fold over, basing or pinning. What ever you do it will be a bit of work. The overlocker is easy, but it can misbehave, which means spray on stabiliser, wash out fusiable lining or something like that. How stretchy is it? I remember a lot of fraying and slippery fabric the few times I have had  my hands on this type of material.

I didn't have an overlocker, but I pressed the seam, and for terrible fraying even a siple zigzag or straight steam can make it hold the threads in place enough to get the seam done.

A way to stabilise the hem, can be to use a strip of fabric in the back sew it to the hem line, and fold it over, but it depens if the stiffening effect is an advantage.

Among all the possibilities I think the nices result would be hand stitching, the type of stitch were you get a sort of zigzag in the back, and hardly any thread showing at all in the front (catch stitch?).


SkoutSews

Re: Hemming a silk velvet dress.
« Reply #3 on: October 09, 2018, 10:24:08 AM »
Could you sew seam tape to the edge, then turn it up and stitch by hand?  Either herringbone stitch or the just a normal hemming stitch.  The tape would stabilise the stretch. 

Hemming difficult fabrics is a nightmare for me too.  It's so hard to hide stitches on a self-coloured, shiny fabric. 

Good luck!