If your machine is stretching the fabric out it may be that the presser foot tension needs to be reduced.

The Knit 'n' Stable tape helps; just iron it on all around the edge of the fabric.

Depending on what stitches you have on your machine, overcast or zig-zag over the Knit 'n' Stable tape, close to the edge and trim neatly if necessary (this is where an overlocker makes it a doddle!) and turn the hem.  Then depending on personal preference and the fabric  being used either use a twin needle to sew a double row of topstitching or fold the hem back do that you can use the blind stitch option with  the 3 or 4 stitches going into the overcast or zig-zag and the stitch which swings to the left just going into the main fabric.

It doubles as an even feed foot when it's set for straight stitch.

I hadn't thought of using a zig-zagger as an even feed.

I've got the black Singer one with the red knob cams.  It came with various other attachments including a buttonholer which is what I bought the lot for.  I wasn't impressed with the zig-zagging so haven't used it, but at some time I'll try using it set to straight stitch.

Someone will get a bargain.

i was wondering if they were some sort of gauge for measuring tolerances, if they were slightly different thicknesses.

In car mechanics that would be a set of feeler gauges - used to be used for setting the gap in spark plugs.

I think all the companies fit different people ...you can have the same bust measurement as thousands of other people but we all may have wide backs ..narrow shoulders or big busts so I think you have to experiment we can have excess weight but its not in the same place I get on well with Butterick patterns

Did anyone see Ruth Goodman on "The One Show" this evening?

She was talking about how much RTW clothing sizes vary and about how much variation there is in women's shapes and sizes.  She interviewed someone who's mother had been part of the team measuring thousands of women in the 1950s to understand how best to size clothing and also about a modern project which is scanning bodies to get similar data. 

I just happen to have a 1967 book sitting on my new shelves (and can get at it!) which explains the 1950s project.  It has lots of tables and shows just how much variation there is and how they were trying to standardise sizes and why there will never be a true "one size fits all".  It seems that they preferred to use hip measurement matched with small bust (4" smaller) medium bust (2" smaller) and large bust (same as hip) but they also thought short (5'1"), medium (5'4"), tall (5'7") and very tall (5'10") was important.  Alas it all seems to have reverted to medium bust and medium height.

The rest of the book is about pattern drafting and grading, but it also has some wonderful photos showing how they measured the women, and it shows just how badly fitting some of the 1950s underwear was!

I know most people like Vogue, and they do have some nice designer touches to them, but IME from both when I did a lot of sewing years ago, and from the last few years, they tend to come up big, or at least bigger than patterns from the other big brands in the same size.  And yes, I know that's probably rubbish because Butterick, McCalls and Vogue are all the same company and supposedly the the same sizing.

Many years ago I remodelled my Granny's fur coat, I did it much the same way but probably not as neatly, and I did wear it a number of times, though I wouldn't wear a real fur coat now.

I have - so far - a mixture of Liesl & Co., StyleArc and Cashmerette patterns.

A pattern is a pattern and it doesn't really matter whether the designer used metric or imperial.  You use/start with whatever length the pattern happens to be.  Seam allowances are typically 5/8" or  16mm.  Actually 5/8" = 0.625" = 15.875mm.  The difference of 0.125mm is barely the thickness of a thread and would be swallowed up by the thickness of the cutting line - not to mention your ability to cut fabric that accurately. 

If you are used to using imperial measurements go for one marked in inches, eigths of an inch etc.  If you are used to working with metric measurements go for a metric one with cm and mm.  If you are bi-lingual with measuring (bi-measural? ) then it really doesn't matter.  Just be sure to use the same system if you are trying to match two different curves for length.