Are you catching up today?? If so day 1, day 2 and day 3 can be found there. We are hemming our shirt today! The most important step in hemming if you don’t want a wonky, stretched out hem is to stabilize it before stitching. You can use hem tape or knit interfacing for this. I prefer hem tape because you can buy it in different widths and it is so easy to use! You peel the paper side off, sometimes  iron in place,  press your hem- the Rose Ruffle has a 1″ allowance- then stitch in place.

To stitch the hem in place, you can use a zig zag stitch, which is what I always used before I got a coverstitch machine. Or a ballpoint double needle. The double needle will give you the same look as a coverstitch on the front and the back with have a lightening bolt stitch. You will want to read your sewing machine’s manual on how to set up and the settings for the double needle. All machines are different! The one tip I have is before you start lower your needles to make sure you aren’t hitting the bobbin case…or else your needle will break…then you have to run to Joanns again. NO fun! I honestly have not used a double needle very much, so here is a link to a Nancy Zieman blog post for  more info. No mater which method you use, you want to NOT stretch the hem or pull the fabric through while sewing.

If you are using a coverstitch, I always flip the hem wrong side up before I start to see which line I should place my hem on. The flip it right side up and hem away.

If you are unsure on how to finish your hem on the coverstitch, here is a video from my YouTube channel below. We are ALMOST done!! YAY, we just have the neckband tomorrow!