Imagine you have to hem the long edge of a skirt or pant in no time, so that nothing about the stitches show outside; and you do not want to waste time hand stitching the hem. There is an easy way to get the same result with your sewing machine – by using the blind hem function of your sewing machine. And using the blind hem foot makes this even easier.
The advantage of a blind hem is that you get an almost invisible stretch hem. The zig zag type stitch makes it stretchy and the way the fabric is folded and stitched makes the stitching invisible. And the blind hem foot has an edge guide that keeps the fabric aligned, making the stitching line flawless.
How to use the blind hem presser foot
Steps to using the blind hem presser foot on your machine
- Attach the foot
Attach the blind hem foot on your sewing machine. It is a snap on foot for most home sewing machines. Use same color thread as the fabric on the top thread spool and bobbin to make truly invisible stitches.
- Mark hem line
First, serge or zig-zag the raw edge of your fabric. Mark the hem allowance on the backside of the fabric with a marking tool (chalk, disappearing pencil).
- Fold the edge
Now fold the fabric so that the marked hem is at the center of the fold. The folding should also leave a 1/4 inch extra at the finished edge, projecting to the outside.
- Fold and press
After folding, it is better to press this folded edge in place so that it would not shift as you sew.
- Adjust the stitch type
You should change the lever of your stitch type to the blind hem stitch. The red arrow in the picture shows the blind hem stitch.
- Align edge guide and fold of fabric
There is an edge guide on your foot. Keep this edge guide aligned along the fold of the fabric – refer to the picture- edge guide should be along the edge of the folded hem. Remember that it just passes along the fold as you sew – nothing complicated; it is just a measure to keep the same distance as you sew.
- Adjust needle position
Adjust the needle position so that the needle is adjusted to the left. This should keep the needle in line with the edge guide of the foot. If in doubt, look at the picture above.
- Adjust stitch length and width
Adjust your stitch length to 2 and stitch width to 2.
- Start stitching.
As you sew, the gauge should go along the fold of the fabric. The picture shows how the stitch will look on the inside of the fabric.
- Blind hem stitch
The stitch will catch the fold every 1 inch or so, making almost invisible stitches on the front of the fabric. The picture below shows how the blind hem stitch looks on the outside. (If I had used same colored thread as the fabric you would not be seeing the small dots )
Here is a video detailing these steps.
Related posts: Blind hem stitch for hemming pants; Sewing machine presser feet – Big list and what to do with them.; How to sew invisible seams and hems ; Sewing machine stitches
