a hemming question

Glitterati stood on a soapbox and shouted to anyone who would listen :

why would you have to take the skirt apart? Just mark a new hem line where you want it to be, and cut off the excess keeping a hem allowance

penny S

allows for a 5/8th inch hemming line, but I want to take it up 1.5 inches (at least). Do you think it would distort the skirt, or make it bottom heavy if I just double-folded and sewed the 1.5 inch hem? Is there another way of taking off the excess without having to take apart the entire skirt? [Thanks muchly =)

Are you sure you read the pattern correctly? Most patterns give you a 5/8 seam line and a 2" hem depth. Personally I wouldn't dream of making a hem less than 2" deep (unless it was a really cheap skirt and I had run low on fabric) because the weight makes the skirt hang much better. In fact, this is why some very expensive skirts made from very lightweight fabrics have weights in the hem.

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans.

I went back and checked and it says "5/8 inch hem allowed" on one of the pieces. hmmmm. It's a tulip skirt, so the bottom's kinda "flowy" (if that makes any sense) so maybe that's why it's a small hem? I think with "drapey" skirts, you use a smaller hem?

Yess - 5/8" sounds about right for that style. You can just trim the excess off the bottom, but for next time, you might like to fold it out of the pattern above the flared part to preserve the full hem width.

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Re: a hemming question snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com (Glitterati) snipped-for-privacy@aol.com (Olwynmary) wrote: Are you sure you read the pattern correctly? Most patterns give you a

5/8 seam line and a 2" hem depth. Personally I wouldn't dream of making a hem less than 2" deep (unless it was a really cheap skirt and I had run low on fabric) because the weight makes the skirt hang much better. In fact, this is why some very expensive skirts made from very lightweight fabrics have weights in the hem. Olwyn Mary in New Orleans. I went back and checked and it says "5/8 inch hem allowed" on one of the pieces. hmmmm. It's a tulip skirt, so the bottom's kinda "flowy" (if that makes any sense) so maybe that's why it's a small hem? I think with "drapey" skirts, you use a smaller hem?

Oh, well, you didn't mention THAT little detail, which makes all the difference!! Shaped hems are a completely different question, and each kind has its own unique form of necessary treatment. If the hem is 2" too long you are indeed going to have to trim off the excess.

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans.

Thanks guys!

I think I'll play around with the hem, and if it looks too bulky, then i'll have to take a deep breath and cut off the excess lol

=)

Have you put the waist finish on yet? If not, could you cut off from the top and taper from there down so you don't lose the lines of the skirt?

If you have a serger..use it to do the hem and cut off some ot the material at the same time.