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Home » Sewing » Learn To sew

How To Hem - Double Fold Hem

May 21, 2019

Learn how to sew a double fold hem - smarter! This is probably the hem you'll be using the most. (You can use it when sewing this diy throw pillow cover) It provides a clean finish both on the front and the back, with a little bit of measuring and one single seam. I have used a shortcut to make it even easier!  Let's see how.

double fold hem

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Learning to sew will include some basic skills sooner and some later - like sewing on buttons, tracing a pattern, or hemming - these all come at an early stage, and are super useful. Let's see how to hem.

How To Hem

There are several ways to hem a piece of garment, a curtain, or, say, a pocket on a bag. The double hem is used very often in all these cases, and can be utilized in nearly every project you are working on. It can be done the traditional way by first turning under a part of the seam allowance, and then the rest. I am not particularly fond of this way because there's double measuring involved.

double fold hem

But you can do it the easy way, too. Here's a lovely hack I use to make hemming easier than going the standard way. I used it in this easy pillowcase tutorial too.

How To Sew A Double Fold Hem

1) First, select your project and press the fabric. Then turn the raw edge of the hem under by the finished hem amount. See the pattern instructions. Here in my case, the seam allowance is 1" (2.5cm):

double fold hem

2) Press. Then open the pressed seam allowance and tuck the raw edge underneath into that fold. Just push with your finger. Like this:

how to sew a hem

It will end up in a double fold (½" plus ½").

double fold hem

Just easier to make than going the standard way!   5) Press and topstitch using a seam allowance just a bit smaller than the fold, to catch the fold underneath. In my case, I simply sewed ⅜" (1cm).  Backstitch at the beginning and end of the seam to reinforce it.

sewing machine double fold hem

It's a lovely hack that makes it easier than going the standard way. Happy sewing!

sewing tips - double fold hem

Save this sewing tip for later:

sewing tips - double fold hem

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Or …check out the Mia Clutch pattern in our shop. One of my quickest and easiest pouch patterns, and it has a nice little folding hack you'll love!

snap pouch pattern
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How To Hem - Double Fold Hem

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lee F

    May 23, 2019 at 1:05 pm

    Thanks for the great tip! It's going to make hemming much more pleasant.

    Reply
  2. Koffeesam

    May 22, 2019 at 11:01 pm

    Very good tip for those of us who hate all the measuring and ironing. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Damjana

      May 23, 2019 at 4:32 am

      Koffeesam,

      so happy to hear this how-to is helpful! xoxo,

      Reply

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