How to use a Narrow Hemmer

As an amateur seamstress, you’re pretty happy with the things that you’ve been able to make. You’ve hand-stitched some beautiful, sturdy garments, accessories, home décor, and other items from your sewing room, using nothing more than your sewing machine and piece of sewing fabric. It’s pretty incredible, isn’t it? – Being able to create something with your own two hands? We totally agree!

Now that you’re pretty comfortable with your abilities, you’re ready to take your skills even further and learn how to make a perfectly rolled hem. For many, the idea of making a rolled hem is daunting, though; however, despite the challenge, you definitely want to learn how to make a rolled hem, as it just gives a garment a finished, professional look. So how do you do that? With a rolled hem presser foot, of course!

A rolled hem presser foot simplifies the process of making a rolled hem; however, figuring out how to use the tool can be pretty overwhelming, too. Have no fear! In this sewing help guide, we’ll share some tips that will make using a rolled hem presser foot a lot easier than it appears.

Table of Contents

1 Things to Note

Things to Note

Before we share tips for using a rolled hem presser foot, there are a few important things to note:

This presser foot can be used with any type of fabric, including denim and chambray, suede, minky, and chenille, it’s best used with a sheer or lightweight material, such as a lightweight linen or knit.
A rolled hem presser foot works best with a straight hem, such as the finishing edges on a scarf or a shawl. While you could use it with a curved hem, it’s a lot more challenging and it does require a lot of practice.
In order to get the results you desire, you really need to focus on feeding the fabric into the foot the right way, right from the beginning.

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Now, let’s look at how you use a rolled hem presser foot.

Step 1

Cut a narrow strip of fusible interfacing between 1/8 inch and 1/16 inch wide by 1 to 2 inches long. Fuse the strip to edge of the material you are going to be working with.

Step 2

Using the width of the interfacing, fold the fabric over; fold over a second time, creating a equal width and pin it in place.

Step 3

Set a small piece of tissue paper underneath the presser foot. Set the pinned hem on top of the tissue paper and line up the folded edge of the rolled hem to the inner edge of the right leg of the presser foot. Gingerly pull the tails of the thread away from your sewing machine and slowly place 2 to 3 stitches into the hem, securing it in place.

Step 4

Take out the first pin, raise the presser foot, and then remove the second pin and feed the folded hem into the presser foot.

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Step 5

Slowly stitch the hem in place while pulling the hem toward you. When you’re finished, just pull away the tissue paper and press the hem. Voila! You should have a beautiful rolled hem.

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