Improve Your Rolled Hems

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Guarantee flowing hemlines that hang like a dream. Keen dressmaker Sarah Greeff has colourful memories of her first attempts at making a rolled hem. “I was first asked to make rolled hems for a colleague at Fenwick of Bond Street"

Make sure your hands are clean and nails smooth. Check the needle is thin and sharp and use a fine thread in the same colour; a contrasting shade is used here so it’s easier to follow. Secure the end and run a medium length through your fingers to prevent slip knots, then thread the needle.
After ensuring the edge is straight, fold over 5mm and press with your fingers. Use a pin to anchor one end into an ironing board. Slide the needle along the inside of the fold for 2cm. Take one-three threads (depending on fabric delicacy) 5mm below the fold, then continue for 6cm.
Gently pull the thread tight so the fabric folds over itself. You can use damp fingers to roll the material first, then sew in the same manner. Make a couple of tiny backstitches on the rolled part of the fabric, slide your thread backwards for 3cm inside the roll, then pull and snip so that the end is enclosed.

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