[ducktape74]

I recently finished a dress/tunic for my daughter (not Oliver + S), and after laundering the blasted hem flips up, (and resists ironing, too.) I was wondering, is this due to the pattern? The fabric, (very lightweight denim, almost chambray)? Did I sew something wrong? Or is it all just (bad) luck?

[meleliza]

What kind of pattern and hem was it?

[Sarvi]

Hm. If I *wanted* the hem to flip up, I’d put some flare in the skirt, and then sew the hem/hem facing ‘short’ — so it’s not lying flat against the main fabric, but rather tugging it outward. Next to impossible to explain what I mean in words. But the way you’d make the hem curl under, only facing outward…

[with love Heidi]

Is the hem cut on the bias? Did it get stretched during construction or hemming? I think a stretched bias cut may account for it flipping up. What pattern is it?

[Nicole]

I have had this happen for a couple of reasons.

Did you do a double hem and your first fold was slightly wider then your second?

Does your fabric have a wee bit of poly in it? Sometimes that can get a ‘memory’ and perhaps dry with the hem up (in a dryer) and then is doesn’t want to lay flat.

Sometimes a too narrow hem will flip up. This often happens to me with knits.

Was the hem line A-line? You may need to sew a hem guide line in a basting stitch and ease the first turn a wee bit?

Just off the top of my head.

And it may be purely bad luck.

[mcholley1]

I’ve had that happen when my first fold is close to the same length as the second. Meaning, they tend to hang better if the first fold is much shorter than the second. I’m not sure the reason behind it…but that is my experience.

[ducktape74]

It took me a while to find the pattern in my bin. It is McCalls M6388. I made view C, but with only the single ruffle shown in view D.

http://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m6388-products-14651.php?page_id=712