{"id":3,"date":"2008-08-06T19:46:00","date_gmt":"2008-08-06T19:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/blog\/2008\/08\/hem-facing\/"},"modified":"2019-02-27T03:22:15","modified_gmt":"2019-02-27T08:22:15","slug":"hem-facing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2008\/08\/hem-facing.html","title":{"rendered":"hem facing"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Top Blog Posts -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-9094380802992435\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"4573535109\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\nThe hem facing has become a sort of signature feature of many Oliver + S patterns.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/hemfacingT.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-53283\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-53283\" src=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/hemfacingT-580x421.jpg\" alt=\"How to sew a hem facing\" width=\"580\" height=\"421\" srcset=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/hemfacingT-580x421.jpg 580w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/hemfacingT-275x200.jpg 275w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/hemfacingT.jpg 675w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>It all started with our very first pattern, the Tea Party sundress. I strongly prefer neat, simple solutions to design problems and was dreading the hem on the flared skirt of the sundress; in order to finish it using conventional sewing methods, the excess fabric from the flared skirt would need to be eased into the narrower part of the skirt when the hem was folded up to finish it. Generally, this results (for me, anyway) in much gritting of teeth and, very commonly, a crummy-looking hem, both on the outside and inside of the garment. It seemed much simpler and cleaner to create a separate pattern piece for the hem.<\/p>\n<p>And it worked so well, now we use it on many of our other patterns, too! Here is a little demonstration of the hem to show you how it is sewn:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/pre2010\/size5f-741176.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; cursor: hand; text-align: center;\" src=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/pre2010\/size5f-741112.jpg\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>1. First, the facing pieces are sewn together at the side seams, right sides together, to create a loop that matches the contour of the skirt hem itself. Press the seam allowances open. Then fold and press the top 1\/2&#8243; edge of the joined hem facing to the wrong side so the upper edge of the facing will have a clean finish.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/pre2010\/facing-795920.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; cursor: hand; text-align: center;\" src=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/pre2010\/facing-795803.jpg\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>2. With right sides together and the hem facing&#8217;s folded edge positioned at the top, pin the hem facing to the bottom edge of the dress, matching the hem facing\u2019s seams with the dress\u2019s seams. Sew the facing to the dress with a 1\/2&#8243; seam.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/pre2010\/facing-1-759315.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; cursor: hand; text-align: center;\" src=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/pre2010\/facing-1-759251.jpg\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/pre2010\/facing-2-762121.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; cursor: hand; text-align: center;\" src=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/pre2010\/facing-2-762049.jpg\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n3. Press the hem facing away from the skirt, toward the seam allowances. Then understitch the seam allowances on the hem facing and dress, stitching them to the facing 1\/8&#8243; from the hem seam. To understitch, you&#8217;ll edgestitch on the hem facing close to the seam, sewing through the facing and the seam allowances. Understitching helps to keep the seam and the facing inside the garment, and prevents them from showing when the garment is worn.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><a href=\"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/pre2010\/facing-4-727430.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; cursor: hand; text-align: center;\" src=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/pre2010\/facing-4-727347.jpg\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a> <em><span style=\"font-size: 85%;\">understitching from the outside of the dress<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><a href=\"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/pre2010\/facing-5-783968.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; cursor: hand; text-align: center;\" src=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/pre2010\/facing-5-783880.jpg\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a> <em><span style=\"font-size: 85%;\">understitching from the inside of the dress<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>4. Trim the seam allowances at the hem about 1\/8&#8243; from the understitching. Turn and press the hem facing to the inside of the dress, pressing the seam slightly to the inside so it doesn\u2019t show on the finished dress. The entire facing is now inside the dress, with none of it showing from the outside.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><a href=\"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/pre2010\/trimmed-understitching-727966.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; cursor: hand; text-align: center;\" src=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/pre2010\/trimmed-understitching-727535.jpg\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><em><span style=\"font-size: 85%;\">seam allowances trimmed<br \/>\n<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/pre2010\/facing-8-726872.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; cursor: hand; text-align: center;\" src=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/pre2010\/facing-8-726762.jpg\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-size: 85%;\">hem facing from the inside of the dress<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><a href=\"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/pre2010\/facing-9-785136.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; cursor: hand; text-align: center;\" src=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/pre2010\/facing-9-785046.jpg\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a> <span style=\"font-size: 85%;\"><em>hem facing from the outside of the dress (doesn&#8217;t show!)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>5. Use a blindstitch to hand-sew the folded top edge of the hem facing to the wrong side of the skirt to finish the hem.<\/p>\n<p>The hem facing works especially well on flared hems, but it could be used on streight hems also. If your garment is made from a heavy fabric, you might want to consider using a lighter-weight fabric for the facings so that you don&#8217;t add a lot of bulk to the bottom seam. I like to use a fabric that contrasts or compliments the rest of the garment like the plaid facing shown in the photos. The hem facing can be a little surprise when it peeks out, and you could do all sorts of interesting things with it, including embroidering it or using other embellishments to give it extra interest. Have fun with it!<\/p>\n<p><em>If you enjoyed this blog post, why not <a href=\"\/signup\">sign up for our newsletter<\/a>? It&#8217;s free, and you can opt to have new blog posts sent to you by email too!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many Oliver + S patterns make use of our signature hem facing. Here&#8217;s a photo tutorial for how to sew it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":53283,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[34,140],"class_list":["post-3","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tutorials","tag-hems","tag-tutorial"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/hemfacingT.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5jZS5-3","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12038,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2014\/08\/starting-out-with-oliver-s-girl-patterns.html","url_meta":{"origin":3,"position":0},"title":"starting out with oliver + s: girl patterns","author":"Rachel Le Grand","date":"August 11, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"This is the first of a three part series which is meant to offer a bit of advice to someone who is starting out sewing as to what Oliver + S patterns would be a good place to begin.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;general post&quot;","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/14235625618_d2c317f56e_o.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":65101,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2018\/03\/top-10-selling-oliver-s-patterns-of-all-time.html","url_meta":{"origin":3,"position":1},"title":"top 10-selling oliver + s patterns of all time","author":"Rachel Le Grand","date":"March 16, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Have you ever wondered what are the most popular Oliver + S pattern styles have been over the last ten years? We\u2019ve gathered the top ten selling patterns of all time.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;general post&quot;","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/top10patternsF.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":80,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2009\/04\/lazy-days-with-bias-hem.html","url_meta":{"origin":3,"position":2},"title":"lazy days skirt with bias hem","author":"Liesl Gibson","date":"April 29, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"We continue to be amazed at the popularity of the Lazy Days Skirt pattern. If you take a look at the Flickr group you'll see a large number of skirts made from this simple, free pattern. I'm sure we'll be seeing many more of these appearing there in coming weeks\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;general post&quot;","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/skirt-791234.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":58955,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2016\/12\/sew-tell-rachels-advent-calendar-for-a-doll.html","url_meta":{"origin":3,"position":3},"title":"sew + tell: rachel\u2019s advent calendar for a doll","author":"Rachel Le Grand","date":"December 15, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The countdown 'til Christmas is on! 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This means that the construction techniques need to be innovative and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;general post&quot;","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/LazyDaysSkirt-743862.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10810,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2014\/04\/favorite-pattern-sharon-aka-mama-knowles.html","url_meta":{"origin":3,"position":5},"title":"favorite pattern: sharon aka mama knowles","author":"skirt as top","date":"April 23, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Sharon (Mama Knowles) talks about why the Tea Party Dress and Playsuit is her favorite Oliver + S pattern.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;general post&quot;","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/602.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68773,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3\/revisions\/68773"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}