{"id":42684,"date":"2015-02-11T09:58:52","date_gmt":"2015-02-11T14:58:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/?p=42684"},"modified":"2017-06-16T16:32:12","modified_gmt":"2017-06-16T20:32:12","slug":"lettuce-hem-using-a-serger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2015\/02\/lettuce-hem-using-a-serger.html","title":{"rendered":"lettuce hem using a serger"},"content":{"rendered":"

About five years ago (has it been that long?!?) I wrote a guest post for the Janome blog on how to use a serger to make a lettuce hem on knits. In the intervening years, that post has been eaten by the internet. Someone recently found a reference to it buried deep within Google’s memory and asked if we could bring the post back. I thought that would be a good idea, so we’re rerunning it today. The method is timeless, and is a good one, so here’s the post again. If you are interested in how to make a lettuce hem using a sewing machine, head this way<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Lettuce<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We\u2019ve been playing with our new collection of printed interlock knits (called City Weekend<\/a> and available at independent fabric shops via Moda) and our Janome 1100D serger, and I wanted to show you how to do an easy lettuce hem on your knits. For this example, I sewed pajamas for my daughter (the S of Oliver + S) using two of our newest patterns: the Hopscotch Top<\/a> and the Nature Walk Pants<\/a>. I selected three coordinating City Weekend interlock knits and added a lettuce hem on the sleeves and pant legs to give them a sweet, delicate finish.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Lettuce<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Lettuce<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Oliver<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Let’s get started.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Hopscotch Top and Nature Walk Pants patterns are designed for knits, and the instructions will teach you how to sew with knits using a serger or a sewing machine. I love using a serger to because it is extremely fast and gives a beautiful finish to the garment. I really like the 1100D because the tension adjusts automatically, so you simply need to change a few settings on the machine and you\u2019ll be ready to go.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Janome<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stitch number 8: Once you\u2019ve selected stitch 8, the rolled hem 3 stitch, you simply follow the symbols displayed in the windows to set up the machine properly. I like that the little windows show you how to set up the machine. Refer to your user\u2019s manual if you haven\u2019t changed the settings on your machine before and need a little extra guidance. It\u2019s quite simple to do.<\/p>\n

Here are the specific settings I used.<\/p>\n

Differential Feed: Set the differential feed (DF) to 1. (I didn\u2019t play with this setting, but I suspect that if you set this to a number higher than 1 it would do some stretching for you and you would need to stretch the fabric less when you stitch the hem.)<\/p>\n

Stitch Length: Set the stitch length (SL) somewhere between 0.5 and 1. I set it halfway between the two numbers so the stitches were close together but the fabric kept moving through the machine as I stitched. If you want even more waves to your lettuce edge, you could set this number at 0.5 so the stitches are closer together.<\/p>\n

Needle position: Remove the right-hand needle: this is easy to do, and it disengages the blue thread (#4) for the stitch.<\/p>\n

Cutting width: I found that the cutting width is important for this hem. If the cutting width is too narrow, the hem doesn\u2019t fold over enough and looks messy when finished. Too wide, and it doesn\u2019t look delicate and sweet. Because you\u2019ll be stretching the interlock as you sew it, the fabric will be narrower when stitched than it would be if you were stitching a woven fabric. After testing a few widths, I settled on a cutting width halfway between 1 and N. Try a few settings and see what works best with your fabric before you make your final hem.
\nUpper knife position: The upper knife is engaged for this stitch so the fabric will be trimmed to the correct width for the rolled hem. This is very useful because the knife sets up the edge perfectly for the stitch.<\/p>\n

2-thread converter: The 2-thread converter stays up for the rolled hem stitch.<\/p>\n

Needle plate setting knob: The needle plate setting knob needs to be lowered so the threads will wrap around the rolled hem neatly. (I was so excited to discover that the needle plate can be lowered, and now I\u2019m starting to contemplate other things I might be able to do with this feature.)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Doing<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve got everything set up, test a few knit scraps to check the settings and get comfortable with this stitch. You\u2019ll need to stretch the fabric as you stitch. The more you stretch, the wavier the edge. Keep the fabric stretched as evenly as possible while you work. It\u2019s easiest to do this with a tube shape rather than a straight piece of fabric, since a tube gives you something to stretch in front and behind the needle as you\u2019re working. (Sleeves and pant legs work perfectly!)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Distorted<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Recovered<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You\u2019ll notice, when you remove the fabric from the machine, that the interlock is stretched and distorted. It won\u2019t look very lettuce-y at first, but if you give it a few minutes to recover, you\u2019ll see that, as the knit returns to its original shape, the hem will curl up.<\/p>\n

Fun, yes?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here is a tutorial on how to do a lettuce hem on knits using a serger. This post was originally featured on the Janome blog in 2010.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":42685,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","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":[34,147,140],"class_list":["post-42684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tutorials","tag-hems","tag-nature-walk-pants","tag-tutorial"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/lettucehemTITLE.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5jZS5-b6s","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1735,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2010\/10\/lettuce-hem-by-sewing-machine.html","url_meta":{"origin":42684,"position":0},"title":"lettuce hem by sewing machine","author":"Liesl Gibson","date":"October 27, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Find out how to create a lettuce hem on your garments using a regular sewing machine.","rel":"","context":"In "tutorials"","block_context":{"text":"tutorials","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/tutorials"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/lettucehemmachineT.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":61709,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2017\/06\/fourteen-hem-tutorials.html","url_meta":{"origin":42684,"position":1},"title":"fourteen hem tutorials","author":"Rachel Le Grand","date":"June 20, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"There are several ways to sew a hem depending on what you want the finished look to appear like. Let me introduce you to fourteen hem tutorials that have appeared on the blog in the past. You're sure to find just the hem finishing technique you need here!","rel":"","context":"In "general post"","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\/2017\/06\/hemsF.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":60063,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2017\/03\/how-to-hem-everything-knit-fabrics.html","url_meta":{"origin":42684,"position":2},"title":"how to hem everything: knit fabrics","author":"Rachel Le Grand","date":"March 14, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"With this Oliver + S How to Hem Everything, Knit Fabrics Edition, Guide you\u2019ll learn eight different ways to hem knit fabrics.","rel":"","context":"In "tutorials"","block_context":{"text":"tutorials","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/tutorials"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/knithemsF.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1721,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2010\/10\/nature-walk-pants-with-city-weekend-knits.html","url_meta":{"origin":42684,"position":3},"title":"nature walk pants with City Weekend knits","author":"Liesl Gibson","date":"October 11, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"S is here to show you the Nature Walk Knit Pants made up in a few of the new City Weekend interlock knits. The Nature Walk Pants are the quiet sibling of the Nature Walk Pullover. Because these pants don't draw attention to themselves, many people have been surprised when\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "general post"","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\/2010\/10\/nature-pants.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":63161,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2017\/11\/holiday-pajama-inspiration.html","url_meta":{"origin":42684,"position":4},"title":"holiday pajama inspiration","author":"Rachel Le Grand","date":"November 3, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\u2019Tis the season to be sewing. Today we have holiday pajama inspiration with a festive fabric round-up. Merry making!","rel":"","context":"In "general post"","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\/2017\/11\/holidayfabricsF.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":77201,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2021\/05\/debbies-knit-tween-gelato-blouse.html","url_meta":{"origin":42684,"position":5},"title":"debbie’s knit tween gelato blouse","author":"Masha Richart","date":"May 24, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Debbie used the Gelato Blouse pattern to make a knit tunic for her granddaughter. 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