How to Hem a Dress

This tutorial on how to hem a dress will give you insight on an essential sewing technique. After this tutorial you will understand how to hem pretty much anything, and you’ll also be able to hem other things like pants, skirts, and shirts.

What is a Hem?

A hem is the edge of the clothing material turned under and sewn.

Why Hem?

Most clothes bought today, with the exception of some men’s pants, already come hemmed at a predetermined length. So, you would want to hem your own clothes to make the length shorter.

Hemming also prevents fraying. How to hem depends on the type of material:

Knit: Most apparel fabric worn today is a knit material with some stretch. Think t-shirts, yoga pants, ect. Knit material does not fray, but it can tend to roll up on itself, especially through washings. A hem prevents this roll, and it is only necessary to turn the fabric under once.

Woven: In contrast, woven material frays easily and must be turned under twice.

Hemming a Dress

I hemmed this dress for a Bachelorette party in Lake Tahoe. It was a quick and easy project, and I’m so happy with the results.

How to Hem a Dress Steps:

• Measure and cut the dress to the desired length
• Iron under the edges and use pins to hold in place
• Sew

Step 1

Have a friend help determine the right length for you. It’s really easy to make things too short, and a second set of eyes is often more helpful than a mirror.

Measure from the bottom up to find out how many inches should be taken off, and remember to make an allowance for the material that will be folded under.

For example: This dress needed to be 6 inches shorter. I cut off 5 inches, and the last inch would come off during the folding and ironing. Furthermore, this dress had to be folded under twice, because the material is woven.

Use a measuring tool and fabric pen to mark where to make your cut. Then use scissors or a rotary blade and self healing mat to cut away the excess fabric.

 

Step 2

Use a steam iron for a good press. This Sunbeam iron works amazing.

The first fold should be at least a quarter of an inch. The second fold should be wider, around a half inch or more. Pin the dress during the second pressing. This will keep everything in place during sewing.

Step 3

Sew the hem! A straight hem will be quick and easy. In contrast, a curved hem like on this dress, takes a little more time and patience.

Notes on How to Hem a Dress

Learning how to hem a garment is sewing 101, and hemming is a great way to update your wardrobe. Using this technique, you can also adjust the length of shirts, sleeves, pants, and skirts. Another way to use you new hemming know how is to sew things for the home, like curtains.

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