How to Sew a Hem (5 Types of Hems for Beginners)

Choosing the right type of hem can make the difference between a professional-looking garment and one that twists, puckers, or hangs poorly. Different fabrics, garment styles, and sewing projects require different hemming techniques. A narrow rolled hem is ideal for lightweight fabrics and curved edges, while a double-fold hem is perfect for skirts, dresses, and pants. Knit fabrics need stretchy hems, and tailored garments often benefit from an almost invisible blind hem. In this guide, you’ll learn the most common types of hems, when to use each one, and how to choose the best hem for your fabric.

5 Types of Hems Tutorial

Nearly all clothing items will need a hem, and most of the time the type will be determined by the pattern instructions. You can, of course, always substitute the hem type to better suit your fabric or personal tastes.

How to Choose the Best Type of Hem

The best hem depends on three factors: fabric weight, garment shape, and the finish you want to achieve.

• Choose a double-fold hem for most skirts, dresses, pants, and beginner sewing projects.
• Use a narrow rolled hem for lightweight fabrics such as chiffon, voile, rayon, and curved hems.
• Select a bias tape hem when the fabric is thick or bulky and a traditional folded hem would create too much bulk.
• Sew a blind hem when you want the stitches to be nearly invisible from the right side of the garment.
• Use a zig-zag or overlocked hem for knit fabrics and casual garments that need flexibility and stretch.

If you’re unsure which hem to use, a double-fold hem is usually the safest choice for woven fabrics. Before we start going into the types of hems in more detail, here is a table of the most popular types of hems compared:

Hem Type	Best For	Skill Level	Fabrics
Double Fold Hem	Straight hems on skirts, dresses, and pants	Beginner	Cotton, linen, chambray
Narrow / Rolled Hem	Curved hems, blouses, lightweight garments	Intermediate	Chiffon, voile, rayon
Bias Tape Hem	Thick or bulky fabrics, decorative finishes	Beginner	Denim, wool, canvas
Blind Hem	Dress pants, tailored skirts, formal wear	Intermediate	Suiting, twill, wool blends
Zig-Zag / Overlocked Hem	Stretch fabrics, casual clothing, knits	Beginner	Jersey, fleece, ponte

What is a Hem in Sewing? A sewing hem is a method of finishing the edges of clothing or fabric items so it does not fray. It is usually created by folding the fabric edge and then sewing it in place.

The main 5 types of hems are:

1. Double fold hem
2. Narrow hem
3. Bias tape hem
4. Blind hem
5. Single fold hem – Zig-zag or overlocked hem

This article deals with machine hems. If you are looking for a hand-sewn hem, read how to sew catch stitch. A catch stitch is a common method to sew hems by hand. The article also shows you a couple of alternative hand stitches.

Double-Fold Hem (Best for Skirts, Dresses and Pants)

This is one of the most commonly used hems in the majority of sewing patterns. It is easy to do and gives a nice professional finish to most items. A double-fold hem is best for straight hems, as curved hems tend to wrinkle and pucker.

Best for: Straight hems on skirts, dresses, and pants, medium-weight fabrics

1. Step 1: First, press or fold the raw edge over by the seam allowance. The most common in Treasurie sewing patterns is 1/2 inch (12mm) or 3/4 inch (2cm).
2. Step 2: Press the hem over a second time by the hem seam allowance.
3. Step 3: Stitch close to the open folded edge with a matching bobbin. Because the bobbin thread will show on the right side of the garment, check the bobbin sewing machine tension is correct before you start.
4. Step 4: Press

Narrow Rolled Hem (Best for Lightweight Fabrics)

A narrow or rolled hem is typically used for lightweight fabrics, particularly on blouses. It is also great for hemming curved edges, such as those found on circular skirts. Although the method is very similar to the double-folded hem, the hem is much narrower.

Best for: Curved hems, blouses, lightweight garments, delicate fabrics

With a Regular Presser Foot

1. Step 1: On the wrong side, press up the raw hem edge by 3/8″ (9mm). Stitch close to the bottom fold.
2. Step 2: Trim close to the stitches.
3. Step 3: Fold the hem again to create a 1/8″ (3mm) hem. Stitch over the original row of stitches.
4. Step 4 – Press

Using a Rolled Hem Foot: If you find turning such a small edge difficult, you can also get machine feet that will automatically turn up the edge by 1/8 inch (3mm) or 1/4 inch (6mm). They are called a rolled hem foot or a hemmer foot and are available for most makes of machine, either individually or in a kit.

See how the channel in the front of the foot rolls the fabric before sewing so there is no need to press the hem before sewing. This foot does save a lot of time but is best suited to straight hems.

Further Reading:

• How to use a rolled hem foot
• Sewing narrow hems without a rolled hem foot.
• How to sew a narrow hem

Bias Tape Hem (Best for Bulky Fabrics)

Using bias tape for a hem is great for thick fabrics where creating a rolled hem or double hem would be too bulky. This photo shows the wrong side of the hem. On the right side, you just see a single line of stitches.

Best for: Thick fabrics, decorative finishes, limited hem allowance

There are a lot of types of bias tape, but the most common one used for hems is 1/2 inch (12mm) single-fold bias. This can be shop-bought, or you can make your own.

1. Step 1: Open one side of the bias tape and pin it to the right side of your garment. (Right sides together) Stitch in the crease of the tape, which will be 1/4 inch (6mm) from the raw edge.
2. Step 2: Press the bias to the wrong side. The seam will now be on the very edge of the garment.
3. Step 3: Stitch the top edge of the bias tape to the inside of the garment either by hand or machine.
4. Step 4: If you wish to have a wider hem, you can place the bias tape further up.

Blind Hem (Best for Invisible Finishes)

A blind hem is invisible (or almost invisible) from the right side of the fabric. You often see it on the bottom of slacks or skirts and it is normally used for wider straight hems. You can sew this with a blind hem stitch on most sewing machines with or without a special foot. I have a full tutorial on how to stitch a blind hem with your machine.

Best for: Dress pants, tailored skirts, formal wear, invisible finishes

Zig-Zag or Overlocked Hem (Best for Knit Fabrics)

A popular way to sew a hem is using a combination of your serger and regular machine. You will see these types of hems in many store-bought clothing items. A zig-zag or overlocked hem is great for most fabrics and particularly bulky or hard-to-press fabrics. It is also great for sewing curved edges. This is called a single fold hem.

Best for: Stretch fabrics, casual clothing, knits, quick and durable hems

1. Step 1: Zig-zag or serger (overlock) the raw edge and then press it up once by the hem allowance.
2. Step 2: Stitch across on top of the finished edge.

Other Hem Finishes to Try

Decorative Hem Ideas

The 5 ways to sew a hem outlined above create a traditional invisible or inconspicuous hem. But hems can also be used to add interest to an otherwise simple garment.

• ADD TRIM – Have a bit of fun and add lace trim, ric-rac or even pom-pom trim to the edge of your clothing.
• CONTRASTING BIAS – Another idea is to use the bias tape method, but use contrasting-colored bias tape that shows on the outside. I quite like this method for dresses with a circle skirt.

Knit Hems

Knit hems are created completely differently to woven hems since the fabric does not fray and the hems need to retain their stretch so the stitches don’t break.

You can create professional-looking knit hems with a simple zig-zag stitch and some hemming tape. Knit hems can also be sewn with a twin needle to produce a double row of stitching similar to that on most of your store-bought t-shirts. Knit fabric hems can be transformed by using the lettuce hem technique. This technique creates a wavy hem with a stretched-out zig-zag.

Frayed Hems

If neatly constructed hems are not your style, then the last one I have for you is a frayed hem. Frayed hems are best suited to open-weave heavier fabrics and particularly denim. How to Fray Hems (4 different methods of fraying)

How to Sew a Hem by Hand

There are numerous stitches you can use to sew a hem by hand. Some of the more popular include the slip stitch, catch stitch, and running stitch. Read the full article on hand hemming stitches.

Common Hemming Mistakes

• Not pressing the hem before sewing
• Choosing a hem that is too bulky for the fabric
• Using a straight stitch on stretchy knit fabrics
• Sewing curved hems with a wide double fold
• Skipping fabric testing before hemming the final garment

Types of Hems FAQs

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In Conclusion

Thanks for reading this article on how to sew a hem. Do you have any other hemming methods or types of hems you like to use? Please share below.

More Hem Articles:

• NARROW HEMS – How to sew a narrow hem
• WIDE HEMS – How to sew wide hems
• CIRCULAR HEMS – How to sew circular hems
• SQUARE HEMS – How to Sew Mitered Corners
• HAND HEMS – How to sew catch Stitch and Hemming stitch
• SCALLOPED HEMS – Sewing scallops
• DOUBLE HEMS – Double fold hems
• SINGLE HEMS – Single fold hems