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Just out of interest, how do you like to hem? Double fold, with seam binding, with bias binding or another way? I'm thinking about how I'm going to hem my wool crepe dress - was going to go with bias binding but am suddenly worried it might interfere with the drape...

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I'm pretty lazy - I usually just finish my hem (I don't have a serger but I have a overlock type stitch on my machine), press it over and stitch in place.  When I really care I'll either blind hem stitch or use bias binding.

I double-fold (I think? I press it up and then fold over and press again) and blind stitch by  hand.  It takes FOREVER! 

Would it depend on what type of bias tape? For example, what if the bias tape was also wool crepe? 

Depends on the fabric and how fancy it is.

Quick n' Dirty: w/ a posty-note pack w/ the back peeled off for a make-shift seam guide.  The little papers tend to slip, so I just purchased a real magnetic seam guide.  One isn't supposed to use them w/ computerized machines, but I live on the wild side, so I'm probably going to take my chances that the magnet isn't close enough to the main board.  Don't do what I do...

Special: On sheers, I use a rolled hem foot.  They are annoying as the sheer always dismounts as you go along, so I go slowly, which helps to build a nicer finish.  The trick is in starting: stick the fabric under the foot, tack it w/ like, 3 stitches, then wiggle it in.  (I swear a lot when I sew.)  Using one's more like a walk in the country than a fast dance in a night club, though.

I love hand finishes with the old-fashioned hem lace, but we only have a week...

I am also lazy. If I'm lucky enough to have my mom's serger, I use that, then fold it over and machine straight stitch it. If I don't have the serger (we live 8 hours from each other, so sharing is a little hard) and the fabric frays, I use a zig-zag to finish the edge, fold that over and straight stitch it down.  If the fabric is like a cotton knit I just hem it without doing a double fold. I'm starting to get pretty good at the blind hem setting on my machine, so I'm using that more and more. I've done bias tape on a few things, but it's far from my favorite. Hand sewing is a last resort for me. I don't have the time, space (kids and cats are in the way) or patience for it. 

I'm a double-fold with top stitching kind of girl. I want to do more blind hems because my machine has that stitch, but I need to practice more.

Depends on the fabric.  

For my last two wool crepe dresses I did one (the Little Black Dress Clip dress, which has a  straight skirt) with bias hem binding and a blind hem stitch, and the other (the Summertime Southerly dress, which has a flowy/semi circle skirt) with a rolled hem.   I've got close up shots of both these dresses hems on my blog.  I'm obsessed with finishes :-)

Double turned with blind hem stitch, bias hem strips with blind hem stitching, and rolled hems probably account for 75% of the hems I do - the others are either hand sewn (both double fold and rolled hem) or bias bound.  

 

I usually do baby hems on my skirts, but that's because they're all loud, busy cotton prints anyway, so no one is going to notice a line of stitching at the bottom. A couple of times in the past I've done a much larger hem, but then added trim right over my stitching so as to avoid having to do a blind hem stitch. The b.h.s. on my machine is unpredictable, and I'm still coming around to hand-sewing an entire hem.

I cover stitch (using a special stitch and machine foot on my sewing machine) the hem edge. Then I machine baste a line of long straight stitches along where the hem would normally fold (using the seam guide on my machine). Then I fold along the basted line, iron and pin. I baste another line of long stitches 1 cm from the fold then use the blind hem foot on my machine to blind hem. Remove all the basting stitches, iron and I'm done.

Depends on the fabric and item. I usually machine finish the edge and top stitch in place on casual, sporty clothes. On knits I use a double needle. Dress pants usually get a machine finished edge and hand stitching. I would not usually use a turned under edge except on fabrics like shirting. Also depends on how it will be worn. If the hem will show, eg an unlined jacket it has to be well done and the design considered.

I use seam binding. I love the nice, classy finish on the inside. 

I love seam binding - but for fabrics that might be affected by the weight/thickness whatever, I use rayon seam binding. It's light as a feather and doesn't show through either! Best part is it comes in HEAPS of different colours :)

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