Hi, I thought id share with you a method i learned from a tailor who learned it from a tailor. I safety pin all layers together 12 inches from the floor. If its a full gown I put the pins about 4"apart. That's a plumline. Then I turn it up in the front to where the customer would like it. When I take the gown off and lay it over my ironing board, i measure from the plum line to the turned up hem and that becomes the measrure from all of the pins of the plum line marking it with tailors chalk. After doing a turned hem on tge top layer, I measure from the plum line again on the second layer making it 1/2 " shorter that the top layer and so on for each addtional layer. I dont have to get down on my knees to see if the hem is level, I can sit on a chair. I can also be sure that all the layers are level. I then take out the pins on my plum line. Let me know if you try it. I also use this method of the 12 inch mark on pants to determine if a customer has one hip higher than another. I put the 12 inch mark in the back.
Thanks for your tip! Yes I have used this method on pants. For dresses I have yet to have a wearer that doesn’t hold perfectly still! So marking accurately all the way around has been challenging. ;) And with chiffon, I need it to hang to measure it. I have hemmed chiffon (many times and years ago) flat on a board, only to have that darned bias mess up the straight hem line. That’s why I prefer marking it while it is hanging or being worn. The method you mentioned might be very useful especially for someone who doesn’t have the benefit of a dress form, especially one that can change height. Thank you for posting your tip! It’s definitely one worth knowing.
You mentioned that factory made clothing is often not straight. I recently sewed on patches to "tailored" suit coats for a local Volunteer Fire Dept. Honor Guard. (18 jackets) I began to notice something odd but couldn't quite figure out what was the problem. I finally got my sewing tape out. 🤨 On one jacket there was a 3" discrepancy between the width of the 2 shoulders. On another, there was a 1/2" difference in front right hem and front left hem. Upon completing my task and returning to the representative with who I was dealing I gave him my notes of discrepancies on each jacket. (8 of 18) He reported back to me the gentlemen now realized why the jackets didn't feel right. I was then asked to sew patches on "tailored" shirts: 3 of 18 had glaring issues. When asked to Hemphill 1 pr of "tailored" pants, 1 leg was 3" longer than the other. I'm not knowledgeable enough at alterations to fix the jackets or dress shirts. The gentlemen decided to keep them but steer clear of that company in future. I was astonished at the lack of quality.
I'm astounded by those discrepencies! WOW! Good for you for figuring out the issues and being able to report it back to those in charge. Maybe they went with their cheapest option, and this is what they've ended up with. I have noticed that some of the higher end dresses I work on seems to be straighter than the cheaper ones ;) Thanks for being a faithful viewer, and for commenting! Blessings to you, my friend!
Love your explanations of why and how. Understanding why certain techniques work and others do not work really helps me in my pursuit of a perfect hem for my customers. Marking the center, back, and sides is my usual method. I had not, however, thought about what you said about the split having different lengths. I will pay attention to your suggestion on the next split formal I hem. Thanks
I'm glad this was a helpful video for you in getting a more perfect hem. I've been amazed at how crooked factory hems can be and have always had great hems using this method! Thanks for watching and leaving a comment. :)
Why hello there!!! ;) The chalk hemmer puffs out a 1" horizontal line of chalk wherever I place it. I try to place the 'puffs' within a couple inches of each other so I have enough of a visual line to connect when I press up my hem. Thanks for commenting!
I don't quite understand your question...sorry! In the video you can see that I pin the hem of the dress while my client is wearing it, making sure that it is the same distance OFF THE FLOOR all the way around. Then when I put it on my dress form, I measure from the floor up, once again, and adjust how the dress is hanging off my dress form, to make sure that the hem is the same distance all around, so I can chalk mark it on the same line. If I didn't answer your question, can you please rephrase it so I can try and answer you accurately? Thanks!! :)
@@SewDarnedFun I thought the seams were on the grain, sorry. I thought it makes sense because the grain holds position and bias doesn’t. Thank you very much for the answer!
Well I don’t know if I adequately answered your question or if I even quite understood what you meant ;) A seam is where any two pieces of fabric are sewn to each other. This can be either on the straight grain or on the bias. If the question here is in regard to how this dress hangs unevenly at the bottom edge, for this particular dress, it’s probably because of how it hangs on the body AND possibly uneven hem from the factory (ALL TOO common!) I hope something in what I wrote makes sense you! Please ask if you have any more questions and thank you for asking in the first place 😊
That's a great question with probably many answers, none of which will be easy and quick if you're doing this all by yourself. There will be a lot of trial and error, I think. Please bear with me as I try to explain my thoughts. And maybe out of this, you can determine what might work for you. First, lots of dresses have that chiffon outer layer. So I'm going to approach this assuming you have a sheer layer. When there is a sheer layer, those types of fabrics usually (not always, but most often in my experience) have a bias stretch. There will be some point on your skirt that goes along a slight curve at the hem, and this is probably along the bias. The bias is unstable and will want to stretch a bit as it hangs. That's why I don't recomment just laying it flat and marking it for hemming. When you lay it flat, the bias retracts, and may make those areas shorter than you intend. So, unless your dress is a cotton, or stable fabric, try to mark it while it's hanging (preferably while you're wearing it). If you feel the fabric is stable, AND if you think the factory hemline is actually straight, not higher in the back and lower in the front etc, then you can figure how much you want it shorter and just measure that much all the way around while it is flat on your table. BUT.....let's assume that's not the case. You need to have some sort of mark, or way to measure your hemline against something that doesn't move, so that you can try and get accurate markings all the way around. Maybe put a piece of tape with a marking of your desired length on a door or wall (if the dress is shorter than floor length) and fold your hemline up (just do the outer layer...you can measure your inner layers against this one later after it's hemmed) and pin it. Try to turn and compare this marking on the tape on the wall with the sides, and again fold the hem up trying to match this mark on the wall and pin it. It will take pinning, unpinning, and pinning again. It will be a process, so don't be mistaken there. If the dress has way too much fabric to fold up and pin, then cut off a certain amount of inches that you know are extra, making the extra you're working with much more managable. Now, if the hem is to be floor length, then I would put the dress on, and visually mark where you want the length to be and pin it up....doing this all the way around. I'm afraid I have no easy method off the top of my head, so these are just my first thoughts on how you might accomplish this. If you come up with any other ideas, or links, please put them here so others might be helped, too! Good luck and I hope some of this made sense, or might have helped you with a new idea that will work for you. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Hi, I thought id share with you a method i learned from a tailor who learned it from a tailor. I safety pin all layers together 12 inches from the floor. If its a full gown I put the pins about 4"apart. That's a plumline. Then I turn it up in the front to where the customer would like it. When I take the gown off and lay it over my ironing board, i measure from the plum line to the turned up hem and that becomes the measrure from all of the pins of the plum line marking it with tailors chalk. After doing a turned hem on tge top layer, I measure from the plum line again on the second layer making it 1/2 " shorter that the top layer and so on for each addtional layer. I dont have to get down on my knees to see if the hem is level, I can sit on a chair. I can also be sure that all the layers are level. I then take out the pins on my plum line. Let me know if you try it. I also use this method of the 12 inch mark on pants to determine if a customer has one hip higher than another. I put the 12 inch mark in the back.
Thanks for your tip! Yes I have used this method on pants. For dresses I have yet to have a wearer that doesn’t hold perfectly still! So marking accurately all the way around has been challenging. ;) And with chiffon, I need it to hang to measure it. I have hemmed chiffon (many times and years ago) flat on a board, only to have that darned bias mess up the straight hem line. That’s why I prefer marking it while it is hanging or being worn. The method you mentioned might be very useful especially for someone who doesn’t have the benefit of a dress form, especially one that can change height. Thank you for posting your tip! It’s definitely one worth knowing.
You mentioned that factory made clothing is often not straight. I recently sewed on patches to "tailored" suit coats for a local Volunteer Fire Dept. Honor Guard. (18 jackets) I began to notice something odd but couldn't quite figure out what was the problem. I finally got my sewing tape out. 🤨 On one jacket there was a 3" discrepancy between the width of the 2 shoulders. On another, there was a 1/2" difference in front right hem and front left hem. Upon completing my task and returning to the representative with who I was dealing I gave him my notes of discrepancies on each jacket. (8 of 18) He reported back to me the gentlemen now realized why the jackets didn't feel right. I was then asked to sew patches on "tailored" shirts: 3 of 18 had glaring issues. When asked to Hemphill 1 pr of "tailored" pants, 1 leg was 3" longer than the other. I'm not knowledgeable enough at alterations to fix the jackets or dress shirts. The gentlemen decided to keep them but steer clear of that company in future. I was astonished at the lack of quality.
I'm astounded by those discrepencies! WOW! Good for you for figuring out the issues and being able to report it back to those in charge. Maybe they went with their cheapest option, and this is what they've ended up with. I have noticed that some of the higher end dresses I work on seems to be straighter than the cheaper ones ;) Thanks for being a faithful viewer, and for commenting! Blessings to you, my friend!
Love your explanations of why and how. Understanding why certain techniques work and others do not work really helps me in my pursuit of a perfect hem for my customers.
Marking the center, back, and sides is my usual method. I had not, however, thought about what you said about the split having different lengths. I will pay attention to your suggestion on the next split formal I hem. Thanks
I'm glad this was a helpful video for you in getting a more perfect hem. I've been amazed at how crooked factory hems can be and have always had great hems using this method! Thanks for watching and leaving a comment. :)
I love that your dress form is named Helga, mine is named Olga!
LOL! They're probably cousins!!!!
That chalk tool looks cool! Are you drawing the lines with it or does it spray a line? (Non sewing person fascinated here 😂)
Why hello there!!! ;) The chalk hemmer puffs out a 1" horizontal line of chalk wherever I place it. I try to place the 'puffs' within a couple inches of each other so I have enough of a visual line to connect when I press up my hem. Thanks for commenting!
Good evening! Why is it important to measure the seams, because of the grain of the fabric?
I don't quite understand your question...sorry! In the video you can see that I pin the hem of the dress while my client is wearing it, making sure that it is the same distance OFF THE FLOOR all the way around. Then when I put it on my dress form, I measure from the floor up, once again, and adjust how the dress is hanging off my dress form, to make sure that the hem is the same distance all around, so I can chalk mark it on the same line. If I didn't answer your question, can you please rephrase it so I can try and answer you accurately? Thanks!! :)
@@SewDarnedFun I thought the seams were on the grain, sorry. I thought it makes sense because the grain holds position and bias doesn’t. Thank you very much for the answer!
Well I don’t know if I adequately answered your question or if I even quite understood what you meant ;) A seam is where any two pieces of fabric are sewn to each other. This can be either on the straight grain or on the bias. If the question here is in regard to how this dress hangs unevenly at the bottom edge, for this particular dress, it’s probably because of how it hangs on the body AND possibly uneven hem from the factory (ALL TOO common!) I hope something in what I wrote makes sense you! Please ask if you have any more questions and thank you for asking in the first place 😊
Is there any kind of tips if you wanted to hem a dress on your own? I thought I would be able to do it but I can’t figure out how to measure :(
That's a great question with probably many answers, none of which will be easy and quick if you're doing this all by yourself. There will be a lot of trial and error, I think. Please bear with me as I try to explain my thoughts. And maybe out of this, you can determine what might work for you. First, lots of dresses have that chiffon outer layer. So I'm going to approach this assuming you have a sheer layer. When there is a sheer layer, those types of fabrics usually (not always, but most often in my experience) have a bias stretch. There will be some point on your skirt that goes along a slight curve at the hem, and this is probably along the bias. The bias is unstable and will want to stretch a bit as it hangs. That's why I don't recomment just laying it flat and marking it for hemming. When you lay it flat, the bias retracts, and may make those areas shorter than you intend. So, unless your dress is a cotton, or stable fabric, try to mark it while it's hanging (preferably while you're wearing it). If you feel the fabric is stable, AND if you think the factory hemline is actually straight, not higher in the back and lower in the front etc, then you can figure how much you want it shorter and just measure that much all the way around while it is flat on your table. BUT.....let's assume that's not the case. You need to have some sort of mark, or way to measure your hemline against something that doesn't move, so that you can try and get accurate markings all the way around. Maybe put a piece of tape with a marking of your desired length on a door or wall (if the dress is shorter than floor length) and fold your hemline up (just do the outer layer...you can measure your inner layers against this one later after it's hemmed) and pin it. Try to turn and compare this marking on the tape on the wall with the sides, and again fold the hem up trying to match this mark on the wall and pin it. It will take pinning, unpinning, and pinning again. It will be a process, so don't be mistaken there. If the dress has way too much fabric to fold up and pin, then cut off a certain amount of inches that you know are extra, making the extra you're working with much more managable. Now, if the hem is to be floor length, then I would put the dress on, and visually mark where you want the length to be and pin it up....doing this all the way around. I'm afraid I have no easy method off the top of my head, so these are just my first thoughts on how you might accomplish this. If you come up with any other ideas, or links, please put them here so others might be helped, too! Good luck and I hope some of this made sense, or might have helped you with a new idea that will work for you. Thanks for watching and commenting!