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How to Hem with a Serger at Home?

Hemming is the final step that completes skirts or pants. Because of this, the edges stay intact and protected. In some cases, hemming is also used to shorten garments.

While hemming is relatively easy, in the case of stretchy knit fabrics, hemming can become quite tricky. Commercially, a cover stitch machine is used for professional hemming, but are you wondering how to hem with a serger at home? Is it even worth learning? Let’s find out!

Uses of a Serged Hem

There are many ways a simple hem with a serger can be put to good use. Some of the most common ways are listed below.

• You can sew two pieces of fabric together with a serged hem. It’s great for creating blankets and quilts.
• Also, you can use it to hem and serge the raw edge of any fabric to avoid it from getting frayed.
• Besides that, you can create a rolled hem to suit fabrics such as tablecloths.
• In the case of stretchy fabrics, you can create lettuce-like hems with your serger to give them a unique, ruffled look.

How to Hem with a Serger?

If you have a serger at home, you can produce different types of hems according to the needs of different fabrics and clothing items. Now that you know the uses of a hem made with a serger, let’s take a step-by-step look at how to create one.

For this, you will need:

• A serger
• A regular sewing machine
• A ruler
• A chalk
• An iron

For Beginners

Follow these instructions once you have all the required equipment.

• Measure exactly how much you want to shorten the garment, and then put pins on the fabric at the length that you want.
• Mark the line with chalk. Keep in mind to draw the line where you want your garment to end after hemming, not at the complete desired length.
• Draw another mark apart from the first one. This one should be according to how wide you want your hem to be. If you are a beginner, it would be safer for you to draw a full line rather than just punctuated marks.
• Start cutting from the lower mark, which means from the end of the hem allowance. You can cut directly with the serger if you have enough practice. If not, it’s better if you use scissors to cut the fabric first. After that, proceed to trim and hem with the serger.
• After you have trimmed off the excess with a serger, you can proceed to make the actual hem. You can do it by using a regular sewing machine or just stitch it up by hand.
• Traditionally, the hemming is done a little far apart from the overlooked edge. However, you can also do it directly on the overlooked seam. In this way, you can use the threads of the serger needle to help you keep a straight line.
• Hold the fabric in a tight fold over the first mark, the one which shows the length you want your garment to be. Then, simply sew away on the overlooked seam.
• Seal the hem and make it neat and tidy by ironing it from the wrong side.
• You have your hemmed garment ready.

For the Experienced

If you don’t want to go through the pain of measuring and marking your fabric, or you are already a professional, then hemming with a serger is easy and simple for you. Here is how it’s done:

• First, adjust the settings on your serger for an overlock stitch, also called basic hemming. You can also create a roll stitch if you wish to, just adjust the settings accordingly.
• Then, trim your fabric to create a neat edge in the serger itself. Make sure to leave out at least one fourth more than your desired length.
• After that, it would be good if you started sewing in your serger a little before you put your cloth in. In this way, the tiny chains will start forming by themselves before they settle on your fabric.
• Then, move your cloth in gradually and let the serger slide off the excess.
• Slide off the whole side and take the fabric out. Similar to the start, leave the serger running after you have pulled your cloth out so that the chain formation continues a little after the hemming is complete. This ensures that the stitches of your hem don’t open up.
• Lastly, for extra neatness, use a darning needle to push the chains which are sticking out on the sides inside the seam of the hem.

Hemming Stretchy and Knitted Fabric

Similarly, as mentioned before, learning how to hem with a serger when working on stretchy and knitted garments is a tricky affair. However, once you know the tricks of the trade, the task will take you no time. Let’s take a look at the process below.

• First, lift up the top knife of your serger. If your model doesn’t have one on the top, both the knives should be on the bottom plate. Follow the instructions from the manual and switch one of them off.
• After that, you have to fold the edge of your knit fabric twice.
• Once you’ve done that, press the double hem you’ve folded or baste them by hand.
• Next, just normally put your twice-folded fabric into the serger to create a neat, straight hem.

To create another kind of stitch in your hem, you can pull one thread away from one of the four needles. In this way, that thread will not be included in your seam.

You can produce seams that are lesser in width by this method. Don’t forget to turn off the knife as mentioned in the knit-fabric hemming process.

Important Tips

Remember to loosen the needle and thread tension before starting to hem in your machine. And, when the hemming is complete, you will need to stretch the folded hem a little to remove any folds in the seam.

On the other hand, as mentioned in the first method, you can also choose to iron it from the wrong side. This will make your seam look nice and tidy.

Final Words

Wrapping this up, you now know that you can hem your garments with a serger easily whether you are a pro or a beginner at sewing. Simply follow the instructions and create a neat and flawless finishing on your garments. This will work on both firm, sturdy as well as stretchy, knit-fabrics beautifully.