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How to Apply Hem Facing

Sometimes a hem needs to be longer and there's not enough fabric for it. Or, sometimes a self-fabric hem is too heavy for the design of the garment. These are instances when you can apply hem facing, or hem tape. Generally hem facing comes in two types, fabric or lace. Find out how and when to use each kind here.

Things You'll Need

Hem facing
Steam iron
Ironing board
Measuring tape
Pins
Sewing machine
Thread

Instructions

- 1
  Measure length of the hem. Purchase enough hem facing. It comes in a variety of colors as well as several neutral shades. You should be able to find something to match your garment.
- 2
  Sew pieces of hem tape together, if the hem is a long one such as a full skirt. Skip this step if the hem is a short distance around.
- 3
  Press the folded edge of fabric hem tape lightly with your steam iron. Don't completely remove crease because it's your sewing guideline.
- 4
  Pin the folded edge of the right side of the hem tape to the garment's right side. Leave enough hem tape on both ends to overlap.
- 5
  Stitch in the fold of the hem tape with your sewing machine. This process, known as "stitch-in-a-ditch," forms the bottom of the hem.
- 6
  Press the hem facing up and pin the hem in place. Sew in place with the sewing machine, or sew the hem in place by hand.
- 7
  Attach lace hem tape with pins. Sew a 1/8-inch seam.
- 8
  Fold the lace seam tape to the wrong side of the garment. Press in place with a cool iron. Hand or machine-stitch the hem into place.

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