How to Hem Silk by Hand or Machine Easily (Pants, Scarf)
Silk may be beautiful, but it’s got a terrible habit of fraying if its edges are left unfinished.
Hemming Silk 101
How Do You Finish Silk Edges?
If you want to give your garments a clean, precise finish, you’ve got one of several options:
Serging - Serging might not give the finest finish, but it makes a good, easy option for casual garments or those that require a durable finish.
Stitching and Pinking - If you’re working with 4-ply silk, a traditional hem might give too bulky a finish. In that case, pinking the edges works a treat: to give an extra secure hold, simply sew a straight line 1/4 inch before each edge you plan to pink.
Double Zigzag Seam - Machine sewing with a double zigzag stitch is a great way of finishing garments with multiple layers.
Hand Hemming - Because of the delicate nature of silk, many prefer to eschew the sewing machine and stick to working by hand. The number of hemming options is infinite, with the right kind depending both on the type of silk you’re working with and the type of garment you’re creating. A quick hemming method that stops fraying but lacks the ‘couture’ finish is fine for casual garments, whereas a ‘fancier’ style like the French Seam might be more appropriate for formal attire.
Can You Hem Silk?
Sewing with silk can be a challenge – hemming silk can be an even bigger one. But it’s not impossible. As machine hemming silk can sometimes result in puckering, many prefer to play it safe by hand hemming.
Regardless of whether you opt to sew by hand or machine, there are a few handy tips to remember that’ll make the process easier:
- To prevent puckering, use a short stitch– 2mm is ideal.
- To prevent puckering, use a short stitch– 2mm is ideal.
- Hold the silk taut as you work it.
- Always press the hem after you finish sewing.
- Choose your pins wisely - IB C glass-head silk pins make a good choice.
- If the silk is slippery, try binding the layers together with fusible web tape before you start sewing.
- Use a 100-percent-silk thread wherever possible. If this isn't available, pure cotton can be used instead.
How To Hem Silk By Hand
Hand sewing silk might be pernickety, but it’s the preferred choice for most professionals. If you’re looking for a super-clean finish with no visible stitches, the following method for straight hems works a treat.
- Step 1 - Using a tailor’s chalk or fabric pen, mark a straight line around 1.5-2 cm away from the edge of the garment.
- Step 2 - To stop the silk from slipping as you work, apply a thin strip of fusible webbing measuring around 1.5 cm wide and iron in place.
- Step 3 - Fold the edge of the fabric up to meet the bottom edge of the fusible tape. Baste, then press in place.
- Step 4 - Fold the hem again, this time to meet the top line of the tape. Baste and press.
- Step 5 - Using an invisible stitch, sew along the hem, being careful to insert the needle into the fusible tape rather than the fabric.
- Step 6 - Remove the basting stitches and press to finish.
Machine Hem Silk
Hemming silk by hand might be the preferred option for many, but machine sewing can give great results... providing you take care not to let the silk pucker. A double zigzag stitch tends to give the most reliable results, even on very lightweight silks.
- Step 1 - Set your machine to a narrow zig-zag stitch. You’ll want to use a very thin thread and keep the stitch length to no more than 2mm.
- Step 2 - Fold the edge of your hem over by around 1 cm.
- Step 3 - Sew a narrow line of zigzag stitches all along the edge of the folded hem, allowing one side of the zigzag to land over the edge to create a rolled hem. To finish, remove any excess fabric as close to the stitches as possible.
Best Hem For Silk
The best hem for silk will really depend on your skill level, the type of garment you’re working with, and the kind of silk you’re using. That said, you’ll struggle to go wrong with a narrow-rolled hem, especially if you’re working with a lightweight silk (although it suits medium weight fabrics very nicely too).
How Do You Make a Narrow Hem With Silk?
Narrow rolled hems are a great choice for finishing silk edges, giving a neat, couture-like finish that’ll suit even the fanciest of garments. Although you can buy a special foot for machine sewing, hand sewing really is the best option for this type of hem… and with this easy method, the simplest.
- Step 1 - Hand sew a straight line of stitches around ¼ inch from the bottom edge of the fabric.
- Step 2 - Fold the edge of the fabric up to meet the stitched line and press.
- Step 3 - Trim the fold by about 1/8 inch. Fold the hem again and press.
- Step 4 - Stitch between the two folds to seal the raw edges.
Hemming a Silk Bubble Top
Hemming a ‘closed’ garment like a bubble top can seem a major task, but you’ll be surprised at how easy it is with the right technique.
- Step 1 - Work out how much you need to take the top up along the hem. It may help to make an annotated diagram of the top to remember what you need to take up where.
- Step 2 - Open up the seam somewhere it won’t be noticed (the back center usually works) and pull the top inside out.
- Step 3 - Flatten out the seam as much as possible before measuring what needs to be taken up. Use a silk pin to mark the point. Do the same at every other point that needs to be taken up. Due to the nature of the bubble hem, this doesn’t have to be as accurate as it would be for a garment with a straight hem.
- Step 4 - Sew from the center back all the way around.
- Step 5 - Trim the seam, flip the top right side out, and sew the opening closed.
How To Add a Ruffled Hem To a Silk Top
Introducing a ruffled hem adds a striking element to a silk top. Despite seeming a little complicated at first glance, it’s actually remarkably easy to do.
- Step 1 - Cut out the fabric for your ruffle. Remember to allow 2 inches for a seam allowance. The length should be 1.5 times the width of the top (or 2 inches if you prefer more ruffles).
- Step 2 - Create pleats across the length of the ruffle fabric by folding the fabric over and securing it with a silk pin. Gather the ruffle by sewing a long-running stitch along the top length of fabric, then pull the end of the thread to create a gather.
- Step 3 - Sew the other three edges of the ruffle. Fold the fabric, then fold again to create the hemline. The hemline should measure around 1/4 inch.
- Step 4 - Use silk pins to pin the ruffle to the top. Leave a small gap between where the two sides of the ruffle come together and position the gap at the center of the front of the top.
- Step 5 - If your silk top is hemmed, cut the hem away to leave a raw edge. Sew the ruffle to the top, leaving a half-inch seam allowance.
- Step 6 - To finish, press the inner seam allowance with an iron on a low temperature, or with the silk setting if your iron has one.
How To Hem Silk Pants
If you’ve got a pair of silk pants that are just a little too long for comfort, get them up to scratch with this simple hemming method.
- Step 1 - Try the pants on to check how much needs to be removed. Fold the hem to the preferred length. Use a couple of silk pins to hold the hem in place before removing the pants.
- Step 2 - Measure the length from the folded hem to the original length.
- Step 3 - Flip the pants inside out and unfold the hem. Measure the length of what needs to be removed and mark where your new hem will be with a fabric marker. Draw a 2nd line 1 inch below this and cut away any fabric below this mark.
- Step 4 - Fold the fabric so the raw edge sits against the mark. Fold again so the raw edge is encased in the fold. Pin to hold.
- Step 5 - Using small, even stitches, sew along the edge of the hem. Tie off the thread and remove the pins before repeating the process on the other leg.
How Do You Hem Silk Curtains?
If you’ve spent a fortune on a pair of new silk curtains only to find they’re puddling just a little too much, don’t panic – hemming curtains might seem a big hassle, but with the right technique and a little patience, it’s a lot simpler than you think.
- Step 1 - Measure the curtains while they’re hanging up so you can judge how much needs to be hemmed. Once you’ve measured the amount to be removed, subtract ½ inch from the measurement to allow for seam allowances.
- Step 2 - Take the curtains down and cut away the excess fabric. Sew a seam ¼ inch in from the raw edge to stop the finished hem unraveling. Fold the fabric along the stitching and iron in place. Sew another line of stitches ¼ inch from the first line to secure the hem.
Hemming a silk scarf Hemming a silk scarf needn’t be a complicated process, but be warned – if you want a professional-looking finish, it’s going to take time. Hand-rolled hems are one of the best types to use on a silk scarf, giving a lovely finish that’s worth every bit of effort and time that goes into its creation. Up next, we’ll look at a few tricks that will have you hand-rolling hems like a pro in no time.
How To Make a Hand-Rolled Hem On a Silk Scarf
- Step 1 - Machine stitch ¼ inch in around the entire perimeter of the scarf. Press the stitching to help it lie flat.
- Step 2 - Trim the excess fabric off after every 6 inches of stitches, trimming as close to the stitches as possible.
- Step 3 - Thread a needle with a silk thread (a smaller needle with a narrow eye will ensure the sewing holes are as invisible as possible).
- Step 4 - Hold the fabric taught, and roll the edge inward until the machine stitching is encased in the roll.
- Step 5 - Bring the needle up through the folded hem and sew as small a stitch as possible between the edge of the fold and the fabric. Slip the needle through ¼ inch of the fold and back out before making another small stitch. Continue using the slip stitch method to sew the rest of the hem.
Best Way To Hem a Silk Dress
If you’re making a silk dress, don’t let all your hard work go to waste by forgetting to hem.. or even worse, by using a slap-dash hemming technique. Hemming silk isn’t quite the nightmare people sometimes think, but it can be time-consuming. Don’t be tempted to take short cuts or try to hurry things along – if you want the best results, take it slow and steady with this failproof method.
- Step 1 - If you want to shorten the dress as much as hem it, measure how much fabric you need to remove to give the desired length. Subtract ½ inch from your measurement to allow for the seam allowance then trim the excess.
- Step 2 - Fold the edge of the dress under by ¼ inch then press it in place with a pre-heated iron (as silk hates the heat, make sure the iron isn’t heated to over 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Better still, use the silk setting if it has one).
- Step 3 - Fold the edge of the dress by another ¼ inch and press.
- Step 4 - Using a sewing machine, sew a straight line of stitches a little less than ¼ inch from the folded edge of the dress. Press the hem to finish.
