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Aunt Norie’s sewing room

By Eleanor Mckee - | Oct 1, 2003

Some short cuts are OK in assembling a new garment. However, I never skip the stay-stitching that pattern directions call for. There always is a good reason and need for stay-stitching on any curve or bias edge, such as in armholes and necklines. That narrow type of hem — which also is called a shirt-tail hem — usually is so easy that no basting or pinning is required, if you first machine-stitch just along the edge an eighth of an inch or so in from the edge. It easily will turn under along that line of stitching.

First test a strip. You may need to loosen the tension just a bit to keep that single layer of fabric from puckering and pulling as it comes away from the needle. If the fabric is sheer or very light-weight, you may not be able to stitch along the edge. However, here’s a little trick that will enable you to do it. Just be sure to cut the skirt an inch longer than you want it to be, then stay-stitch 1 1/8 of an inch back from the cut edges, then trim away that extra inch and you won’t have any problem turning a nice even hem. However, it it’s very sheer, you may need to baste as you turn, but you can do a beautiful hem — and all because of that line of stay-stitching.

— Aunt Norie, P.O. Box 265, Tonganoxie, 66086-0265.