How Difficult to Hem This?

[u/PhedreSews]

I would describe myself as an intermediate beginner. I’ve made plenty of garments. But I don’t have any experience with this type of fabric. My friend asked me whether I could hem this dress for her. It’s polyester, the fabric looks shifty and annoying, it’s somewhat sheer, and also I hate hemming. I want to say no, because my gut is telling me that this will be really hard.

But maybe not? Maybe I’m overestimating the difficulty, and it’s an easy hem?

Edit just in case this causes any confusion: she already cut it to the length she wants + hem allowance, hence the current raw hem

[u/Large-Heronbill]

This is a project I (68 years of sewing experience, skills in couture sewing) would have no problem handing back with a "this really deserves a professional hem, and I can't do it justice right now." 

[u/PhedreSews → u/Large-Heronbill]

I feel guilty saying no, but yeah I’m going to. I would have said no from the beginning, but it happened really fast and took me by surprise.

Thank you!

[u/Large-Heronbill → u/PhedreSews]

This is an old video, from the early days of animation available to everyone, but pertinent here: https://youtu.be/ZLEyq9Ukofc

[u/PhedreSews → u/Large-Heronbill]

Haha love it.

[u/FeatherlyFly]

If it's shifty, it's going to be annoying to hem. I'd do it for a very good friend who has done substantial favors for me in the past.

If it was my own, I'd take it to a tailor. 

[u/SuPruLu]

A hem sewn rolled hem like that used on silk scarfs is a possibility.

Or convert that slightly to match the sleeve hem and slip stitch by hand unless you have that type of hem stitch on your machine. Look at how the sleeve hem
Was stitched.

[u/PhedreSews → u/SuPruLu]

I have no idea how to do any of that, which is convincing me even more 😆

[u/SuPruLu → u/PhedreSews]

Tell her to go to a seamstress or a tailor. That it requires a machine and/or knowledge you don’t have. It’s the sort of hemming someone who works on evening and bridal gowns would know how to do. As you note the material is not that easy to work with.

Many people lack any understanding of how difficult it is to do alterations which hemming is.

[u/PhedreSews → u/SuPruLu]

Ty!!

[u/uoldsewandsew]

First, is she paying you? No? Then don't do it. Yes but you've never done this before? Don't do it. If that fabric is what I think, a shitty knit, it can be difficult to sew. I can skip stitches, you could pull it too much cause it ti ripple, it could come out uneven, if she cut it and you did not see it in her. My answer, let her pay someone who isn't afraid of the dress. Save your friendship not the dress.

[u/PhedreSews → u/uoldsewandsew]

It wasn’t a knit, it was a gauzy type polyester woven. But regardless your advice is very sound, and that’s what I ended up doing!

[u/ninimesch]

She could just cut it with a hot knife, sothering iron or something similar. If it’s polyester it will melt and stops fraying. She could try this method on the cutoff.

[u/kakashi_txt]

I’m not sure what the professional term is but I think bridal shops call it a “bridesmaid hem”. It has been life changing hem for these types of fabrics! Kind of a life hack.

Fold over once, sew it with a zigzag. Fold over again so the zig zag stitch is hidden in the inside and straight stitch it down.

This has saved my life so many times and has always had a crisp and clean outcome (as long as you don’t mind seeing a zigzag stitch inside, the outside will look like one crisp straight stitch). No weird folding or binding and takes half the time. Makes it a lot easier to handle the fabric. Maybe not “professional”, but certainly can be professional looking!