Shirts and other similar garments of the mid-19th century were often hemmed with what is known as a rolled hem, a very narrow – 1/8″ or even less – stitch that rolls the fabric back over itself. It can seem intimidating but once you learn how it works, it becomes second nature very quickly. In this short article, learn how to sew this stitch yourself.
Begin by trimming the seam allowance at the hem to 1/8″ if you haven’t already cut it that way.
Turn back the raw edge to the wrong side 1/8″ along the entire hem, pressing with your fingernails as you go.
Any curved areas can be a little troublesome, just keep working at it, keeping the fold as narrow as possible.
You can press the fold with the iron afterwards to keep everything more firmly in position.
To start the hem stitch, begin with three stitches in place on the fabric, just past the raw edge of the hem.
Take a small running stitch directly across from the end of the previous stitch, catching only the fold.
Then take another small running stitch just below the raw edge, directly under the end of the previous stitch. Don’t pull the stitches taught yet.
Continue working stitches until you have an inch or so of progress.
After sewing about an inch, gently pull on your thread, tightening up the stitches you just made. The folded edge should begin to roll over itself, forming the rolled seam. Don’t pull too tight, or you’ll begin to pucker the fabric. You can make up to about 2″ worth of stitches before pulling, depending on your stitch length, though the tension on the thread does get a little higher and you risk breaking the thread.
Here are the results so far. Continue stitching across the entirety of the hem.
On the right side, you should have a crisp edge, and a row of small running stitches showing about 1/16″ from the edge.
Here’s the completed hem.
Finishing up the Shirt
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