I usually make scarves & shawls - items that I hand hem on the loom and then fringe.  I've got an order for a dozen each of placemats & napkins.  I've got them all woven, machine washed & dried.  I know I can DETRACT from the finished product with a crappy hem.  I also know that I want a machine hem for long wear.  So here are my questions to those of you that have lots of experience with towels and similar.

  • Do you press the whole piece flat before you hem? 
  • Do you press the hem itself in place (the two folds) before you stitch?
  • Do you baste?  Pin heavily?  (I've never been a baster & I've done a lot of sewing in my life.  I'm a pinner.)
  • If you pin, do you pin 'in line' with the hem or perpendicular to the hem?
  • What tips and tricks can you share to make my hems look as nice as the woven pieces themselves?

Thanks loads!

Peg

Comments

Mon, 02/11/2013 - 01:21

sally orgren

  • Do you press the whole piece flat before you hem? 
  • (yes)
  • Do you press the hem itself in place (the two folds) before you stitch?
  • (yes)
  • Do you baste? (no) Pin heavily? (yes, & perpendicular to the hem.

Put in a new needle. Practice on some scrap fabric at the same density if you can. Use the zipper foot if you get better results than your regular foot.

Mon, 02/11/2013 - 05:23

Alison (not verified)

I agree with Sally on all points.

Additionally, if the fabric is fine enough, you have good scraps to experiment with, and your machine can do it, experiment with the blind hem stitch.  I think most handweaving is too thick to really use it, and you have to be careful, or you'll get long vertical stitches (not attractive nor blind!).

Mon, 02/11/2013 - 06:20

Cat Brysch

by machine stitching. I agree with Sally on all points. I'll add here that, before I start my machine stitch, I reserve 8"-12" of the threads from the needle and the bobbin...then when I start my machine stitch, I put the needle in about 1/2" from the edge of the piece, perform a back stitch over the edge and then go forward and sew all the way across....it's gives a nice finish on the first edge without any loose threads. Then, when I get to the other end, I go over the edge, then back stitch into the piece and then stop. This gives me a nice finish on the second edge without any loose threads. Before cutting off, I again reserve 8"-12" at the second edge. Then I use those 8"-12" long threads to handstitch up the sides to make a wonderful closed end and you can hardly see my stitching at all!

Mon, 02/11/2013 - 12:22

Peg.Cherre (not verified)

Thanks, gang, for your experience-based hints.  I'll use them all & let you know how my hemming turns out.

Mon, 02/11/2013 - 15:34

KarenIsenhower

The one thing that improved my hems on handwovens the most was getting a walking foot, a tip I learned from Daryl Lancaster. I'm very proficient with sewing, but my handwoven hems always ended up a little skewed. With handwoven cloth, getting all the layers of cloth to feed evenly is tricky, and the walking foot works like magic to solve that problem. Pricey? Yes, but worth every penny.
Mon, 02/11/2013 - 15:45

theresasc

the walking foot has been worth every cent, especially on stripes and plaids.  Everything stays lined up, using it has made my hems so much nicer.

Mon, 02/11/2013 - 17:36

Peg.Cherre (not verified)

I've got the napkins all hemmed, working on the placemats.  The careful pressing & pinning, along with slow sewing, has produced fine results.  I'll do all the hand work (along the edge) at the end.

If I get more orders for table linens I'll look into a walking foot.

Thanks again!

Mon, 02/11/2013 - 18:50

ChrisWeaveMaine (not verified)

I agree with everyone's great comments and would add that you can find walking feet that fit most every machine for around $25. 

Tue, 02/12/2013 - 10:44

mallasch

Im working on a double weave project and was unable to hem it on the loom as I couldnt see the underneath layer. I have 1/2 and inch left to weave before I cut it off the loom. My question is - how much warp do you leave after the last pick before you cut it? What stops the weft coming undone while it is being washed. (Im using cotton). Would it not be better to machine hem it before you wash it? If not why? Your assistance will be greatly appreciated. Paula from New Zealand

Tue, 02/12/2013 - 10:46

mallasch

Im working on a double weave project and was unable to hem it on the loom as I couldnt see the underneath layer. I have 1/2 and inch left to weave before I cut it off the loom. My question is - how much warp do you leave after the last pick before you cut it? What stops the weft coming undone while it is being washed. (Im using cotton). Would it not be better to machine hem it before you wash it? If not why? Your assistance will be greatly appreciated. Paula from New Zealand

Tue, 02/12/2013 - 14:15

Claudia Segal (not verified)

I usually sew my hems before I wet finish a towel or placemat.  

When you are finished weaving the length you require, you weave in some yarn to hold the weft in place until you can secure it by tying the fringe or sewing the hem.  I use yarn leftover on bobbins from previous projects to secure the weft before cutting the project off the loom.  I do the same at the beginning when I spread the warp before starting the project.  I try to use yarn of a similar weight as the project weft.

Claudia

Tue, 02/12/2013 - 15:51

Peg.Cherre (not verified)

In my very limited experience, it's better to hem after washing/drying.  I find that the hem, thicker than the rest of the piece, doesn't necessarily shrink to exactly the same degree.

I wonder what those with more experience with towels/table linens have to say about that.

Tue, 02/12/2013 - 21:47

theresasc

I run a line of zig-zag or staight stitches on my sewing machine on top of the last/first picks of weaving. After cutting the dangling warp ends off, I toss the entire length into the washer & dryer, press it all, then run a double line of machine stitches between each single item, cut apart, press and pin hems and machine stitch hem.  I have had shrinking and icky-looking hem issues when I have hemmed before wet-finishing.

Fri, 02/15/2013 - 02:40

jennybellairs

If I make a run of several towels that need hemming, I weave a few extra picks at the beginning and ending to allow for some unraveling or loosening of the weave. 

I don't like to wash my towels in one long piece because the twisting that happens in the washer seems to leave permanent creases in the fabric.

The serger is my best buddy.  I carefully roll my towels and carry them to the serger.  I seperate each towel with the serger.  With the double fold hem, none of the serging will show on the finished hem.

The towels are washed in very hot water.  Sometimes I do it twice, especially if I have had adsorption problems with the yarn.  I partially dry the towels in the dryer until they are slightly damp.

Until I bought a press, I used to press my towels on the counter with my rolling pin and left them to dry.  Now I just use the press.  I press the hems, easing the fabric in if there is any flare at the ends.  I usually leave a 1" serger tail that I can pull on to pull the corner into the hem.  It all gets hidden in the hem when I make the second turn.

For hemming, I start at the hem edge and stitch toward the fold to seal the end.  Backstitch back to the hem edge.  With the needle down, I turn the towel and then stitch across the hem. It is important to keep your machine foot level when starting the hem, so use a hump jumper, or just fold a few layers of fabric and put it behind the needle under the foot until you get the hem started.  If you can't picture what I am talking about, look at the photos on my blog: http://jennybellairs.blogspot.com/2011/10/sewing-multiple-layers-of-heavy-fabric.html   Finish the other end of the hem the same way.

Because there is usually more stretch in the weft of fabric than in the warp, hems sometimes ripple and end up wider than the rest of the towel.  I learned a technique years ago to help prevent the stretch, and I use it even though my machine has a built in dual feed.  As you start stitching across the hem, crowd the fabric into the foot and hold it from exiting from the back of the foot by firmly pressing on it while sewing.  As it puckers up behind the foot, release it and do it again until you finish the hem.  Just don't push so hard that you end up sewing over puckers.

Press your hems again after stitching, easing in any flares that remain. That extra pressing is like setting memory in the fabric.  That is why our projects aren't done till they are wet finished. 

Jenny in Charlevoix the Beautiful
jennybellairs.blogspot.com