Ah! Sewing. I know, I know; it can seem boring and can be especially snooze worthy if you have never sewn before. Hearing fashion kids talk about garment construction can sound like a foreign language, because it almost is. If you have never sewn before or maybe only dabbled in trying the odd button or two, doing something perceivably harder can seem daunting but I'm here to tell you it isn't.

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Lord knows most of us have piles of clothes that one day we will get altered and having ago at this tutorial will bring you a huge step closer to mending those yourself.  Plus, you'll have a new skill and trust me; even just basic sewing skills is such a handy thing to have and will continue to be until your dying day.

People who have little to no sewing experience might think you need all kinds of fancy equipment, or at least a sewing machine to just take up a hem. As an experienced sewer and former fashion student, it is, in my opinion, one of the easiest sewing tasks to undertake when you get the general idea, even for a non-sewer.

All you need is:

  1. A needle
  2. Thread (that matches the garment)
  3. Scissors
  4. A measuring tape (preferably a sewing tape as they are pliable, but even a ruler would do)
  5. Pins
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All these can be bought in a basic sewing kit at your nearest fabric or craft store.

Let's get to it!

PREP!
 1. Try the garment on inside out. Fold the fabric upward to where you wish for it to sit when it is finished. Pin it in place.

TIP: It's easier if there is someone who could pin it for you, as bending down to pin the hem can alter the result. I have always done it on my own and found that any unevenness is corrected in the next step regardless of who pins it.

2. Lay the dress out on a flat surface. At various points along the hemline, check that the folded up fabric is the same width measurement. Re-pin in the uneven areas.

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For example: My dress is being taken up by 8.5cm so I check that measurement is the same along the hem.

Sewing is all about preparation and accuracy.
 Measure everything twice and get it right in the tacking stage and you shouldn't encounter problems when you go to sew the garment.

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To further check your hem is even, measure the distance from the under the arm, along the seam, down to the finished hemline. Do this on both sides and check they are the same measurements on both side seams.

3. Now is a good time to try the garment on to see if the hem is even and at the desired length. When you are happy and confident the measurements are even, cut off any excess fabricto make it easier to work with.

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TIP: It is always wise to leave a little extra fabric than the desired finished hemline; in case you need to fix or alter it again later.

THE SITCH UP:
1. Thread the needle with the same colour cotton thread as the body of the garment.
 TIP:Need a fresher? Click the link here for a quick tutorial.

For the dress shown in the examples, I'm going to be doing an invisible or blind hem. This essentially means that the stitches won't be visible on the outside of the garment.

I've chosen this particular stitch because for a beginner, if it gets a little messy you won't be able to see it on the visible side of the garment. Though it isn't a difficult one to master, it isn't really a basic stitch so if this sounds a little too tricky, click here to see basic hand stitching.

2.Start by inserting the needle, hiding the knot in the hem fold. Starting close the initial needle insert, hook the needlepoint into one or two fibres to catch the fabric, ensuring the needle doesn't pierce all the way through.

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3.Continue to do this until you run out of thread (and then repeat step 1 and 2) or return to your starting point. Tie off a knot and your all done!

Your finished blind hem will look like there are no stitches at the hem. On closer inspection, the fabric hooks will look almost like small bubbles.

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4.Iron your hem flat and your totally finished 🙂