Hey, sewing friends. Let's talk.
We all have that accessory that we want to use, and then
when you go to use it,
it just won't work.
That's what the hemmer foot was for me.
I wanted to make all these napkins,
and every time I would try,
I would get so frustrated.
But, I found a few tips and tricks, and now,
I absolutely love it.
Stay tuned and I will show you how to use it.
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Hey, everybody. Tricia here with Sewing Parts Online
So let's talk about the hemmer foot.
What exactly is it meant to do?
This little foot has a funnel that folds your fabric in on itself
so that it can easily hem light to medium fabric.
It gives you this really nice, professionally finished edge.
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Hemmer feet come in several sizes.
Some of the common options are 1/8, 3/16, and 1/4.
They can also be labelled as 2mm, 4mm, and 6mm.
It just depends on the brand.
The one that fits your machine may be a snap on
or it could be a screw on.
Also, availability will vary depending on your machine.
If a hemmer foot came with your machine and you're not sure of the size,
just flip it over.
The width of the groove is the size of your hemmer foot.
Also, this is going to be the size of your finished hem.
The heavier the fabric, the larger the hemmer foot that you will need.
If you are a beginner, I would highly recommend working with
a 1/4" foot first.
The larger funnel is just easier to work with.
Some fun projects to use this foot on are:
scarves, lightweight skirts,
and, like I said, napkins.
Always test on scraps prior to working on your project-
just to ensure that the fabric isn't too heavy for the foot.
Also, we have another video on the hemmer foot.
Recommendations are based on the different fabrics that you are using.
Make sure you check out that video at the end of this video.
To prepare your fabric, you need to think about the size of your hemmer.
Say you are using the 1/4" hemmer foot.
Whatever the size you are using, you are going to be doubling it.
So first, you want to finger press 1/4"
and then fold and finger press another 1/4".
Finger press several inches.
Because I initially had issues with the hemmer, at this point,
I actually tried pressing it with an iron,
thinking that would help.
It didn't.
You don't want to do that.
The fabric needs to be pliable in order to feed into the funnel correctly.
Now that you have your folded hem, pin it vertically.
Set your machine to a straight stitch and
adjust your stitch length according to the fabric you are using.
So, first, you want to have a thread tail.
You're going to need this in order to pull a little bit when you begin sewing.
Now you can take your prepared fabric
and place it under the foot.
Lower your needle first.
Then, lower your foot.
Now, grab your thread tail and sew several stitches.
3 or 4 is perfect.
Leave in your needle and lift up your foot.
So, here is where I was having issues.
I just could not get the fabric into the funnel.
I found that using pointy tweezers helped tremendously.
So, after lifted my foot,
I grabbed the fabric with my tweezers right by the foot.
Then I push it into the funnel and bring it over to the left.
By doing this, the fabric gets positioned correctly and
you're not fighting with it.
Remember, you want to feed in double the amount of fabric as the size of your foot.
So here I'm using the 1/4" hemmer foot.
I will be feeding in 1/2".
I find it's easiest to fold that amount and
hold it with my finger while sewing.
Then line up the raw edge of the fabric with this guide.
Start off slow and when you get more comfortable, you can speed up.
Please take a moment to Comment below.
If you have any fun ideas on what to use this foot for,
I would love to hear them.
Now let's swap it out for the 1/8" hemmer.
Because the funnel is smaller,
it can take a little bit more time to get the
fabric in the funnel, but the concept is the same.
However, I find that the 1/8" takes a little bit more practice.
To have nice, neat corners,
finish all the way to the end and then
prepare the next side as you did with the first.
Repeat as needed.
I am so glad that I didn't give up on the hemmer foot.
It really is such a great accessory.
Make sure to check out that video for some additional tips.
Until next time, Happy Sewing, Everybody!