Serging a Lettuce Hemline

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• published: 28 Apr 2013
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Are you still trying to get to grips with your serger / overlocker? Still puzzling at what it can, and can’t do? Well today fashion sewers, we will look some more into using this wonderful machine, and hopefully by the end of this article and step-by-step guide, you’ll know just a little more about what your sergers / overlockers CAN do. The Fashion Sewers Professional Finish The title says it all! It’s the name and nature of the game! Whether or not you’re a beginner, advanced or professional fashion sewer, every single one of us aims to finish a project to the highest of standards. There can’t be many with the – ‘I’ll wear it no matter how bad it looks‘ mentality. So, as you’ve probably read and seen in my other serger tutorials, I’m a firm advocate of learning all there is to know about using a serger / overlocker. In fact, not just learning, but MASTERING the machine. NB: If you’ve missed any of my previous serger guides and tutorials, then simply type the word ‘serger‘ into the search box found top right of this page and you’ll get easy access to each and every one of them. So our sergers / overlockers allow us to create beautiful and professional finishes to garments but which do we use, when do we use it, and more importantly, how do we do it? Let me show you how to serge / overlock a lettuce hemline! What is a Lettuce Hemline? Well to start, it’s a decorative finish to a garments edge. This particular finish can be used on knit, stretch or bias cut fabric. The decorative effect we create, takes advantage of the fabrics characteristics, i.e its stretch. The overlocking stitch to the edge of the fabric gives a clean, and highly sought after professional look and finish. So enough of the chatter, let me show you exactly how it’s done! 1 – Make sure the hemline you’re about to sew is nice and straight. 2 – Align the fabric hemline edge with the edge of the serger / overlocker plate. 3 – Begin to sew a regular stitch. 4 – As the fabric is fed through the serger, gently pull and stretch the fabric as it passes through. This will cause the rippling, wavy effect we desire. 5 – The more you stretch the fabric, the more rippling you’ll achieve. TIP: For this decorative process, try using contrasting threads to give a striking look. A great look to achieve, and an easy process to achieve it! Don't forget, if you have any sewing related questions or comments, then please do contact me in one of the following ways: Website: http://www.fashionsewingblog.com Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+ColleenGLea/posts Twitter: https://twitter.com/ColleenGLea Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FashionSewingBlog Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/FashionSewing/