This is the final, long-awaited episode of Easy Repairs on Jame’s Shirt! The last thing we need to take care of is the hem. You want to make sure you’ve reinforced the side seams and fixed your buttonhole interfacing before starting in on the hem.
Now let’s take a look at the bottom of James’ shirt.
Yeeck. I couldn’t let him go out like that. See those strings hanging everywhere, the shirt slowly unravelling… Upon examination, it appears that this hem has been serged, so to keep with authenticity I will do the same.
***If you don’t have a serger, you have a few choices: you could play the lazy sewist (like me) and use single fold bias tape. Or, you can do a zigzag stitch, turn it under, press and sew a straight seem.***
But if you do have a serger, we are going to get down to the nitty gritty! First, see if your front sides line up.
Of course mine don’t, so I’m going to have to trim a bit off the front so they do. Mark your starting point with chalk or a pencil.
Here’s the trick to starting your serger stitch without leaving a tail: Start with at least a 3 inch tail. Sew the first three stitches on your garment. Stop when the needle(s) is/are down and lift your presser foot. Gingerly take your tail and bring it around to the front. Give it a little tug, then line it up with your seam line. Begin sewing while you hold the tail, effectively stitching it in place. Once you have stitched for an inch or two, bring the tail to the right side and let your knife chop it off! Here’s a little GIF of the process:
Keep stitching all the way around the bottom of the shirt, grazing the edge with your knife. When you get near the other end of your shirt, it’s time to finish off your stitch. There are a few methods to do this, but here’s my favorite (aka the laziest method).
This one is a bit trickier, but you can totally do it. Sew to the very end of your shirt, and then two or three stitches more. Lift your feed dogs and grab your shirt. Pull it out to the side and flip it over, so you can now sew back the same way you came! Stitch for an inch or two and then veer off the side, leaving a tail. Cut the tail off. Here’ another GIF, just for you:
And we’re done! Fixed, and my husband can once again venture into public wearing this shirt. On a side note, have I impressed you with my GIFs? I thought so. Now get out there and save some of your favourite garments from their eventual downfall. Make a GIF of it if you have to. I’d love to see it!
Happy Saving!
xoxo Brittany
