How To: Hand-Sew a Blind Hem

It always inevitably happens to one of my favorite skirts. The hem of the skirt comes apart in a small section which I continue to ignore until it unravels so badly that I’m left with a “fashion don’t.” Don’t ask me why I wait so long. Maybe I imagine the hem will heal itself.

I rarely take clothes to the dry cleaners to get fixed. I mean, $10–$20 for hemming here and there adds up! To fix my skirt situation, I simply need to hand-sew a blind hem, sometimes also referred to as an invisible hem. (Yes, you can do this on your sewing machine but sometimes there’s nothing more satisfying and soothing than doing a quick fix by hand, no?) I learned this hand-sewing technique from my mom, who was constantly hemming my Catholic school uniform from too much play or to extend the length of my jumper as I grew taller. Now you can use this same quick-fix technique for your skirts and dresses!

Materials
Sewing needle
Thread to match skirt or dress
Scissors
Pins

Here’s how to hand-sew a blind hem:
1. Pin down your hem area to keep it secure. You can also use Wonder Tape to secure the hem. (I love it because it saves me from pinning, and it completely dissolves in the first washing of the garment.)
2. Thread your needle with thread that’s the closest match in color to your skirt. For purposes of this tutorial, I’m using red thread so you can see the stitches.

3. Start your hem from the side seam of your skirt. Place the needle under and up through the top seam of the skirt.

4. Now, with the tip of the needle, grab only a tiny part of the back fabric (which is the front of the skirt) and pull through the thread.

5. Go about ½" and grab a small part of the hem and a tiny part of the back fabric.

6. Pull the needle and thread through slowly so that the stitch is secure. Don’t pull it too tight or else your fabric will pucker.

7. Repeat this across the skirt until you reach the other side seam. Make a knot and cut any excess thread.

Now let’s turn over the skirt. You can see the blind hem through all the very tiny red dots on the front. In fact, you can’t even really see most of the red dots. By using a thread color that matches your skirt or dress, your hem will be completely invisible! So here it is, an instant skirt fix that’s fun to do!