Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Hems with Nancy + book giveaway!



Continuing with techniques taught by the talented Nancy Zieman, today we give you an excerpt from her book, 
Sewing A to Z.  


Hems
Nearly everything you sew has a hem—skirts, pants, sleeves; even home décor items such as curtains and table linens. By using a few simple hints, you can turn this time-consuming chore into a simple sewing task.

1. Prepress the hem on each flat piece before stitching it to another piece. This is a great timesaving tech­nique. Use an Ezy-Hem Gauge to provide an accurate measurement and to avoid leaving a hem impression on the right side of the fabric. Place the gauge on the wrong side of the fabric. Fold up the hem allowances over the gauge to the desired width and press. (HM1)

2. Grade the seam allowances within the hem area to reduce bulk. (HM2)
3. Finish the cut edge of the hem by zigzagging or serging. (HM3)
4. Hand stitch the hem in place using a blind hem stitch.
• Thread a needle with a single strand of thread. Cut the thread about 18" long. The thread will tangle and knot more easily if it is too long. Knot one end of the thread.
• Fold back the hem edge so ¼" of the edge shows. (HM4)
• Work from right to left.
• Take a tiny stitch in the hem; then take a tiny stitch in the project about ¼" ahead of that stitch. Pick up only one or two threads in the fabric.
• Take a stitch in the hem edge about ¼" ahead of the last stitch.
• Repeat, alternating stitches between the hem edge and the project. Don’t pull the stitches too tight or the hem will pucker. (HM5)
5. As an option, stitch the hem using a machine blind hem stitch.
• Fold back the project edge so about ¼" of the hem edge shows.
• Adjust your sewing machine for a blind hem stitch as detailed in your owner’s manual.
• Stitch so the straight stitch falls in the hem allow­ance and the zigzag just catches the project at the fold. (HM6) 

We want to give a copy of Nancy's book to one lucky follower!  
Click the link below then fill out the form to enter!  
Winners announced next Monday.

6 comments:

  1. Please tell me that you didn't know what the word "infamous" meant when you used it to describe Nancy Zieman. She is the exact opposite of the meaning of this word. I agree that she is "famous", but "infamous".....no way!!

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    1. We apologize for the incorrect use of the word...thanks to Word's spellchecker for the slip and thank you for catching it! We love Nancy and don't want to insinuate anything to the contrary!

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  2. I would love to enter this give away. Thanks

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  3. Thanks for the opportunity to enter and a chance to win Nancy's book! :)

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  4. Thanks for a chance to win this great book.

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  5. I used to watch Nancy when she first started her TV programs--I had to hold the rabbit ears on the TV to keep the picture because we didn't have cable in that new neighborhood yet!!! She gave me confidence--thank you, Nancy!

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