Sew a Rickrack and Button Hem

"Let's Have a Conversation" Bishop Dress

Over the years, many Valentine's Day and heart-themed designs have been featured in the pages of Sew Beautiful - from the popular "Sweet Valentine" dress in Issue 104 to the gorgeous "Heart of Roses" gown in our 20th anniversary celebration edition.

Our recent December/January edition (Issue 151) continued this tradition with a "Shades of Pink" Valentine's gallery that included this oh-so-sweet smocked bishop dress. The classic conversational hearts picture plate was designed by Frances Messina Jones and is smocked on Ellen McCarn's Ultimate Bishop Dress. The dress has a very vintage Valentine's feel to it; not the pre-made, fold-over, cartoon-character kind, but the doily, paper-cut heart and glitter kind of yesteryear. 

Below, we've included a tutorial for sewing the bishop's unique rickrack and button hem. This is a great and easy way to dress up any plain dress hem! If you wish to recreate our bishop for your favorite little Valentine, complete instructions for smocking the "Let's Have a Conversation" graph can be found in Issue 151.

Rickrack and Button Hem

Rickrack and Button Hem:
1. Fold up a 4-inch hem and sew 1 inch from foldline, creating a 1-inch pleat. 

2. Edgestitch rickrack to underside of foldline so that bottom half peeks out from beneath. 

3. Sew buttons onto pleat at 1-1/2-inch intervals.


That's all there is to it! If you'd like to receive seasonal sewing inspiration, projects, tips and technique tutorials all year long, we hope you'll consider subscribing to Sew Beautiful. 

Within the pages of each edition, you'll find classics both new and old to create for your family's treasure chest. Click here to find out how you can receive a free trial issue!

Sew On, Sew Well, Sew Beautiful,
Cyndi and Amelia

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.

Click HERE