Shorten a Dress, Including Curved Hems

What you will learn

• Marking a hem on a dress
• Narrow hem allowances
• Easing curved edges

Materials and tools

• Dress
• The shoes you will wear
• Measuring tape and seam gauge
• Pins and chalk
• Iron and board
• Matching thread
• Hand-sewing needle or sewing machine

Before you start

• Press the dress at the heat on its care label. Wear the shoes and any underlayer you will wear with it.

1. Put on the dress and shoes. A helper pins the hem to the length you want at the centre front, centre back and both sides.
2. Check in the mirror, then sit, walk and bend. A dress that looks right standing may ride up when you sit.
3. Take the dress off and mark a smooth line connecting the pins. Measure from the old hem edge up to the line at several places, and check that the left and right halves of the dress agree.
4. Choose the hem allowance. A straight hem takes 1 1/2 in (4 cm). A curved hem needs a narrower allowance of 1/2 to 1 in (12 to 25 mm), because the lower edge is longer than the line it turns up onto. A narrower allowance means less fullness to deal with.

5. Do not cut yet. Fold the hem up and pin at close intervals, 1 in (2.5 cm) apart on curves. Fullness forms small folds. Ease it by running a gathering stitch 1/8 in (3 mm) from the raw edge and pulling gently until the edge fits the fold.
6. Steam the eased fullness flat so there are no tucks on the right side. Try the dress on and check the drape.
7. When satisfied, trim extra fabric, leaving only the chosen allowance. Turn the raw edge under 1/4 in (6 mm), or finish with zigzag.
8. Sew by hand with a blind hem, or by machine with a stitch length of 2.5 mm, sewing slowly around the curves.
9. Press the hem without stretching it, and hang the dress to check that it hangs evenly.

Tips for a neat result

• On a curved hem, sew in short sections and pivot gently, instead of pulling the fabric around.
• Shorter hems on lightweight fabrics hang better with a narrow hem.

Common mistakes and fixes

Check your result

• The hem is the right length when sitting and standing.
• The curve is smooth with no tucks on the right side.

Projects that use this