Wednesday, October 13, 2010

A Template for Hemming

I can't stand ironing. Any clothing creation that calls for ironing.....ugh. I will do anything to shorten my ironing time, and I never had any luck with those metal ironing guides, so I created these little templates. If I have an outfit that I sew over and over again I'll make a template that gets stored with the pattern pieces so it's handy and I don't have to remember what the measurements for seams or hems are.

This particular dress I worked on today I usually hem by ironing a 1/2" fold and then a 1.25" fold. I made a template just for this dress....so the whole process is foolproof and the hem is perfectly precise. I start by cutting a piece of poster board or heavy cardstock and then cutting small slits at 1/2" and 1.25" using an exacto knife. The slits aren't continuous so that the template is more durable:


The template makes marking my folds a breeze....I can create hems with my eyes closed.

First, I just line up the template with the bottom of the fabric.


Then I use a disappearing ink pen to mark the entire length of the first fold.....


....and then the entire length of the second fold. I repeat this all the way across the piece of fabric.


Then I fold my fabric on the line and iron.



A perfect hem.......


......for a cute little silk screened party dress soon to be revealed in my shop :)


Just a little glimpse into my sewing process!
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30 comments:

  1. SAMZEOctober 14, 2010 at 2:55 AM

    Wow!!! That is soooo clever! Thank you soooo much for sharing that! Really! I will have to try that! :)

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  2. SamOctober 14, 2010 at 3:29 AM

    That is such a BRILLIANT idea! I appear to be physically unable to press/fold a straight line. I am going to make one of these immediately.

    Thanks :-)

    Sam x

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  3. WendyOctober 14, 2010 at 5:07 AM

    What a great idea! Thank you!

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  4. Michelle {Daydream Believers}October 14, 2010 at 6:10 AM

    What a great idea! Thanks for sharing!

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  5. AnonymousOctober 14, 2010 at 6:19 AM

    How clever! I don't mind the ironing as much as that awful little ruler. Thanks for haring.

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  6. Amanda @RusticRemnantsOctober 14, 2010 at 6:20 AM

    That is SUCH a great idea and I'm going to steal it. ;) I hate hems and they never work right for me. Yea for this.

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  7. Mai OkinokiyoOctober 14, 2010 at 6:32 AM

    omg, this is clever! I never thought of doing this.recently I asked my friend to help me sewing and she did the hem a bit bigger than I asked. So this is a brilliant solution. Thanks Ashley for sharing! Have a nice day :)

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  8. RobyGiupOctober 14, 2010 at 6:36 AM

    Great idea! It seems really useful! :)

    RobyGiup
    (robygiup.splinder.com)

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  9. Mrs. Sassy Crafter (Fabi)October 14, 2010 at 6:45 AM

    What a great idea! So clever! and don't worry you are not the only one who hates the ironing part, I totally do too! Making hems is a nightmare for me, but I will try and make a template myself to see how it goes! Thanks for sharing =)

    www.mrssassycrafter.com

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  10. Audra LynnOctober 14, 2010 at 7:33 AM

    That fabric is beautiful! And I may be borrowing this idea. :)

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  11. SuzyQSparklesOctober 14, 2010 at 8:20 AM

    Thanks for sharing this idea!

    I use to use the little metal 6" ruler (and still do on occasion) but more often, I "just eyeball it". I have a great eye for things being level/straight, and often find (with things on straight of grain) that they tend to "fold themselves".

    For things with a curve, or where you want the same measurements over and over, this is a clever solution.

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  12. Cheryl @ a pretty cool life.October 14, 2010 at 8:24 AM

    I didn't make a fancy template like you, but I draw lines with invisible ink and fold up to them when I iron a hem. Never thought to blog about that...

    I will do anything to avoid using a hem gauge!! ;)

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  13. Kari SweetenOctober 14, 2010 at 10:07 AM

    Super cool idea!! THANKS!!

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  14. maryOctober 14, 2010 at 11:29 AM

    Wow Thank you so much for sharing that. I am so going to use that with my hemming. I hate to iron as well and am not a very precise person. So this little trick will be a HUGE help in making my girls hems turn out right.

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  15. KitschaliciousOctober 14, 2010 at 11:54 AM

    Two Words: Pure Genius! Thanks for sharing!

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  16. EmilyOctober 14, 2010 at 11:59 AM

    I hate pressing too!

    I've marked a piece of paper with hem widths, and I press with the paper inside the fold, if that makes any sense. Basically same thing you do but with no marking on the fabric - just leave the paper in the middle and press!

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  17. Karin van DamOctober 14, 2010 at 12:58 PM

    Oh, I press all the time during my sewing. I wouldn't know what to do without my iron. But I am a weirdly fanatic pinner too. I heard a little while ago that some people hardly every pin. I pin everything! With all that sewing and pinning, no wonder I am so slow with my sewing :-D

    Anyway, I only wanted to say that I love those colours together in that last shot. Can't wait to see the whole dress.

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  18. margaretOctober 14, 2010 at 5:58 PM

    why on earth have i never heard of this before?!?! brilliant! thank you for sharing!

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  19. Jodi JeanOctober 14, 2010 at 6:37 PM

    GENIUS!!!

    no more LAME seam gauges for me!!

    thanks for sharing ashley. i always love looking into other sewer's studios!!

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  20. SonyaOctober 14, 2010 at 9:15 PM

    Brilliant!!

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  21. AnneOctober 15, 2010 at 7:09 AM

    You. Are. A. Genius. This is briliant!!! I linked to your post over at Craft Gossip Sewing:
    http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-template-for-marking-perfect-hems/2010/10/15/

    --Anne

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  22. AnonymousOctober 15, 2010 at 8:08 AM

    This is genius!!! Thank you so much for sharing!

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  23. JessOctober 15, 2010 at 7:48 PM

    BRILLIANT!!!! THANKS SO MUCH you just SAVED me!

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  24. cbOctober 16, 2010 at 4:45 AM

    Why didn't I think of that :-) What a great idea. Thank you so much for sharing it with us. I came here through Craft Gossip newsletter.

    Thanks again from Australia
    Katherine

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  25. vamdepOctober 16, 2010 at 8:10 AM

    Brilliant...I think I will create this and cut it out of thin plastic on my Cricut!! Thanks!!

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  26. subuhOctober 16, 2010 at 11:33 PM

    Hi,

    we've put your link in our blog - printedcotton.blogspot.com ...its a great tutorial to be share ;).

    thanks.

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  27. KimOctober 17, 2010 at 10:35 AM

    brilliant!!! :)

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  28. AnonymousOctober 19, 2010 at 6:23 PM

    I always think you're brilliant but today... HOLY COW. Thank you for this. Sometimes it's the little things, you know?

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  29. AnonymousOctober 19, 2010 at 8:04 PM

    I love this tip/ tutorial! I hate hemming b/c I never think it's even. So this is perfect and right on time for me to use to hem my 2 yr olds Halloween costume.

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  30. Miss AmyJanuary 4, 2011 at 3:09 PM

    What a fantastic tip! I will be making myself some of these!! :D Thanks so much!

    ReplyDelete

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