Hand sewing a hem

[Droid]

I will be wearing a great kilt for Easter and I would like to hem the edges of my tartan fabric because it keeps coming apart. Every time I handle the material (practice putting on the kilt) new threads come off the ends.

I'd like to hand sew the edges as I don't have a sewing machine, but I do have a decent sewing kit (needles, thread, thimbles).

Do I need a certain type of thread for working with wool? Is there a certain stitch that works best with wool? Is there anyway to keep the piece look period appropriate?

I searched for "hem" and no other posts came up. If there is already a great reference here, please direct me to it.

Thank you!

[David Thorpe]

Regular thread (match the color of the tartan at the hem), run it through beeswax a couple times, use herringbone stitch.

[Pleater]

If it is the vertical edge which needs closing I would make an edge which is turned over twice, so the raw edge is enclosed and held firmly.

Depending on the thickness of the fabric the edge should be about 3/4 of an inch, with about 1/2 an inch hidden inside.

The type of stitch is not all that important unless it is going to be inspected. A running stitch done from the wrong side so that only small stitches appear on the right side is fine, as long as it is not so tight that the sewing thread might snap under tension. Whip stitch works too, where the thread spirals through a few threads on the inside of the outer layer, then through the folded edge, which can be almost invisible but the edge can become more tubular than flat.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[flyrod6057]

I've successfully hemmed a kilt using like-colored thread. I prefer button thread since it's thicker, but that's probably unnecessary. Thick polyester thread doesn't knot up as easily, either. As stated above, wax the thread, and use herringbone stitch.

Good luck!

[T-Bone]

I did this last fall. It was to shorten the kilt a bit, but the stitching I used should help to keep your edge from fraying.
Kilt Hemming

[Bugbear]

… Is there anyway to keep the piece look period appropriate?

That's the question that has stuck in my mind. I don't know exactly what is historically correct, so I can't answer you. I wonder, though, about the historical possibility of fringed edges, rather than hemmed?

Good luck

[Droid]

That's the question that has stuck in my mind. I don't know exactly what is historically correct, so I can't answer you. I wonder, though, about the historical possibility of fringed edges, rather than hemmed?

Good luck

I can tell you I like the idea of fringed edges, but most importantly, I want to protect the material. And, I am very much a beginner of all beginners when it comes to sewing. I attempted the herringbone stitch today and a couple issue arose. 1) It was hard to make anything even as far as the stitches looked. 2) I found myself not knowing what to do with the very beginning of the stitch relative to how to tie off the thread. 3) The thread got tangled when I tried to tie it off half way down the hem because I ran out of thread.

I have a couple more weeks to work on this so, I know I will learn a lot in that short amount of time. Nothing better than on the job training and first hand experience. I'm just hoping my trial and error process wont hurt the tartan.

I'm sure I could find someone to put a machine hem on the wool, but I am pretty determined to do the whole thing myself. I'm looking forward to the sense of accomplishment.

[Bugbear]

I think you might ask Matt Newsome, here on the forum and of the STM, about the fringed edges because I seem to remember something he had written about this.

[flyrod6057]

...or, you could contact Cathy MacWilliams (kiltmaker) or Barb T. (kiltmaker) ans get their input...

[ChattanCat]

It does sound like you should fold over the edge twice. Then use a catch stitch. You will then need to press the edge. The pressing will hold the folds better than any stitching so the catch stitch will work fine and it does not show on the outside.

Cheers,