Hello everyone. I am making a top from a linen blend fabric that frays very badly and stretches. I am thinking of adding a strip of interfacing at the hemline so the bottom of the garment won’t get bigger and wavy. If I make a 1″ hem, should I fuse a 2″ strip of interfacing one inch from the cut edge? That way, when I hem there will be only one layer of interfacing. Also, I wonder if 2″ is too wide. Opinions please.
Also, can anyone give hints on working with fabrics that fray before you can stitch anything together?
Thanks to all for your help.
pearl
Replies
Pearl, I'm not sure what you mean by fusing the interfacing one inch from the cut edge, then you would have a 2 inch fused piece of interfacing along the bottom edge of the shirt.
Your second question first, to work with fabric that frays and unravels badly, serge the edges immediately after cutting. Don't cut any of the seam allowance off with the serger, just overcast the edges to prevent fraying.
To stabilize the hem, first you need to test the interfacing and make sure it won't show through.
What I would do is cut a strip of interfacing 1 1/4 inch wide, and fuse ti right up to the edge of the bottom of the shirt, this way the interfacing will be on the hem - the turned back edge, with only 1/4 inch to the front, you want to fold the hem with the interfacing in the fold - other wise you often get a messy looking edge.
I would also fuse this to the hem and then serge the bottom edge of the fabric so that the interfacing is serged to the edge.
If you don't have a serger, you can zigzag over the edges instead.
Judy
Judy: thanks for your response. I will use your recommendation to inteface the hem. I just didn't quite know how to go about it. The only reason I didn't serge the garment edges before construction is that this fabric stretches too much. I decided to staystitch and handle carefully. Hope this works.
I appreciate your help.
pearl
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