Rolled hem foot

[lucysmam]

I'm working my way through miles* of rolled hem on organza...have read some reviews about the rolled hem foot being fiddly to use, will it make my life easier or make me curse my dad's machine?

*may be a slight exaggeration, there's maybe 5m of it but still...time consuming and boring

[Orangeanddemons]

I have never mastered those bloody things ever.... Degree on Fashion, 20 years teaching Textiles,I can make anything....but not with a rolled hem foot

[lucysmam]

hmmm, maybe I'll stick to hand stitching with regular coffee and mn breaks then.

I have another cape to do when this one's finished

[lucysmam]

Dp's mam's shown me a way of doing similar on the machine - involves three rows of stitching and acres of thread but was sooooo much quicker than hand doing it all & looks neat.

Onto the second one after tea now I know I can get through it so quickly

[cate16]

The trick with the rolled hem foot is to relax and let the foot do the thinking!
Once you 'get it' they are a godsend. :)

If you can get one that allows you to zigzig - that's a good way to start, and once you've mastered that (which is pretty easy) move onto straight stitching.
My machine came with both foot options- although you can straight stitch with the zigzag one anyway.

[lucysmam]

Are there two different types of foot then?

I'm using my dad's machine - mine packed up last week. It has button hole/zipper/button and just a normal foot. If I asked if it came with anything else, he'd give me a look down the 'phone. He was struggling with the bobbin last time he used it but that was definitely 'user error'.

[cate16]

Well mine came with two... not really sure why as the zigzag one can do straight. Well to be honest I think the straight one is for serious stitching- as it does hold fine fabrics better. (I used to make wedding dresses).

They are useful once you get the hang of the foot, but you do need to allow a couple inches 'starting' allowance when you first start- if you can understand that? The first inch or so can be a bit untidy as the foot 'tucks the fabric and kind of self adjusts' so you need to make slight cutting allowances accordingly.

All that said, I would possibly be tempted to just do a close small zigzag hem if it is for dressing-up costumes- bit more robust than hand-sewing.
(and lots quicker:) )

[lavendersun]

There are a few types of foot (all a pita in my experience). I can use it very successfully in a straight line, as in on a flat, unjoined piece of fabric, but, meeting the place you started and having that join up nicely evades me, constantly, despite trying on and off for a lot of years. The rolled hem foot doesn't like french seams either, I like french seams on my own lightweight clothes which is the sort of fabric I would use a rolled hem foot for if I could do it properly.

I have a single stitch one and a roll and shell one. Neither is easier than the other, both usually involve a bit of unpicking on my part.

On costumes I cheat and use one on the flat piece of fabric before I make the garment, wouldn't do that on my own clothes though.

Ban rol can be used to make a nice rolled hem but too much effort for costumes imo, and it involves extra supplies/cost.

www.burdastyle.com/techniques/how-to-sew-a-perfect-baby-hem

Google using one - there are lots of videos, but, most of them show you how to use it on a flat piece.

[lavendersun]

X posted with Cate, I think that the zig zag one can be used to sew a trim on at the same time, lace, ribbon, etc.

[bruffin]

I bought one to take up a dress for dd and was really pleased with it. It was a full length dress with shear organza material.

[lucysmam]

I don't know whether to bother or not now. Suppose I could order a Brother compatible one for a couple of quid to try& if it's too much faffing then I've only lost a couple of quid.

The way dp's mum showed me seems robust enough for the costumes I'm making rather than hand hemming the lot...that was taking an age

lavender, if I was making for myself then French seams would be my choice too; I've just sewn and overlocked these though for speed (although 3 machine-less days have slowed me down a fair bit & I'm nowhere near where I wanted to be with them).

[lucysmam]

I've looked at that Ban Roll tutorial before but agree, too much faffing with extras for costumes. Maybe if I make a proper (iyswim) dress using something floaty, I'll give it a whirl.

[unlucky83]

I used one a looooong time ago.
It was bought/paid for by my employer for hemming napkins/table cloths, seem to recall once I got the hang of it it was really good -probably not a good thing cos I was being paid an hourly rate! It has sat in my machine box every since - never used again...
(I was actually a student with a sewing machine working part time as a chef in a delicatessen. They also sold odd non-food things imported from France etc. These were 'make your own napkin and table cloth' sets - nice patterned material, cotton, all marked out. You were supposed to cut it along the dotted lines and hem it yourself. No-one wanted to buy them ...so we made some up for our displays and then found people did want to buy them as finished goods. It was my boss who suggested the foot and not sure if they ever got their money back on them after paying non-expert me to do it but at least they weren't dead stock gathering dust anymore..and it helped feed me!)

[lucysmam]

There are loads of compatible ones on amazon for a quid or two.

It probably will sit unused in my box after frustrating me but might be worth a try if I can get it to work.

[lavendersun]

Has to be worth a go for £1 doesn't it.

I can't use anything but Bernina on mine which are extortionate prices. Sometimes I wish I could just give something a go (and I would if I could buy generic feet), but I bought myself a foot a month to begin with and now have everything I need, .... Until the next one that is.

[MinniesMate]

I have a rolled hem foot, well actually three, sitting with my other presser feet.

Every now and again I get one out and think - I really must learn to use this foot, but that's as far as I get!