Hemming jersey - is it ridiculously hard?

[Mikocat]

Hello ladies.

I've bought two jersey (t-shirt fabric?) dresses, but being a midget petite 5'1" I'm going to need to take them up quite a bit.

I have a decent Janome sewing machine, but I've never sewn anything with this sort of stretchy fabric before and I don't know where to start.

Can anyone help please? Do I need a special needle? To use a stretch stitch?

Not ridiculously hard, but you do have to be a bit careful.

I always loosen the foot pressure a bit so that the fabric isnt being pulled and stretched as i sew.
Tack hem first with a back stitch every 8" or so, this gives you some control over the fabrics desire to stretch as you sew.
Use a normal needle, and use a slight zig zag stitch..

Happy sewing!

Thanks Jellykat

Hemmming is my least favourite part of any sewing project as it is - I hate it! :)

There are machine needles especially for sewing Jersey. They have a rounded end that pushes in between the jersey fabric rather than cut into it.
It is well worth using as you may notice tiny holes appearing by the sewing thread after the garment has been used/washed.

You can also get a needle for sewing stretchy fabric. It is a little bit longer than usual which gives a longer loop to allow for the stretch.

Agree with Jellykat slight zig zag stitch.

Hi mikocat

use a ballpoint needle, loosen the pressure foot to about 2 and take it easy. Does your sewing machine have a flatlock/ladder stitch? I use this when sewing hems on knit fabric as it is easier and the finished result looks like the cover stitch used by manufacturers on t shirts etc