Tips on hemming stretch fabric.

[justmuddlingalong]

I bought a maxi dress but it's about 4 inches too long. Can anyone give me tips on how to cut/hem it? I have limited sewing skills and would need to do it by hand as I have no sewing machine either! Should I use cotton or elastic thread, or just bunch it up a bit and tuck the excess in my knickers? TIA

Turn it up to the desired length.
Pin and tack then press. Take care though if it's got lycra it won't like a hot iron so use a clean tea towel over it.
Cut off the excess to give you a reasonable hem turn up. You might find that if it isn't straight you have a little more fullness in the hem than in the fabric above if it's a vague triangle shape iykwim
If you hand stitch with a loose cross stitch you should be able to adjust for the fullness.

Use normal cotton
m.wikihow.com/Hand-Sew-a-Hem

www.allaboutyou.com/craft/sewing/vanessa-arbuthnott-handstitching-slipstitch-hemstitch-running-stitch

www.ia470.com/wardrobe/stitches.html

Thanks IDDI. Will give it a go this weekend.