🧵 Hemming Curved Edges: My Go-To Trick!

This week in the studio, I had a beautiful dress come in for a hem job — but this one was a little different. The dress had four curved edges, which can be a bit fiddly to work with, especially if you want a clean, smooth finish.

When I unpicked the original hem, I noticed the makers had added three little tucks into each corner of the hem band. It was clever, but my result created some slightly angular shapes — and I was not happy using this finish on the dress. It is not often that I veer away from the original finishing but in this case the finish of the garment was improved with my modification.  Sometimes, when you replicate, you cannot get the same finish as the original. That was the case in this dress.

So I decided to try something else.

✨ My Simple Solution: Gathering Stitch

Instead of recreating those tucks, I used a small gathering stitch to gently ease the fabric around the curves. You’ll probably spot a few of my gathering threads still in the video if you watch closely — but the difference it made was worth it!

By slightly gathering the fabric and easing it into place, I was able to shape the hem beautifully without any puckering or weird angles.

🎀 No Bias Tape Needed!

Here’s the cool part: I didn’t use any bias-cut tape. This was a flat hem tape, just a standard one — not stretchy, not fancy. I simply shortened the tape to fit the new length, gathered where needed, and pressed it into place.

And honestly? I’m really happy with how it turned out. The curve is soft and smooth, and the overall look is much neater than the original.

💡 Takeaway for Fellow Stitchers

If you’re working with curved hems and want to avoid tucks or puckers, try this:

• Use a long straight stitch to gently gather the curved edge.

• Ease the fabric around the curve, pinning and adjusting as needed.

• Press well and take your time sewing it in — especially if you’re not using bias tape.

Sometimes a simple technique makes all the difference.

If you give this a try (or have your own curved hem trick), I’d love to hear about it! Drop a comment or send me a message.

Happy stitching,

Rel🧵✨