Tricks to hemming a flared sleeves, pants, or skirt - tutorial

First Trick:  When following a pattern, often they will tell you to sew the sleeve or pant leg together and the last step they say is to iron the seam allow and then sew.  Just like the sewing in the sleeve tutorial, I have found that it's much easier to iron the fabric when it's flat, so I do the ironing out of order.  I iron when I have the flat pattern piece at the beginning.  Then, after I sew up the side seams, I can iron the seams open and just re-iron the hem at the seams.  I like that better than ironing a circular piece.




 The next trick I have pictures for.  Let's say the pattern allows 1-1/4" for your hem.  The pattern says to iron 1/4" from the edge and then 1" from that fold.  Here's what I do.  I iron 1-1/4" from the edge, then tuck under the quarter inch as I sew if it's a straight hem.  If it's flared and the pattern tells you to "ease" in the extra fabric, I sew a basting stitch 1/8" - a scant 1/4" from the edge, leaving plenty of thread on both the starting point and ending point.

(Finished basting stitch)

   Next, fold on your ironed line and pin in quarters.  Gather the basting stitch, a little more than you need at first and then smooth out to match the curve of the sleeve/skirt or pant leg.

 Fold the 1/4" next to the raw edge up and under.  Then pin well.  Your basting stitch should no longer show, but is close to that folded edge.

 Sew close to the folded edge.

 Hem lies flat and smooth without any twists in the fabric.