A rolled hem is a hem no wider than 3 mm (1/8 in), made by turning the raw edge twice into a tiny roll and stitching it down. By machine you can sew it with a rolled-hem foot, which curls the fabric as it feeds, or without one by stitching 6 mm (1/4 in) from the edge, trimming close to that line, folding twice along it and stitching again. By hand, you roll the edge between finger and thumb and secure it with a slip stitch. A serger does a third version with a three-thread stitch wrapped around the edge.

What is a rolled hem and when do you use one?

A rolled hem is the lightest hem there is. It adds almost no weight and no stiffness, so the edge of the fabric moves as freely as the rest of it. That makes it the standard hem for chiffon, georgette, silk, voile and lawn, for scarves, ruffles and the long curved hems of circle skirts and bias-cut dresses, where a wider hem would ripple.

It is also the smallest: the finished roll is 2–3 mm (about 1/8 in) wide, so there is nothing to catch the eye. The glossary entry on the narrow hem explains the family of hems it belongs to.

What do you need to sew a rolled hem?

  • Hem allowance: 1 cm (3/8 in) for the machine methods, 6 mm (1/4 in) for a hand-rolled hem. More than that and you have to trim it away.
  • Needle and thread: a fine needle, 60/8 or 70/10 for sheers, 80/12 for cotton, with a fine polyester or cotton thread. A thick thread makes a hard roll.
  • A rolled-hem foot, if you have one, in the width that matches the hem you want: 2 mm for sheers, 4 mm for cottons and linens, 6 mm for heavier fabric. The width stamped on the foot is the finished hem width.
  • Sharp small scissors for trimming next to a stitching line, and an iron.
  • For hand sewing: a fine hand needle (sharps size 10 or 11) and a single strand of thread.

Starch or a spray stabilizer on the hem edge makes every method easier on floppy fabrics, and it washes out.

How do you sew a rolled hem with a rolled-hem foot?

  1. Finish the seams first and press them open, then trim the seam allowances to 6 mm (1/4 in) over the last 3 cm (1 1/4 in) above the hem so the roll is not fighting bulk.
  2. Start the roll by hand. Fold the first 5 cm (2 in) of the hem edge twice, at the width of the foot, and press. Sew three or four stitches into this folded start with the foot in the normal position, needle down.
  3. Feed the fold into the scroll. Lift the foot, pull the threads gently to the back and use them to guide the folded edge into the curl of the foot. Lower the foot.
  4. Sew slowly, holding the raw edge up and slightly to the left so it feeds into the scroll continuously. The amount of fabric entering the scroll must stay the same: too much and the hem comes out wider with a pleat, too little and the raw edge escapes.
  5. At seams, stop with the needle down, flatten the bump with a fingernail, and walk over it with the handwheel.
  6. Press the finished hem with the iron's edge rather than the whole plate so the roll stays round.

A straight stitch of 2–2.5 mm is normal. A narrow zigzag (1.5 mm wide) over the roll gives a shell-like edge on sheers and is more forgiving of a slightly uneven feed.

How do you sew a rolled hem without a special foot?

This stitch-trim-fold method works on any machine, including on curves, and many sewists prefer it to the foot because the first stitching line controls the fabric.

  1. Stitch 6 mm (1/4 in) from the raw edge with a 2 mm stitch length, all the way around.
  2. Press the edge up along the stitching, so the stitches sit on or a hair inside the fold. The stitching makes the fold turn exactly where you want it, even on the bias.
  3. Stitch again 2 mm from the fold, through the two layers.
  4. Trim the excess close to the second stitching line with small scissors, taking care not to cut the fold.
  5. Fold the edge up once more, enclosing the trimmed edge, and press. The second stitching line is now inside the roll.
  6. Stitch a final time close to the inner fold, 1–2 mm from the edge.

The finished hem is 3 mm wide with three rows of stitching inside it and one visible. On a knee-length circle skirt the hem is more than 4 m (4 1/2 yd) long, so this takes an evening; the circle skirt sewing post explains why the skirt should hang for a day before you start.

How do you sew a rolled hem by hand?

A hand-rolled hem is the finish on silk scarves and the hems of couture chiffon. It is slow, but it is almost invisible and the roll is softer than anything a machine makes.

  1. Stitch 6 mm (1/4 in) from the raw edge by machine, then trim the allowance to 3 mm (1/8 in) above the stitching, a section of about 20 cm (8 in) at a time so the edge does not fray while you work.
  2. Moisten your thumb and index finger and roll the trimmed edge toward you until the stitching line is enclosed inside the roll.
  3. Slip stitch the roll: take a thread of the garment just below the roll, then slide the needle 5 mm (3/16 in) inside the fold of the roll, come out, and take the next thread of the garment. The slip stitch leaves only tiny dots on the right side.
  4. Pull the thread up gently every few stitches so the roll tightens without puckering.
  5. Do not press, or press only lightly over a towel: the point is a round, soft edge.

How do you sew a rolled hem on a serger?

A serger rolled hem is a three-thread overlock in which the upper looper thread wraps around the fabric edge. On most machines you remove or retract the stitch finger, set the stitch length to 1–1.5 mm, narrow the cutting width, loosen the upper looper tension and tighten the lower looper so its thread stays underneath; the manual gives the exact numbers for your model. Use a woolly nylon or fine polyester in the upper looper for full coverage. On a light knit, lowering the differential feed below 1 stretches the edge into a lettuce hem.

Common mistakes with rolled hems

  • A hem that grows wider and narrower. With the foot, the fabric entering the scroll varied. Slow down, keep your left hand lifting the edge, and stop to re-seat the fold whenever it slips out.
  • The raw edge peeks out on the inside. The allowance was too narrow for the foot. Allow 1 cm (3/8 in) and let the foot take what it needs.
  • A wavy hem on the bias parts of a curve. The edge stretched. Use the stitch-trim-fold method, whose first stitching line stops the stretch, and do not pull on the fabric.
  • A hard ridge on silk. The thread is too thick or the stitch too short. Switch to a fine thread and 2.5 mm.
  • Bulk at the seams. Trim the seam allowances above the hem before you start.

When should you use a rolled hem instead of another hem?

Pick a rolled hem for sheers and lightweights, for hems on curves and the bias, and wherever a hem should disappear. On medium and heavy fabrics and straight hems, a double-fold hem of 2–3 cm (3/4–1 1/4 in) gives the garment weight and hangs better, and a blind hem hides the stitching on trousers and skirts; the hemming guide compares them with the settings for each. On knits, a twin needle or coverstitch hem stretches with the fabric, which a rolled hem cannot. If the fabric is a real sheer, read how to sew sheer fabrics for the needle, thread and seam choices that go with the hem.