Sewing a T-Shirt Part 4: Hemming Knit Fabrics

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Welcome to the final part of making a t-shirt with knit fabrics! In this part of the tutorial, we will learn how to hem knit fabrics using an invisible stitch. If you’re landing on this post first and want to follow the other steps for making a t-shirt, you can find them here:

• Part 1: Choosing a pattern, picking fabric, and cutting out the fabric.
• Part 2: Sewing the basic seams on your shirt.
• Part 3: Attaching a neck band to your t-shirt.

Supplies & Tools for Blind Hemming

For this style of hem, you will need the following:

• Sewing machine.
• Ball point needle (ideal for sewing knits).
• Thread snipping scissors.
• Matching thread.
• Pins or quilting clips.
• Blind hemming foot attachment*.
• An iron & ironing board.

* I’ve been sewing blind hems for a while but just recently learned there’s a special foot attachment for them! A blind hem foot has a bar that goes between the two sides of the foot. This is supposed to help you keep your fabric aligned better when sewing an invisible hem. I’ve never used one and have always had good results with my regular foot or walking foot.

What is an invisible hem in sewing?

The invisible stitch or blind stitch is one of my all-time favorite ways of hemming clothes and other items. When done correctly, you can barely see the stitching in your hem.

A blind or invisible hem is a straight stitch with an occasional zig-zag every few millimeters. The zig zag part of the stitch catches the fabric and tacks it in place, while the straight part of the stitch remains hidden on the back of the fabric.

When done correctly, the only part of the stitch you will see on the right side of the fabric is tiny thread tacks every few millimeters apart. The fabric will lay completely flat and the thread tacks are usually completely invisible after ironing.

In the picture above, you probably can’t even see the stitches on the yellow floral shirt. The thread matches exactly, and fabric is kind of plush, which helps hide the stitches.

On the gray shirt, you can see the stitches more clearly. I didn’t have the exact thread color. But the fabric is also very smooth and flat, which shows the stitches more. However, I still really like the look.

Here is the back of the fabric when doing a blind hem:

Keep in mind not all sewing machines have this stitch setting. Make sure you have a stitch icon that looks like this on your machine.

What to Do if You Don’t Have a Blind Hem Setting

If you don’t have this setting, you will have to do a different kind of stretchy stitch when hemming knit fabrics. Your machine might have a similar type of stitch. Otherwise, a zig-zag stitch would work — but it’s much more visible and tends to give clothes a more handmade look.

Alternatively, you could also use a twin needle attachment for your machine. Twin needles sew two parallel lines and create a zig-zag pattern on the back. This is perfect for hemming stretchy fabrics.

If using a twin needle, you don’t need to follow the folding steps for blind hems. Simply fold your fabric under by 1/2″ (or your desired hem width) and press it in place. Pin the fabric and sew the hem the same way you would a regular straight stitch. Be sure both needles are catching the fabric. I recommend practicing on scrap fabric first.

Hemming with a Cover Stitch Machine

If you have a cover stitch machine, you can of course hem your shirt using that machine instead. I’m focusing on blind hems in this post because most people don’t own a cover stitch machine.

You will follow the same basic steps when hemming with a cover stitch machine. However, the way you press your hems will be a little different. Instead of doing the folding technique we’ll discuss for blind hems, you can simply fold and press your fabric under by 1/2″ (or your preferred hem width).

How to Fold & Press Fabric for a Blind Hem

Sewing a blind hem is different than most other types of stitches. It’s a little hard to wrap your head around how it works. However, once you see it in action, it will all make sense!

1. Place your fabric face down (the wrong side should be facing you). When hemming a shirt, it’s easiest to turn it inside out so the wrong side is facing you.
2. Fold up the bottom of the hem by about 1″. Fold it so that the wrong sides are touching. On a shirt, the fabric will be folded to the inside of the garment.
3. Press the 1″ hem in place.
4. Grab the folded fabric along the raw edge that you just pressed inwards. Pick up the fabric and flip it so that it is tucked underneath the rest of the fabric.
5. Maneuver the pressed hem so that about 1/4″ of the raw edge is sticking out along the bottom of your shirt.
6. Press this new fold so it stays in place.
7. Pin along the edge of the fabric through all the folded layers, leaving the raw edge poking out 1/4″ around the entire hem.

Sewing a Blind Hem

After folding, pressing, and pinning your hem, you can start sewing. Make sure to use a ball point needle when sewing knit fabric.

I highly recommend practicing on a piece of scrap fabric before trying to sew your shirt hem. You may need to adjust your stitch length or thread tension. Every machine is different. If your “tacked” stitches are too close together, you can increase the stitch length.

To sew this stitch, you will sew along the raw edge of the fabric. You want to sew far enough away from the fold that the zig-zag stitch just catches the fabric. This means you will have to sew pretty close to the raw edge, which can be difficult.

• If you sew too close to the folded edge, your zig-zag will go too far into the fold and create a puckered look on the right side of your shirt.
• If you sew too far from the folded edge, the zig-zag won’t catch the fabric every time. You will probably end up with sections that aren’t tacked together.

When hemming a shirt with a blind hem, I don’t back stitch. Instead, I sew back over the first inch of stitching as I get to the end of the hem. This has always held up well for my shirts.

Pressing a Blind Hem

When you’re done sewing, be sure to press the hem flat. You want the raw edge to go towards the body of the shirt, away from the hem. Pressing will set your seam in place and make your hem look polished and professional.

Your Shirt is Done!

After hemming, your t-shirt is now officially done! I hope you enjoyed this blog series and I would LOVE to see how your shirt turned out. You can tag me @craftingwithclementine on any social media platform (Tik Tok, Insta, YouTube, Threads, and Pinterest) or use #CraftingWithClementine.

Side Note: Using the Blind Hem on Other Fabrics

Because knit fabric doesn’t unravel easily, you shouldn’t have any problems with your hem getting frayed on the inside. The raw edge may roll slightly, but you can’t see it when the shirt is worn.

If you want to blind hem a fabric that does unravel easily, I recommend folding the hem under twice instead of once. When you do this, the raw edge is hidden inside the hem. You will be stitching along a folded edge of fabric instead of the raw edge.

Keep in mind double-folding your hem will create more bulk. This is usually best for thin fabrics and hems that don’t need to be as flexible and flowy. For example, double folding fabric would be good for hemming curtains of a dress made with heavy fabric.