The Magic of Serger Stitches: The Rolled Hem – Sewing Machines Los Angeles

A quick survey of the literature suggests rolled hem for edges on table linens, ruffles, hems of garments, lettuce-edged ruffles; anywhere you need a firm, finished edge. You can jazz up these applications by including wire, to make a wire-edged ribbon, or fishline, to make a ruffled hem in organza. On a knit, if you stretch the knit as you serge a seam, hem, or even a fold in the fabric, you will create pretty ripples, which look like the edges of leaf lettuce, hence their name.

Most of these applications use a short stitch length, giving a firm rolled edge with a satin stitch look. Decorative threads are great to use here. Wooly Nylon is a great choice for many of these applications, since it covers the edge well. Just be careful. Wolly Nylon will melt if you touch it with a hot iron, so it is not the best choice on those items you may be ironing, such as cotton or linen table linens. Instead, 12 weight cotton thread, such as Sulky Blendables works well in these cases. The decorative thread is in your upper looper, with a lighter serger thread in your needle and lower looper.

A satin-stitch rolled hem can also give fabric a piped look when used to seam two fabrics wrong sides together. Depending on the desired effect, this can be left as is, or pressed to one side and topstitched down. Edge small garment pieces, such pockets, with a rolled hem, and then topstitch them to a garment. You can fold bias in half lengthwise and serge a rolled hem along the folded length of the bias to create piping, which can be inserted in your project like any other piping. Choose thread to match or contrast with your fabric, and use Seams Great for your bias for piping that is pliable and is an exact match for your project. Use a rolled hem to serge the outer edges of your collar or placket wrong sides together to give those edges a piped look. By piping the edges this way, you can support some firmer fabrics, such as linen, without the extra bulk of facings.

Increasing the stitch length on the rolled hem opens the door to other decorative and functional applications. A longer stitch length can create a stitch that looks a little like a blanket stitch. A longer stitch is also good to use when rolling the hem on a georgette or chiffon scarf.

This stitch can make beautiful free-standing chains, either stitched “on air” using decorative threads, or stitched over 1/8 inch ribbon. These chains make great tassels, button loops, decorative couching, or any other use for a pretty thread chain.

The most utilitarian use for rolled hems is the one most often not considered. Rolled hems with a medium stitch length of 2.5-3.5 mm make excellent seams in light weight fabrics. They are the seam technique of choice for heirloom sewing by serger, and work beautifully to create a clean French seam. For a French seam, use the rolled hem for your first pass, serging the fabrics wrong sides together. Then use a conventional machine straight stitch for the second pass, fabrics right sides together. The rolled hem will help contain all those pesky fabric “pokeys” that give us grief when using this traditional technique.

Finally, sheer and lace fabrics lend themselves well to rolled hem seams and hems. Using the stitch with these fabrics can create a sturdy, yet pliable seam that is nearly invisible through the sheer fabric.

On some fabrics, rolled hems are not as effective at enclosing all the fabric threads on the crosswise grain and sometimes the stitches might pull away from the fabric. For crosswise grain, serge slowly, trimming at least a little bit off the edge. If this is not sufficient, a different technique may be necessary for that fabric. For stitches that fall off the edge, increase the stitch or cutting width to roll more fabric into the hem.