There’s been rather a lot of stitching going on here over the last couple of weeks, but unfortunately almost all of it has been devoted to making curtains. While this has its satisfactions, it’s not particularly creative. However, it makes a change from rubbing down paintwork or toiling away at weed removal in the garden which are the other two main activities I’ve been engaged on.
I thought I’d share with you today my discover of blind hemming on the sewing machine. I’m not sure I’ve discussed sewing machines previously on this blog, and this may be because I more generally use hand stitching. However, when doing my City & Guilds I decided to invest in a new machine. I bought a Bernina and have not regretted it for a moment. The adjective usually applied to Bernina machines is ‘trusty’, and I suppose that’s because they’re …. well… trusty. It really is good. It came with a range of detachable feet, some of which (e.g. zipper foot) are quite familiar to me. However, I’d never used the blind hem foot, having always previously done blind hemming of curtains by hand. Before I made the curtains I had a quick whizz through a few blogs dealing with the subject, and one of them (sorry, can’t remember which one) mentioned that blind hemming using a sewing machine really was easy, and that most machines come with a blind hemming foot.
So, I looked it up in my Bernina manual and there it was. And, moreover, there was the promised foot – number 5, for Bernina fans. Here’s a pic:
It’s much the same as an ordinary foot, but it has a sturdy metal guide that you place against the fold of the hem. It’s a bit complicated to explain, but basically, you do as it says in the manual.
It really is that easy. I couldn’t believe how quick and simple it was, and what a good result it produces. Who knew? Well, actually, probably everyone reading this blog knows all about it. But I am lost in wonder.