How do you hem a flared skirt?

Question

The skirt has 8 tapered panels sewn together and I need to shorten it by several inches. How do you hem something like this?

Answer 1

When it comes to shortening something that's flared by several inches, the best way is to cut the excess length, and then put a small "shirt-tail" hem in the garment. As you've no doubt discovered, a flared skirt gets wider as you go down, so if you move that fabric up for a wide hem, you're going to have excess. You *can* put pleats in the hem, but it generally doesn't hang properly after doing so. Just remember to measure carefully before cutting, and if in doubt, leave a little extra.

Answer 2

First, rip the seam of the old hem until it is completely let down. Get a friend to pin up a portion of the skirt while it is on you to the desired length. Then get it onto an ironing board and measure all around to make sure that the new hem is the same on all sides. Mark it. The hard part is that a flared skirt gets wider as it goes down. You can either put pleats in the hem (but it will never fall the same way) or, a better thing is to gather the bottom to the correct size. Then with your iron fold up the hem matching the marking you made earlier. Pin it neatly. You will have to stitch the hem by hand using a catch (cross) stitch or a hemming stitch.
You can also do a rolled hem but then you will have to cut off the excess until there is only about 1" left to turn up. Therefore it will be extremely permanent.
If you have no prior sewing experience and it is a good skirt I would recommend taking it to a professional.

Answer 3

Turn the skirt inside out, drape it on the end of an ironing board. If you know the finished hem measurement that you need; just take your ruler, chalk or marking pen & measure up from the hem that's already there marking the material every 2 inches or so. Make sure you leave at least 1 1/4 inches so that you have enough material to create a nice hem. Once this has been done, cut the material at the new hem line (remember the hem allowance!). Now it's ready to fold over the edge 1/4 inches & press. Fold over 1 inch now & press. You can either sew this on a machine with a 'blind hem stitch' or do it by hand using a simple 'catch stitch', catching 2 or 3 strands of the material close to the fold, pulling gently to close the 'gap', moving over about 1/4 of an inch & repeating all around. This usually ensures that an stitches that appear on the outside of the skirt are tiny & not glaring.

If the hem is to be a slim one (such as on fine fabric); just ensure you have an extra 1/2 inch of material for turning it over 1/4 inch twice.

Answer 4

Cut the excess of and leave a small hem allowance. Sew some hem binding around the rough edges of the hem. Turn the hem up and pin you will have to easily work out the excess in small gathers over the entire hem. A good pressing will make the gathers disappear.

or

Use a lose hem stitch or Just machine sew around the skirt to stop it from raveling (depends on fabric used) and turn the fabric up once to the inside and machine stitch along the bottom. In the old days we trimmed these hems with lace, rickrack, ribbon, etc.

Answer 5

First thing is to find a patient friend who is willing to sit down or bend over to mark the hem to the desired length. Always try it on with the shoes that you expect to wear it with most often as that will change the amount of hemming needed.

Another thing necessary is to know what kind of hem is on the skirt already. Is it a rolled hem or is it a tailored (folded over and sewn with an allowance greater than 3/4 of an inch)? A rolled hem could be done on a sewing machine and is the easiest type of hem and is usually used in more casual apparel, where a tailored hem is larger and more regimented.

Be sure after you have marked the hem to try the skirt on again to ensure that it is in the desired length.

Either way it is not a job for a person to take on with no prior experience and even experienced seamstresses and tailors can make a mess of it.

Answer 6

First, cut off the excess so you are working with a small hem. Check the hem width before cutting. Then to hem take little gathers as the bottom of the skirt is wider than the area you are sewing it to. Once you steam your hem in place the gathers should almost disappear.

Answer 7

When hemming a flared skirt, you will need to add many little "fold over darts" to the hem. They should be very small and frequent so the hem looks smooth. That's the best way I can explain it.

Answer 8

If you want to do it yourself, it is done the same way as you hem anything with an added step. You need to add tucks to the hem as you go along making it even sideways. How many tucks will depend on how flared it is.

Me, I'd take it to a seamstress. Most of them are not expensive.

Answer 9

The way I would do it is
Figure out the exact lenght that you need, and mark it all the way around with a tailor marking chalk, or pins (placed horizontally at the length) if you don't have the chalk ( you will need someone to mark it for you while you are wearing it)
Then allow for seam allowance (depending on the material, and your comfort level ADD up to 1" - less for silks and rayons, but not too much that the hem looks like a "roll" at the bottom.)
Cut off excess (BELOW THE SEAM ALLOWANCE)
Zig-zag or serge the rough edges of each panel to prevent fraying - or use 'fraycheck', then hem each panel individually so they will line up, like you would hem any other garment.
Always remember to keep checking your seem allowances and keep the stitch straight.
Go slow and take your time, and you should fine.

Answer 10

If it is an expensive skirt or one of your favorites I would suggest using a professional. Most dry cleaners and better department stores employ experienced tailors and alterationists. You should plan on spending around $40 or so depending on your location.
If it is just a skirt that you decided to hem, try it yourself. There are a lot of good suggestions and advice here.
Good Luck!