A hem facing is a separate pattern piece which is used for finishing hems, instead of a traditional folded hem. The hem facing is sewn onto the bottom of the garment before being turned up inside and stitched down, giving a lovely clean finish.
Where would I use it?
There’s lots of instances where you could use a hem facing, but here’s a few suggestions:
- On a curved hem, where it can be difficult to ease in the excess fabric on a traditional double turn hem, especially if you’d like a deeper hem
- If a garment has turned out a bit shorter than you’d like and you want to preserve as much length as possible, then a hem facing is a great way to do this. You can sew your hem facing on with as little as a ¼” / 6mm seam allowance, keeping the much needed length in your garment.
- When using a lightweight fabric a hem facing can add weight to the bottom of the garment and help it to hang. Bear in mind though that this will give a less floaty finish than if you used a narrow hem.
- On thick fabrics a hem facing can help to reduce bulk at the hemline, as you can use a lighter weight fabric for the facing.
- If you want to add stability or structure at the hemline then a hem facing can really help with this. Use a heavier weight fabric for the facing and interface it first to provide more body
- When you want a fun contrast on the inside of your garment then you can use a bold print for your facing. Use this to match with other details like pocket or waistband linings.
In this example I’m drafting a hem facing for the Strata Top by Sew Liberated, to add more weight and interest at the hem.
How do I draft and sew one?
Some patterns come with a facing piece already included, but if your pattern doesn’t then you’ll be pleased to hear they’re very simple to draft. To do this you’ll need some scraps of paper or newspaper, a pen or pencil and a ruler.
Firstly you’ll need to decide how deep you’d like your finished hem facing to be. In my example I’ve made the finished facing 2” / 5cm, which gives a nice deep hem. But you are the designer here! Feel free to make yours narrower or taller.
To this measurement you need to add a seam allowance at the top and bottom. The Strata Top I’m using has a ½” / 1.2cm hem allowance, so I’m going to use this on the bottom of my hem facing to keep the original length of the top. For simplicity I’m also going to use the same ½” / 1.2cm allowance along the top of my facing. Added together, this means that the total height of my hem facing piece needs to be 3” / 7.5cm (I’ve rounded to the nearest 0.5cm for ease).
To draft the facing, take your pattern piece and first trace the bottom and side edges. Note, I’m drawing around my pattern piece here so that you can see clearer.
You then need to measure 3” / 7.5cm (or your chosen distance) up from the bottom edge all the way along. When you measure, keep your ruler perpendicular to each point you measure on the bottom edge, especially if you have a curved seam. Remember, this measurement includes a ½” / 1.2cm seam allowance on top and bottom. You don’t need to add a seam allowance at the side seam as this is already included in your pattern.
Join up these marks. I find this easiest to do freehand, but you can also use a French Curve.
Label your piece and add any other markings, such as the grainline or fold line.
Repeat this process for the rest of your pattern pieces. For my top, I’ve got a hem facing for the front and back pattern pieces.
When it comes to sewing up your facing onto your garment, the first thing you need to do is press the top edge over to the wrong side by your chosen allowance. For me this is ½” / 1.2cm. Repeat this on all your facing pieces.
Then open this pressing back out and sew the short seams of your facing. Press these seams open and then re-press the top edge afterwards
Now pin the bottom raw edge of your facing onto your garment, right sides together. It can be helpful here to find the centre front and centre back of both your garment and facing, to help line everything up neatly. Make sure any seams on your facing and garment also match.
Sew into place using your chosen seam allowance. Again, for me this is ½” / 1.2cm.
Trim the facing seam allowance in half, leaving the garment seam allowance as is.
Press the facing towards the seam allowance and understitch. This is a line of stitching on the facing which catches both seam allowances below and helps the facing stay nice and hidden on the inside.
Now press the facing all the way to the inside and pin into position. Make sure it’s nice and smooth here and the fabric isn’t getting tucked or folded. Again, align any seams with each other, as well as the centre front and centre back points.
From the inside, stitch near the folded edge on the hem facing. Try to keep a consistent distance from the bottom edge here. If your needle plate doesn’t have markings wide enough then you can always put a bit of tape or a post it note on your plate to follow.
Give your facing a nice press and you’re done!
