So today I want to bring you something that is near and dear to my own heart. Lettuce hems. They’re cute, they’re frilly, and they’re my favorite way to finish off a knit garment. Now, I’ll admit, it is a very love-hate relationship. I love the look, I love the ease (once you have it down), but I hate the time it takes. Ultimately, though, I adore them and use them any chance I get. So I thought I’d pass along the knowledge of how you can create your own lettuce hems… on a regular sewing machine!

Lettuce Hems… On a Sewing Machine! What?!

You heard me. A regular sewing machine. Why? Because I do not (yet) own a serger. But I loved the look, so I learned how to do it. And now I’m going to teach you! Are you ready? Let’s get started!

What you need:

A sewing machine

Thread

A full (matching) bobbin

Knit fabric with a good stretch

The Key to a Successful Lettuce Hem

It all starts with machine settings. Lettuce hems NEED the correct settings to come out perfect and beautiful. You basically want to set your machine to a satin stitch. On my machine that is a zigzag with a 5mm width and a 0.3mm length.

Working With the Fabric

Now that you have your machine all set up, it’s time to stitch! I recommend starting with a scrap for your first couple of tried to make sure you have the technique. It can be tricky to pick up, but once you have the hang of it, there’ll be no stopping you!

Place your fabric under the needle with the edge about 1/8″ right of the center under your presser foot. You need to make sure that the needle will be OFF your fabric on the right-hand side. Start slow and STAY slow

Start slow and STAY slow. Gently push on your foot pedal and feed your fabric through while stretching it. This stretch paired with the tight stitches is what creates the ruffled effect.

If you go slow and stretch well, you’ll end up with a beautifully ruffled lettuce hem! Now you can take this technique to your dress, shirt, and sleeve hems! Do keep in mind, though, this might not be the best finish for ALL knit garments (I occasionally still use a traditional hem because it fits the aesthetic better, so use your judgment), but it is often perfect and pretty on circle skirts! (Think Maci and Sahara)

That’s it for today! But if you have suggestions for other sewing tutorials you’d like to see, please drop them in the comments and we’ll see what we can do! And join our Facebook group for help, more tips, and to share your beautiful creations!

Sometimes learning new sewing skills can be scary. But it doesn’t have to be. A good tutorial (or sometimes live lesson) and some practice and you will be performing ALL the sewing skills without even thinking about it. Today, I’m here to help you out with the one that I was the most terrified to attempt to date… the invisible zipper. I promise it’s not too bad, once you get the hang of it. And think if all of the gorgeous clothes you can create with this skill! Bella Sunshine’s Alice in girls and Ladies sizes, as well as the Rebel dress, will make great use of this skill!

Installing an Invisible Zipper

First Steps

Gather your supplies. Your fabric, zipper, concealed zipper foot if you have one and tools. This next step might not seem like much, but it is essential to getting the invisible zipper correctly installed. Iron the zipper teeth FLAT with the iron set to a synthetic setting and the zipper unzipped. The flatter they are, the more successful you will be. Also note that you do not want to rezip the zipper at any point before installation is complete, as it will cause the teeth to curl up again and undo all of the work you just did in flattening them.

Preparation

If you’re installing the zipper in a woven garment, finish your raw edges with a zigzag or overlock stitch. This will ensure the fabric will not unravel overmuch as you work. After you’ve completed that step, make a mark along the raw edge at the distance of the seam allowance. This will help you get the zipper placement right. Do this with tailor’s chalk or a disappearing pen on the right side of the fabric. Make sure you mark down both the left and right sides of your opening.

First Stitches

Typically speaking, most concealed zipper garments are lined, so make sure you keep the lining out if the way here. This is JUST for the main fabric piece. Take your zipper and lay it face down on the right side of the fabric with the teeth lined up along the line you made previously. Keep the raw edge of the zipper to the side with the raw edge of the fabric, as pictured.

Now, with your concealed zipper foot (or regular zipper foot if you don’t have one) stitch right along the zipper teeth. Be very careful not to catch them up in the stitches!

Now Do It Again!

Now that you have everything all stitched down on one side, you’re going to repeat it for the other side. Pin the other side of the zipper to the other side of the opening and stitch close to the teeth again.

That’s it!

Your zipper is installed! Now, in a lined garment, you’ll still have to deal with lining, but if you follow the pattern instructions, it should be pretty easy. The hard part is all done! And look how pretty it all turned out!

I hope I helped explain it all sufficiently, but if you have any questions, please comment them below or visit our Facebook group. We’re here to help!