Do you have a t-shirt that has unravelled or are you struggling to hem jersey knits? In this tutorial, I am repairing a t-shirt where parts of the hem have unraveled.
This is a common clothing repair that you can easily do yourself on your regular sewing machine at home. I will share how you can easily hem a t-shirt or other jersey knits by using a twin needle and some simple tips & tricks to prevent a curvy/wavy finish. Instead, you will be able to sew a neat yet stretchy hem on your t-shirts that look professional.
This video is part of my Mend with Matti-series where I teach you how you can repair and make your own alterations to clothes that you already own so that you can love and use your garments for longer.
I think most t-shirts throughout their lifetime need to be re-hemmed at least once – or is it just me? I think it’s due to a few different factors why this happens: it could be that the seam either isn’t fastened properly, sometimes I think it’s just ‘wear and tear’, and other times I think the thread is of very low quality because sometimes I have noticed that the threads almost.. dissolve! 😦 Or dissolve wasn’t maybe the correct term – it’s rather like the thread unraveled and turned the seam on the wrong side into a big ball of fluff.
So let’s get into the tutorial!
What you need to hem a t-shirt on a regular sewing machine:
- A twin needle – there are different sized twin needles so get one that is suitable for your hem. The twin needle I use is Schmetz Stretch Twin Needle.
- Thread. Unless you have two spools of the same color you will need to thread two bobbins as you will need two threads to go through the twin needle and one thread for the bobbin.
Now it’s time to set up the machine! Start with removing the needle from your machine and store it safely away in its case, so you won’t lose or break it.
When installing your twin needle make sure that the round side is towards the front and the flat side is towards the back. Make sure you push the needle all the way up and that you fasten the needle properly.
Then thread your machine as you normally would making sure that the first top thread that you thread is threaded through the needle on the left.
Then thread the second top thread the same way until you come to the metal bar before it’s time to thread through the needle. DO NOT pull this thread through the metal bar to ensure that the threads do not tangle. Then thread through the needle on the right and pull both threads towards the back.
Set your stitch length to 2.6 mm, or anything near that, and make sure that your tension is set to 4.5 (which my machine already was).
Before you do start to sew make sure to pin the areas on your t-shirt hem that will need stitching. If you are re-hemming make sure to double-check your hem to make sure you didn’t miss an area of unraveled stitches!
Put the presser foot down in an existing stitch (if applicable) then start sewing.
To prevent threads from getting stuck under the presser foot make sure to pull all the threads towards the back on the left to avoid puckering.
Also, make sure the bobbin thread doesn’t get caught in the stitches and as a result, pulls the fabric. This happened to me and it can create puckering if you are not careful!
Do not stretch fabric while sewing or put pressure on the fabric.
Once you’re done fasten your thread! Then iron your hem as a final step to create a flat finish and your hem is done!
Want to save it for later? Pin it!
I really hope you liked this tutorial on how to re-hem your old t-shirt. This is part of my Mend with Matti-series where I teach how you can repair your garments and if you do make any of these projects don’t forget to use the hashtag #mendwithmatti on Instagram so that I can see it as well.
Also, do not forget to tag me on Instagram @missmatti because I would love to see what you repair from watching my videos! ☺️
