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  1. #1
    Senior Member egrant5329's Avatar
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    Finishing ripstop edges

    Since staring down the path of DIY and playing around with 1.1 and 1.9 oz ripstop, fraying edges have always bothered me. I have used a lighter which seals the for a while but if you handle the material much they start fraying again. I have not tried cutting with a soldering iron yet but it seems like it would be the same as a lighter.

    I recently picked up a Singer 301a straight stitch (awesome machine) because I was afraid I would destroy my wife's sewing machine. One of the many attachments was a hemming foot. Today I started playing with it and I really like the result. It takes a little bit of practice to keep the material feed into the foot correctly. The results are an very professional finished look about 1/8" wide. Hopefully the pictures are viewable.
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    Ed

  2. #2
    Senior Member SpaceCadet's Avatar
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    I've been eyeballing this foot http://www.amazon.com/Distinctive-Na.../dp/B00325ZJYC for a month or so now.
    If you don't try due to fear of failure you've already failed due to fear.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by SpaceCadet View Post
    I've been eyeballing this foot http://www.amazon.com/Distinctive-Na.../dp/B00325ZJYC for a month or so now.
    Thanks for this, there is a link in one of the amazon user reviews to detailed web instructions of the hemmer feet: Mastering the Narrow Hemmer (threads magazine)

  4. #4
    Senior Member egrant5329's Avatar
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    That is basically what mine looks like except mine is from 1956.

    Another thing I am learning is to really play with the tension setting when sewing the 1.1 oz stuff. 1.9 is fine on the the normal setting, but 1.1 works better with lighter setting. Sewing primaloft did better on a lot heavier setting.
    Ed

  5. #5
    Senior Member Ramblinrev's Avatar
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    hemming feet are a good solution _if_ you can get them to work. I've never been able to. This is just to say to folks.. if you have trouble with them you are not alone. Do yourself a favor and get a foot specifically made for your machine. Generic hemming feet are mostly crap. At least that's been my experience.
    I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.

    "Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
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    Senior Member Knotty's Avatar
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    That's a nice looking hem. Very small and neat.
    Knotty
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  7. #7
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    Thats pretty tight and looks pro. Well done.

    I've got some 1.1 I've been playing with on the wife's Janome. Getting pretty good results since I swapped out the 2mm hemming foot for the optional 6mm foot but still learning how to keep it all feeding cleanly and sewing straight.

    If I'm not careful, one of two things happen: either the roll disintegrates and I land up with a section of straight hem, or the material feeding into the left of the foot doubles back over and I get a 'reverse Z' hem. oops. On the whole, these are not major problems with functionality of the hem, just annoying. I'll probably just hit any goof areas with seam sealer to hold it all together but they look like they won't fray anyway.

    I'd post photos, but its black on black.

    Are you pinning? Any tips you'd like to share to help a noob?

  8. #8
    Senior Member egrant5329's Avatar
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    For me it is hard to get started. I start by turning over ~ 1/8" and straight sew it for 1/2" then I take it out and fold it over again. Then I put it into the hemming foot working the material into the foot. If I just try to work the material in without sewing that first section, the hemming foot frays the edge. Once it is in I just keep pulling the top of the fabric to the left and use my left hand to move the fabric forward so it doesn't bunch under the foot.

    Once I get it started I can run at full speed with a perfect edge.

    You can also use the hemming foot to do a felled edge seam. It too is amazingly small and strong. I was impressed with how it turned out on some scrap material I was playing with.
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    Ed

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by egrant5329 View Post

    You can also use the hemming foot to do a felled edge seam. It too is amazingly small and strong. I was impressed with how it turned out on some scrap material I was playing with.
    OK, now you are just showing off.

  10. #10
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    Very nice looking.

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