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  1. #1
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    Getting into DIY.. should I get a rolled hem presser foot?

    I'm in the design and planning stages of my DIY projects. I have noticed that almost every sewing project that relates to hammocking utilizes a rolled hem. Some of them require a substantial rolled hem (tarps and hammock bodies)

    I have been practicing with my thread injector and started looking for easier and more efficient ways to create the rolled hem. I have only made practice stuff sacks from scrap cotton and such so far.

    I have noticed some people are using rolled hem presser feet and I'm not going to lie, it seems they will simplify the process a bunch and give a much cleaner, professional look. I don't mind spending a little money on "tools" if it creates a better product.

    Should I invest in one?

  2. #2
    Senior Member dangerous's Avatar
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    My answer would be no but sure go for it. You're never gonna know if it's for you until you try one. In my opinion because I have several sizes of them is that they works sometimes, depending on the size of the hem and type of fabric. Also, once you get material started into it, you can get a very nice even hem but, getting clean, even hemmed corners can be a real pain. Also, once you get the feel for rolling your own hem it will go much faster than you think. You can also iron the hem into your fabric first which will help you lay it down into place while sewing.
    -Jon-

  3. #3
    Senior Member MAD777's Avatar
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    I have never used one and don't see the need for DIY projects. The time it could save, in the right hands, would be worthwhile for a commercial operation that sews all day. Of course, it wouldn't harm anything either.
    Mike
    "Life is a Project!"

  4. #4
    Senior Member Monkeyboy42's Avatar
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    With some practice hand rolling a hem is pretty. The presser foot I find pretty fiddly. I passed on it.

  5. #5
    Senior Member dudeman_atl's Avatar
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    I also passed on the rolled hem foot. The Internet apparently has a lot of swear words about those feet.

    I folded my tarp hem once, sewed it, then folded again and sewed it. I got two lines of stitching and a nice look.

  6. #6
    Senior Member punkisdead's Avatar
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    I don't think a special rolled hem foot is necessary. I bought one for my wife's sewing machine and have since inherited an older early 70s Montgomery Ward machine which it won't fit on. I discovered that with a bit of practice and pinning the hem before sewing, rolled hems are not that scary or hard to make and look professional.

  7. #7
    Senior Member Boston's Avatar
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    I'm going to let you in on a little secret I discovered recently.

    There was a company called Greist which made sewing machine attachments (feet) in the early to mid 20th century. Greist was contracted by Singer, and other machine manufacturers to design and produce a variety of attachment's. They also produced attachment's under there own name. Many modern feet are based off, or direct copies of, the Greist designs.

    You can find "vintage" packages of Greist (or singer, or etc) attachment's on Etsy and Ebay for about $10-20. These set's are often jumbled. My set came with 3 rolled hemmer feet (1/4", 3/8", 3/4" I think), narrow hemmer foot (1/8"), gathering foot, ruffler, 1/4" double fold binder, zipper foot, hem guide (not really useful unless your machine has attachment mounts), edge stitcher, and importantly the attachment foot (this is used to quick swap many, but not all of the attachments. It's used with the hemmer feet). The set's are similar to THIS, but not $50.

    They made attachment's for a variety of machines, so be sure you get the correct shank type. A lot of set's are the "double fork" style which wont work with any modern machine, so beware of that. Many set's will also be mixed (for instance my set was supposed to be short shank, but it came with 2 binder's, one which is a long shank, and the ruffler in my set ended up being a long shank).

    From a usefulness stand point here's my opinion:
    1) The 3 larger hemmer feet are AMAZING. I'm very good at rolling a hem by hand already, but with these I can tear through sewing a hem very fast. They had a small learning curve, so practice for a bit on scrap fabric (it's easy not to feed enough, and the rolled over portion doesn't get sewn under). I highly suggest learning to roll by hand before you try to use a hem foot, however. It's a good skill to have.
    2) The zipper foot is adjustable, if you don't already have one it's a great addition to your set.
    3) I can see a use for a ruffler when making differential quilts, but haven't had a chance to test it because it doesn't fit my machine
    4) The gathering foot could also be useful, and is easy to use. Tension adjustments vary how much is gathered.

    I have't found a use for the binder (1/4" finished is too small. This is meant for quilting), edge stitcher, or narrow hemmer foot (again, too small, and difficult to guide with light fabric)

    All in all, worth the $13 I spent, and I'm going to see if I can exchange the ruffler for a low shank if the seller still has one.


    Here's a link to the manual for the feet: http://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollect.../sil10-215.pdf It's an interesting read, just to see the attitude behind sewing at the time.
    Last edited by Boston; 05-12-2015 at 10:24.

  8. #8
    Administrator Yukon's Avatar
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    I bought one for my machine and tried it for a bit, made more work than it was worth. Got pretty good doing it by hand so I stuck with that

  9. #9
    Senior Member squidbilly's Avatar
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    Other than the old Greist guides mentioned by Boston above, the only thing that consistently works for me is this:

    www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php/75680-DIY-Grosgrain-and-Rolled-Hem-Guides

  10. #10
    Senior Member Ramblinrev's Avatar
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    I've never gotten the )*%$ thing to work for me. More trouble than they are worth and IMO not a suitable implement for a beginning stitcher. It only complicates the learning curve. Some people swear by them but I just swear at them and I am no beginner.
    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."
    Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn

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