You can use a standard presser foot to sew most types of hems. If you want a little help with getting a neat finish on single / double turned hems or faced hems, use an edge stitching foot. If you’re sewing a blind hem by machine, you’ll want to use a blind hem foot. If you’re hemming sheer or lightweight fabrics, you may want to try a rolled hem foot or a picot foot. If you want to speed up your hemming, consider using a wide hem foot. If you’re sewing a bound hem, a binding foot will help you achieve a neat result in a single step.
Contents list:
- Standard foot
- Edge stitching foot
- Blind hem foot
- Rolled / narrow hem foot
- Hemmer / wide hem foot
- Picot foot
- Adjustable guide foot
- Binding foot
- Magic Jeans hemming foot
- Best presser foot for jeans
Standard Foot
What is it?
The standard foot (aka. zig zag foot) that comes with your sewing machine can be used for sewing almost all types of seams and hems. It’s usually metal, plastic, or a combination of both.
Uses:
- Single-turned hems.
- Double-turned hems.
- Faced hems.
- Bound hems.
- Rolled hems.
- All weights of woven and knit fabric.
- Shirts, tops, skirts, trousers, dresses, etc.
How to use:
Tips:
Some manufacturers include additional guidelines on the standard foot which can be helpful for neatly sewing a single or double turned hem. If your standard foot has these extra guides, simply align the turned-up raw or folded edge of the hem with the marking, and sew. Your stitches will be 2-3 mm away from the turned-up edge and perfectly parallel to the folded edge of the hem.
Is this an essential foot to buy?
Yes, but your machine will most likely come with a standard presser foot included. This is the foot you will use the most often, and you can use it on most hem types if you sew slowly enough.
Edge Stitching Foot / Edge Joining Foot
What is it?
The edge stitching foot looks similar to the standard presser foot, but it has an additional metal or plastic blade-like guide in the middle of the foot. This guide is really helpful in achieving a neat, parallel line of stitching. It (mostly) stops you from wandering off to the left or right as you sew.
It’s helpful when you’re doing simple turned hems, faced hems, or even bound hems. To use it, shift your needle to the right or to the left, align the presser foot’s guide with the raw or folded edge of your hem / facing / binding on the wrong side of your project, and sew a line of straight stitches.
Uses:
- Single-turned hems.
- Double-turned hems.
- Faced hems.
- Bound hems.
- All weights of woven and knit fabric.
- Shirts, tops, skirts, trousers, dresses, etc.
How to use:
Is this an essential foot to buy?
No. Although this is my favorite additional presser foot, you can achieve the same results by using your standard presser foot and going slowly. However, I would recommend getting one if you’re planning on doing lots of top stitching, edge stitching, under stitching, or stitching in the ditch.
Blind Hem Foot
What is it?
The blind hem foot is used with the blind hem stitches on your sewing machine. These stitches jump to the side every few stitches to catch the folded edge of the hem, creating tiny tacks that hold the hem up. The stitches look nearly invisible on the right side of your project. The blind hem foot has a built-in guide towards the front of the foot that helps keep the folded edge of the hem in place while you’re sewing. Most models also include a screw on the side that lets you adjust the position of the guide.
Uses:
- Blind hems.
- Medium to heavy-weight woven or knit fabrics.
- Skirts, trousers, dresses.
How to use:
Tips:
Check to see if your machine comes with elastic / stretchy blind hem stitches. If it does, you can use this foot for sewing a blind hem on your stretchy fabrics as well.
Is this an essential foot to buy?
No. If you need to sew a blind hem by machine and you don’t have a blind hem foot, you can use your standard presser foot after experimenting a bit on a scrap piece to figure out the perfect placement. It can be tricky to sew perfectly straight though and you may fail to catch the hem occasionally. However, if you’re planning to sew blind hems often, I definitely recommend getting a blind hem foot. Alternatively, you can sew an invisible / blind hem by hand.
Rolled Hem Foot / Narrow Hem Foot
What is it?
The rolled hem foot (also called a narrow hem foot) features a small, cylindrical guide at the front to help fabric roll as it goes through the machine. It also has a tubular groove on the bottom of the foot to accommodate the sewn portion of the rolled hem and keep the foot flat against the fabric. It usually comes in three sizes (2, 4, and 6 mm). The heavier your fabric, the wider the foot you’ll need.
Uses:
- Rolled hems.
- Light to medium-weight fabrics.
- Woven and knit fabrics.
- Sheer and very lightweight fabrics like organza, chiffon, voile, charmeuse, etc.
- Scarves, skirts, dresses, overlays.
How to use:
Is this an essential foot to buy?
No. You can achieve a similar result by manually rolling the hem as you’re sewing it with your standard presser foot, or sewing a rolled hem by hand. However, if you’re planning to sew a rolled hem over a long distance or on multiple layers of skirts, I recommend getting a rolled hem foot to speed things up.
Hemmer Foot / Wide Hem Foot
What is it?
The hemmer foot is very similar to a narrow hem foot, but it comes in larger sizes like ½”, ¾”, or 1” to accommodate different hem widths and fabric weights. It features a flattened spiral-like guide towards the front of the foot, which helps guide the edge of the fabric into rolling like a double-turned hem.
Uses:
- Rolled / double-turned hems.
- All weights of woven and knit fabrics.
- Shirts, tops, skirts, trousers, dresses, tablecloths, etc.
How to use:
Is this an essential foot to buy?
No. You can achieve a similar result by manually rolling the hem as you’re sewing it with your standard presser foot, or folding and pressing the hem in advance.
Picot Foot
What is it?
The picot foot is very similar to the rolled / narrow hem foot, but it features a slightly different shaped guide or scroll at the front and the groove on the bottom of the foot is more rounded to accommodate the rounded shape of the picot hem. It’s used in conjunction with a zigzag stitch to create a shell-like, picot hem on the edges of lightweight fabric.
Uses:
- Picot hems.
- Very light to lightweight fabrics like organza, voile, or chiffon.
- Hemming the edges of frills, flounces, ruffles, overlay skirts or dresses, scarves, etc.
How to use:
Is this an essential foot to buy?
No. You can achieve similar results using a rolled hem foot or a standard presser foot, you’ll just need to go quite slowly and roll the hem manually.
Adjustable Guide Foot
What is it?
These feet are sold under different names (such as the Singer Sew-Easy foot or the Pfaff adjustable guide foot) but they all feature a ruler extending from the right side of the foot. By using the sliding plastic guide attached to the ruler, you can adjust the exact width of the guide. They are really helpful for sewing wide hems, as well as following different seam allowances.
Uses:
- Single or double turned wide hems.
- All weights of woven and knit fabric.
How to use:
Is this an essential foot to buy?
No. You can achieve similar results by using a standard presser foot, or by putting some washi tape at your desired hem allowance on the needle plate of your sewing machine.
Binding Foot / Adjustable Binding Foot
What is it?
The binding foot allows you to add binding to the edge of any fabric in one easy step. You’ll simply feed the binding strip through the cone-shaped guide on the foot, and feed the fabric through the center opening of the guide. As you sew a line of straight stitches, you’ll see that the binding is attached to the edge of the fabric with a single line of stitching. The adjustable versions come with a screw on the side that let you adjust the width of the foot depending on the width of the binding.
Uses:
- Bound hems.
- All weights of woven fabrics.
- Quilting, adding a bound hem to dresses, skirts, trousers, jackets, or home textiles like tablecloths.
How to use:
Is this an essential foot to buy?
No. You can do a bound hem using a standard foot or an edge stitching foot for more help. You can either sew the binding with two lines of stitching (sew one side to the front of the garment, fold it over, sew the other side to the back), or use double-folded binding and attach it in a single step like when you’re using a binding foot.
Magic Jeans Hemming Foot
What is it?
The magic jeans hemming foot has a spring on it that allows it to conform to the varying thicknesses that are found on a jeans hem. Because jeans are traditionally sewn using flat felled seams, during the hemming process your machine will need to sew over 3 layers of fabric and then 12 layers of fabric, which can cause issues with tension and in achieving a straight line of stitching. The spring on the magic jeans hemming foot allows the foot to seamlessly transition between these dramatically different thicknesses.
Uses:
- Hemming jeans.
How to use:
Is this an essential foot to buy?
No. You can use a hump jumper (alternatively called a Jean-A-Ma-Jig) to help your presser foot stay level while it’s going over the thicker parts of your project.
Related: How to Sew Denim
Best presser foot for hemming jeans:
You can use a standard presser foot for hemming jeans. If you’re looking for extra help, consider using a hump jumper or a magic jeans hemming foot.
What to read next:
- 21 Seam Finishes for Knits & Wovens
- Important Sewing Tools for Beginners (Names, Pics, Uses)
- Hand Sewing Needles: 19 Types, Sizes, Uses
- 21 Cutting Tools for Sewing Explained (Names, Pics, Uses)
- 19 Measuring Rulers & Tools for Sewing (Names, Pics, Uses)
- 11 Different Types of Sewing Machines
This article was written by Nisan Aktürk and edited by Sara Maker.
Nisan Aktürk (author)
Nisan started her sewing journey in December 2019 and already has a fully handmade wardrobe. She’s made 50+ trousers, 20+ buttoned shirts, and a wide array of coats, jackets, t-shirts, and jeans. She’s currently studying for her Sociology Master’s degree and is writing a thesis about sewing. So she spends a lot of her time either sewing or thinking/writing about sewing! Read more…