Long rolled hem method?

[WoodBow]

How are yall going about making rolled hems on very long seams? I have done a lot of them on tipi, tarps, hammocks and i have always just folded the seams by hand and well...it sucks. I have a very small rolled hem attachment that i played with a bit before buying one of the correct size (i got this one in a box of random attachmens with an old machine). That thing is even more of a pain. I also couldn't find one on amazon or ebay that is 3/8". I thought about using a very long thin piece of plastic, of the correct width, to roll the fabric around and then slide out as i sew. Or even just roll it around it, slide it out and add clips as you go.

I'm going to make basically a kifaru sheep tarp for sun shade, so i'm just thinking ahead and dreading folding like 30 feet of rolled hem.

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[4090Sharps]

I use an attachment for rolled hems, but I make sure to fold the fabric by hand as the fabric feeds into the attachment. It gets pretty consistent results.

 

[Erict]

These pros like basting tape - still a bit of work but may be useful for you:

 

[WoodBow]

When i did my tipi i used cheap clear double sided tape. It was pretty clutch for keeping long seams lined up. When you have 10 foot seams, it is really easy to get to the end and your fabric no longer lines up because the feed dogs are advancing the bottom fabric slightly faster than the top piece. I didn't do it this time since i wasn't sewing any seams. In hindsight, it still would have been worth it. What i did instead was use a 1/2" strip of poster board to roll the hem around. Then i clipped it in place before sliding the strip out of the end. This worked well but was still a bit tedious. It probably took me 20-30 mins to do the whole perimeter. I got it all knocked out yesterday. Fun easy project.

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[BigWillyAK]

I have used both the tape and the rolled hem attachment. The tape is very tedious on long seams and generally does not stick well to silnylon/silpoly. The rolled hem foot took quite a bit of practice to figure out how to get it to feed how I wanted. I would generally use a pin or clip at the start just to help get it going and that seemed to help.


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[WoodBow]

I have used both the tape and the rolled hem attachment. The tape is very tedious on long seams and generally does not stick well to silnylon/silpoly. The rolled hem foot took quite a bit of practice to figure out how to get it to feed how I wanted. I would generally use a pin or clip at the start just to help get it going and that seemed to help.


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The regular double sided office type tape i used on my tipi worked awesome. It was PU coated nylon though. I know not much likes to stick to silicone.

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[doc holiday13]

I use an attachment for rolled hems, but I make sure to fold the fabric by hand as the fabric feeds into the attachment. It gets pretty consistent results.

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[TaperPin]

I highly recommend getting a variety of basting tape and it will change how you think about hems. Good thick basting tape has a lot of grip on all fabrics - the stuff sold for leather workers or on the sailrite site seems to be good - get a variety of widths, or at least 1/4”, 3/8” and 1/2”. I have some super duty 1/2” stuff that I’m sure is double sided tape, but it works great on vinyl and cordura.

An even seam is much easier with straight crisp sharpie lines to follow as you fold it. Anytime difficult seams come up it’s a good idea to drag out the iron. I’ve marked the fold, ironed a good crease, added basting tape, ironed the next fold before sewing. The more exact you want it, the more ironing, pinning and basting you need to do.

It’s much harder to use than basting tape, but remember rubber cement can be used in place of basting tape in a pinch - in nylon ironing a crease helps no matter what method you use.

Im also a fan of having pins handy - if you can’t iron, have no basting tape, not set up for binding tape, you have to pin. I’ve seen guys using a stapler but I don’t care for the snags left when staples are pulled out.

The brute force method is making a fold by eye and sewing within 1/8” or so from the fold to hold it flat, then sewing the second fold. You will have a second exposed set of stitches, but few friends will make fun of you for it - maybe your grandma will feel sorry for you and add basting tape to the Christmas stocking this year!

Great project!