Knit dresses and skirts are popular. They don’t have to be ironed, most of the time they don’t need to be lined and the fabric conforms to your body. This makes them a comfortable choice for all occasions. But what happens when your knit outfit is too long? It takes time to get a knack for sewing with knits.

5 Step directions for hemming your knit dress

Measure up the desired amount from the hem. This dress needed to be shortened 8″. Since it is not a floor length gown it can be measured up from the bottom of the original hem all the way around. I measure and pin first.

2. Press the desired skirt length. After I have pinned the new hem I also press the new hemline I have made because I like to have a crisp edge while I am sewing. This way I can remove my pins and not worry about losing my measurement.

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3. Machine Stitch.

a. Select the appropriate needle. For knits use a ball point needle. Size 10,11, or 12 would work well for this project.

b. Set the machine to your desired stitch. My machine has a knit stitch but I have never been happy with it. Instead I like to use a zigzag stitch. I set the zig zag on my machine at a 3 width and 3 to 3.5 stitch length.

c. Don’t let the weight of the garment hang, creating pull on the stitches. Make sure to drape the garment on the table in such a way that it is not pulling on the stitching as you sew. This would create puckers in your project.

d. Slow and steady. I find that especially with knits it is better to have to machine sewing at a slow steady speed. This keeps the stitching even.

4. Trim away the excess and press again. I use appliqué scissors to trim away the excess fabric. In the picture above you can see the original factory seam has two lines of stitching. This can be created with other models of serger machines but not with your basic home sewing machine.