‘Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.’ Benjamin Franklin

One of the skills that I remember learning in my school textile classes was how to sew an invisible hem by hand. It’s quite possibly one of the most valuable things I learnt back then and, along with a few phrases of GCSE Italian, it’s one of the only things I actually remember from my school days. Very few of the dates and stats I ‘crammed’ during my revision have stuck - learning by doing is always the best way for me.

I remember stitching the hem of the cornflower blue mini skirt that I’d made in class. My hand-sewing skills back then were far more effective that my machine work and I look back and cringe at the number of needles that inexplicably snapped while I was using the sewing machine. I think my teacher despaired of me and she was less than enthusiastic when I opted for A-Level Textiles.

Sewing a blind hem is really very simple, it is much better for the fabric than using iron-on hemming and it doesn't take much longer to do. These beautiful charity shop-bought teal wool trousers from Joseph have lasted me around 10 years already and, though I still haven't been able to fit into them since my second pregnancy, I know that because I’ve treated them with care, I may just get to wear them again one day.

This is the second in my How To Mend series. The first was How (& Why) to Sew on a Button and third and final film, How To Mend a Seam By Hand, is coming soon.

About the author

Founder and Director of The Good Wardrobe. Lover of charity shops and mending stuff. New to Bristol. Follow on Twitter