Hemming with Paint

“Hemming” with paint is very simple and really comes in handy when you want the look of a rolled hem on your garment but do not have a sewing machine that is capable of making a rolled hem. This method could also come in very handy if you are at an overnight competition and find you need to make a change in your hem. You just need to make sure you have time to let the paint dry thoroughly. This method can be used whenever you might want to use a rolled hem – the hem of a skirt or blouse or even the hem of sleeves. When using paint over a large area like the hem of a garment, it is important to add textile medium to the paint before painting the garment. Textile medium added to the paint will make the painted fabric more pliable.

Supplies:

  1. Dance garment
  2. Paint
  3. Textile medium
  4. Scissors
  5. Paper plates or
    sheets of paper

Directions:

  1. Choosing Your Materials

Since you would be hemming an existing garment, all we would be looking for or choosing would be to determine the color of paint that you want to use with your garment.

  1. Hemming Your Garment

It is very easy to hem your garment with paint. The only drawback is making sure that the paint is dry before you cut your garment. The first step is to determine the length that you want for your garment. Make sure you measure the hem carefully and then paint a strip approximately ½” wide around the garment starting about ¼” above the hem line. Once the paint is dry, carefully cut through the middle of the painted line all around the skirt. You would then end up with a ¼” line of paint above the cut line and a 1/4” line of paint below the cut line. Therefore, you would have ¼” painted “rolled” hem.

Cyndi Marziani