"How to Do More With Your Blind-hem Foot! Part Three: Edge-joining"

Edge-joining is used to attach "insertions" (ribbons made of lace), ribbons etc. to each other or to fabric with a zigzag stitch. While you can do it with a set blind-hem foot like mine, you can get a better result if you use an adjustable blind-hem foot because you can put the guide in the centre.

How to Use Your Blind-hem Foot as an Edge-stitching Foot

But each of your two pieces of fabric up against the guide on the foot. You may like to hem them first, or to hem the fabric before you join it to an insertion or a ribbon.

Set your zigzag to a width that will catch and hold securely both pieces of fabric. I used 5.5mm wide. Then just stitch, keeping the two pieces butted against the guide as you go.

If you have an adjustable blind-hem foot, you will be able to use a narrower zigzag, but I had to use a wide stitch so as to miss the guide with the needle.

You could also use an over-locking stitch on your sewing machine. If you are going to use a fancy stitch, move the balance wheel by hand for the whole of the first stitch to make sure you won't hit the foot.

This is what my sample looks like up close:

It doesn't look very neat in the photo, but if I had used a more suitable thread, such as invisible thread, and had been able to use a narrower stitch, it would have looked better. SewBeautifulMag.com/video.html has a video showing this technique with an edge-joining foot, also known as a centre-blade-foot.

Now that you have your edges joined, you could just leave them like that, or you could put ribbon underneath, catching a bead every so often or making a bow. It's really up to you! Do you have any more ideas? Please share them below! : )

Until next time, happy sewing!
Sabrina Wharton-Brown
The Sewing Corner

P.S. Next week will conclude this series of Blind-hem Posts with instructions for Stitching-in-the-Ditch with your Blind-hem foot.