LONG GOWN HEMMING

Have the person put the dress on with the correct shoes and undergarments. Our gowns are long, so having them stand on a stool is helpful. Have them look straight ahead and not down at the person doing the hemming. Mark the back hem to the desired length, and make a few more marks around the hem the same distance from the floor. If you will be hemming many gowns, a product like this will be a useful tool: https://www.amazon.com/Dritz-Deluxe-Chalk-Hem-Marker/dp/B00188HMVI

If the dresses will belong to the school or the person wearing it is still growing, you will want to leave at least 2" of hem allowance, then blind stitch. You can leave more hem allowance if necessary. A blind stitch will also work for someone keeping the dress. If the person is done growing and will be keeping the dress, a clean finished hem (double folded in) would also work. If someone has a coverstitch machine, that would also work on a knit dress.

Blind stitch – suitable for any fabric, can be done by hand.

Clean finished hem – better on woven dresses, but can be done on most knits. Need a standard sewing machine.

Cover stitch hem – better for knits, need a specialized sewing machine.