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Hello and welcome back to the Pindrop Shop! This is Episode 1 of the Basic Alterations Sewing Skills Series. In this series, I am going to show you how to do some basic alteration and repair skills that you can use on your everyday clothing. This is a great opportunity to work through all of your clothing items that have an issue, and get them fixed and back into your wardrobe.
Today we’re going to hem a pair of sweatpants. You can see that pants like this are often hemmed with this double line of stitching. So what is this, do we need to have it, and how can we replicate it, so that our pants look the same as they did before we shortened them?
This double line of stitching is called a coverstitch. The stitch is made using three threads- two to make each line of stitching on the front, and a third thread that locks between the two lines of straight stitching. This locking of threads is similar to what a serger or overlock machine does, and its purpose is to cover the raw edge, of the folded hem. Hence the name coverstitch. Other than covering the hem on the back in a very clean way, it is also a stretchy stitch, which is important for clothing made of stretchy material. If you were to try to hem your stretchy pants with a regular straight stitch, as soon as the fabric got stretched, the stitches would break and start unraveling.
So we need a stretchy stitch, and we want to recreate double line of stitching on the outside, and it’s also nice to have the raw edge covered on the inside. There are a two ways we can achieve all that.
The 1st option is to use an actual coverstitch machine, if you have one. Please see our video How to Hem Using a Coverstitch Machine if you do.
Since most people don’t have one of these, let’s move on to Option 2. This option is going to be the simplest and best option for most people. You will need:
Thread that matches your pants - 2 spools of the same color ideally
Okay so let’s talk about that Twin Needle. You might be thinking you aren’t sure if your machine will accept a twin needle. Chances are, it will. Here’s how it works -
You need two spools of the same thread (we can even wind half of your spool onto a bobbin if you only have one)
One spool goes onto the spool pin like normal. Many machines come with an extra spool pin and a spot for it to fit into. Check your machine and your accessories. Your manual will also mention it if you have this. Even if you don’t have a second spool pin, you can use a free standing spool holder or borrow the spool holder from a nearby machine.
The only reason your machine would not be able to use a twin needle is if it’s a straight stitch only machine. If your machine can do zig zag stitching, it will then have a nice wide oval hole in the throat plate, so the twin needle will fit in there just fine. The bobbin will actually make a zig zag on the back.
So similar to the real coverstitch, which has more locking on the back and is done with a specialized machine, the twin needle is a very accessible way for the home sewing machine user to get a very similar stitch. You can order twin needles from our website, here. Usually a universal twin needle will work, but there are instances when you will need a Stretch Twin Needle. If your fabric looks very shiny, is ultra stretchy and thin, and has a high synthetic fiber content, you should get the Stretch Twin Needle. If you try to use the Universal Twin Needle on this type of material you will often get nothing but skipped stitches and the machine won’t be able to create a working hem at all.
Once you have your twin needle and your two spools of thread. You’ll also need to wind some of this thread onto a bobbin would onto your actual bobbin that will be going inside the machine to form the zig zag on the underside of the fabric. If don’t have a second spool of thread you can actually wind some onto second bobbin, and use it as though it’s on a regular spool.
Next we will insert the twin needle. Locate the needle set screw on your machine. It is a small screw that Is usually off to the right of the needle, coming from the clamp that holds the top of the needle. Loosen the needle by turning it with the screwdriver. The old needle will fall out or you can gently pull it out if it doesn’t immediately.
