460 Part 5 Sewing Techniques 26-31 To ease in extra fullness, pull up gently on the bobbin thread. Repeat several times around hem. Goodheart-Willcox Publisher 26-32 You can remove extra fullness by tapering seams. Goodheart-Willcox Publisher 1. Place a piece of brown paper between the hem and the garment to prevent press marks. 2. Hold the steam iron slightly above the hem, letting the steam penetrate the fabric. 3. Flatten the gathers with your fi ngers, keeping your fi ngers away from the steam. 4. Press the hem. Some fabrics are diffi cult to ease and shrink. Remove the extra fullness in these by tapering the seam, 26-32. To taper, use the following steps: 1. Mark the hemline. 2. Insert the sewing machine needle into the seam line slightly above the hemline. Sew along the seam line to the hemline. At the hemline, pivot slightly and angle the seam inward. 3. Remove the original stitches, and trim the seam allowance. 4. Press seams open. Repeat this process on the other seams. Finishing Hem Edges Hem fi nishes are much like seam fi nishes. The fi nish you use depends on the garment style and the fabric weight. Choose from these methods, 26-33: • Pinked fi nish. To fi nish fabrics that do not ravel, machine stitch ¼ inch from the cut edge and then pink the edge. • Machine zigzag or overcast fi nish. For fabrics that ravel, zigzag or over- cast the edge above a row of machine stitching. This method gives a very fl at hem. It is great for shirts and blouses that will be tucked into other garments. • Turned-and-stitched fi nish. Fabrics that ravel can also be fi nished in other ways. They can be turned and stitched. Turn the edges under ¼ inch and stitch close to fold. This method is bulky, so use it on straight hems of medium or lightweight fabrics. • Seam binding. Use seam binding for medium or heavyweight fabrics. It works best on straight hems. With the right side of the fabric up, lap the tape over the hem edge ¼ inch. Stitch close to the lapped edge of the tape.