De-wiring a hem

[caityrosey]

I have a lovely dress with a wired hem that I would like to de-wire if possible. I may have asked about this a while ago, but can't find the thread. Any how, any advice on how best to do this? Don't want to wreck the hem, and I really don't know much about sewing.

 

[fluffy]

If it's just fishing wire a couple of judicious snips in discrete places and you can just pull it out

 

[Laura]

It depends how the stiffening was installed. Sometimes the hem is constructed by folding up the bottom and stitching along the raw edge, so that the hem becomes a tube. Then the stiffening is threaded through the tube. If that is the case, you can just open the tube a few inches along the seam and start pulling the stiffening out.

A lot of the time, though, the stiffening is sewn to the fabric, then the edge is turned up and sewn down again. If that is the the case, your only option is to carefully cut the stiffening and the hem off, and then re-hem the dress.

 

[caityrosey]

Thanks, I guess we'll find out. *cross my fingers*

 

[Joe]

If it's just fishline, unless an errant needle strike stitched right through it, it can always be just pulled out. You may need to rip the stitching at a small location to get at the line if it's been turned up as Laura describes, but you can always stitch it back down after you pull the line.

 

[fascination]

In fact, I did this on a velvet dress that Joe made and it was EASY...I did have a professional seamstress cover the hemline afterward with a thin velvet edging...and it looks awesome...pictures some day