Sew a lettuce hem in jersey fabric

It's super simple to sew a lettuce hem on a sewing machine, and the only things you need are your standard presser foot and a zigzag stitch.

In this description, I've used the Halvtimmestop pattern, where I sewed a lettuce hem instead of a regular hem.

A lettuce hem is sewn by stretching the fabric, so you need jersey fabric—for example, cotton jersey—to be able to sew one.

You can click on the images in the description to make them larger.

Start by setting your sewing machine to a zigzag stitch. The stitch length and stitch width are a matter of taste, so take a scrap piece of the same fabric you want to sew a lettuce hem on and experiment.

The settings I use are Stitch length 0.9 and Stitch width 4.

The shorter the stitch length, the denser your zigzag will be. The stitch width determines how wide your lettuce hem will become. The seam will gather as you sew, so it won't be as wide as the stitch width you choose.

Place the raw edge (cut edge) of the fabric so that the outermost needle position (needle drop) strikes down just outside the fabric edge.

Stretch the fabric both before and after the presser foot and sew at a low speed along the entire edge. Ensure that the needle drop consistently strikes down just outside the fabric.

Sew 2-3 rounds (passes) to get the densest and most ruffled hem possible.

The result will now be a small, dense zigzag over the edge of your fabric, and because you stretched the fabric, it gets that ruffled, bubbly effect.