DIY - sew a perfect angle

Want to sew a pretty tablecloth or napkins? Here's a tip to help you sew a corner cleanly and make a success of your corner hems.

Tablecloths bought in stores almost never have a pretty finish. The reason is simple: it's impossible for the industry to take the time to take care of every detail of mass production. But when you're a seamstress, you like to take your time :-) So here's my simple technique for sewing angled hems.

Sewing an angle: easy sewing technique

Start by cutting your fabric perfectly straight: to do this, pull a thread to mark the line you want to follow with your scissors. And whatever you sew, it will stay perfectly straight after washing.

Determine the width of your hem. For this exercise, I'm going to make a finished hem of 2CM. Draw your lines at 2cm and then 4 cm on the sides of the right side of the fabric. Use an erasable pen or colored chalk, depending on what you usually use.

Form your hem: fold once over the first inside line, then over the second. Mark well with an iron.

Unfold once to keep only the 1st fold.

Using a square, draw a mark at 45° at the intersection of your corner as shown above.

Fold each corner right sides together, making your lines coincide, and sew along the line.

Trim the excess 1/2 CM from the line and turn your corner over.

And there you have it! Your folds are still marked, so all that's left to do is sew a few millimetres from your hem to finish the job.

The corner hem: it's up to you!

Once you've mastered the art of corner hemming, you have a wide range of possibilities for your sewing projects. Here are a few ideas of what you can sew using corner hems:

• Household linen: sew your own bath towels, washcloths, reusable make-up remover...
• Tableware: get impeccable finishes on your tablecloths, napkins and table runners. 
• Clothes: use the angled hem technique to sew a wool poncho or a symmetrical dress, for example.
• Accessories: don't be afraid to sew clutches, children's bumper pads, scarves, reusable handkerchiefs and many other creative projects.

The video tutorial

Good news: we've also posted a video tutorial on our facebook page. Subscribe now!

See you soon,

L.