Hemming fabric for use in dollhouse miniatures gives drapery, upholstery, and bedding a finished look. Unfortunately, seam stitching looks out of place for 1:12 scale fabrics.
The easiest way to get very clean, crisp hems for use in dollhouse fabrics is to glue the hems. The bottom hem of these curtain panels were glued prior to pleating.
Another benefit to gluing the hem is that the hem can be as narrow as 1/8 inch, versus 3/8 to 1/4 inch hems used in machine stitching.
The secret to getting such a narrow hem is to start with stiffened fabric. The fabric is creased using a stainless steel ruler and an iron.
You can use almost any type of glue suited for fabric. But the real trick is not allowing the glue to seep through to the front of the fabric. I prefer Aleene’s Tacky Glue because it usually doesn’t bleed through to the front of the fabric if it is allowed to partially cure before pressing the hem down. It also cures almost instantly when heat is applied using an iron.
Steps to hem dollhouse fabric without sewing
- Stiffen your fabric. https://soeasilydistracted.com/dollhouse-miniatures/stiffening-fabric-for-dollhouse-curtains/
- Lay a metal ruler down, 1/8 of an inch from the end of the fabric. See the comments below for an alternative to starting with a 1/8″ crease.
- Using parchment paper to protect the fabric and use the edge of your iron to press the fabric up against the ruler to create your crease.
- Remove the ruler and iron the crease down towards the fabric, creating your hem.
- Run a thin bead of fabric glue along the hem and let the glue partially set up or become tacky.
- Once the glue is tacky but no longer wet, use your ruler to lightly press the hem down onto the fabric until it stays in place.
- Gently heat seal the glued hem in place with the iron. Avoid using too much pressure with the iron so that glue does not seep through to the front of the fabric.
Dollhouse Miniature Curtain Hem Iron
Sometimes fabric does not cooperate. If getting a 1/8″ ironed crease isn’t working (especially with synthetic fabric), create a larger 3/4″ hem but only glue the 1/8″ section closest to the ironed crease. Then, trim the excess fabric from the hem so that you are left with a 1/8″ hem.
