Mini Tutorial: How To Finish A Leather Hem With Topstitching

Topstitching is perhaps the most widely-used technique for finishing a leather garment's hem. It is just as much functional as it is decorative. 

1. Start by folding the garment's hem allowance edge towards the wrong side of the garment. Finger press the fold to crease it as best as you can. While finger pressing will not make it lay completely flat, it will help direct the fold in the steps to follow. 

The resulting folded edge should correspond to the garment's hemline.

It helps to transfer the hemline directly to the leather's wrong side so you can follow it in the folding process. To transfer this line, simply measure the hem allowance distance from the garment's unfinished hem edge up using a ruler or gage pointer, and mark the resulting line with a pen (as shown above). 

2. To keep the hemline layers flat in the stitching process to follow, insert paper clips perpendicular to the folded edge. Leather cannot be pinned as you would with conventional fabrics thus paper clips make a wonderful tool for keeping the hem allowance flat and evenly folded throughout. 

3. Working from the wrong side of the fold, topstitch next to the hem allowance edge, following it as a guide in the process. This topstitch should be applied at about 1/4" from the open edge. Similar to using pins, remove each paper clip as you approach it.

4. For a more decorative finish, you can use a double row of topstitching. Apply the second topstitch right below the first one at the desired distance. 

5. Last but not least, it helps top hammer the finished hem with a mallet (preferably a leather one, if you have it) as this will smooth and flatten the finished folded edge and add some additional flexibility to the finished topstitched edge.