Hemming your asymmetric top maxi dress refashion
Prepping the hem
Press a double-turned 1″ hem around the entire hem. So, press 1/2″, and then 1/2″ again.
make tiny clips to release the curve less than 1/2″
When you get to the curves on the front and back, you’ll notice you won’t be able to press a nice clean hem there. To get that curve, clip into the hem to release the curve.
Make the clips a little less than 1/2″. From there you should be able to press in 1/2″ and then another 1/2″. I basted the curve by hand because that kind of thing is my jam, but it’s not necessary.
You’ll notice that the bottom front and bottom back come together at a 90 degree angle. You could sew them down just like they are, but then you’d get a lumpy hem.

Don’t sew a lumpy hem! Let’s miter it and make it purty.
Miter the hem corners
Press those front corners really well. Next, open up the folds. Fold a little triangle that ends right at the second set of fold lines. Make sure you line up all the folds so everything is precise.
fold a right triangle, press the fold trim 1/4″ away from the fold bring raw edges and stitch from fold to intersection flip mitered corner to right side
Press that fold really well. Cut away the inside part of the triangle 1/4″ away from the fold.
Next, bring the raw edges of that angled edge right sides together. Sew from the fold to the next pressed point. You could sew the entire seam, but then you won’t be able to fold the pressed hem back in place. We’re going to secure it with a topstitch, so don’t worry about that 1/2″ or so being unstitched.
To finish the miter, flip everything to the inside. All the pressed edges should pop in place and you should have a beautiful miter. Repeat for the second miter.
Finish the hem
Finish everything off by stitching down the hem all the way around with a twin needle or coverstitch.
And there you have it! A high drama top from a cast off maxi dress!
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Elizabeth Farr is the writer behind the Elizabeth Made This blog where she shares helpful sewing tips, step by step sewing tutorials and videos to help you explore your creativity through sewing. She has written sewing Eguides and patterns, been a featured teacher at Rebecca Page’s Sewing Summit and Jennifer Maker’s Holiday Maker Fest and her work has appeared in Seamwork and Altered Couture magazines. She also created a line of refashioned garments for SEWN Denver. When her sewing machine isn’t humming, she’s playing and teaching violin, and hanging around a good strategic board game with her husband and 4 kids.