Hem

:For the town in France, see Hem, Nord

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

:For the town in North Holland, see Hem, North Holland

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

:For the band, see Hem (band)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

To hem a piece of cloth (in sewing), a garment worker

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

folds up a cut edge, folds it up again, and then sews it down. The process of hemming thus completely encloses the cut edge in cloth, so that it cannot ravel.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A hem is also the edge of cloth treated in this manner.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The hem may be sewn down with a line of invisible hem-stitch or blind-stitch or sewn down by a sewing machine, usually leaving a visible line of sewing. Modern sewing machines can make many decorative or functional stitches, so the number of possible hem treatments is large. Machines can also sew a reasonable facsimile of a hem-stitch, though the stitches will usually be larger and more visible. Most haute couture hems are sewn by hand for this reason.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Heavy material with deep hems may be hemmed with what is called a dress-maker's hem — an extra line of loose running stitch is added in the middle of the hem, so that all the weight of the cloth does not hang from one line of stitching.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The term hem is also extended to other cloth treatments that prevent raveling. Hems can be serged (see serger), hand rolled and then sewn down with tiny stitches (still seen as a high-class finish to handkerchiefs), pinked with pinking shears, piped, covered with binding (this is known as a Hong Kong finish), or made with many other inventive treatments.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sewing machine: A sewing machine is a mechanical (or electromechanical) device that joins fabric using thread. Sewing machines make a stitch, called a sewing-machine stitch, usually using two threads although machines exist that stitch using one, three, four or more threads....

Haute couture: Haute couture (French for 'high sewing') is a common term for custom-fitted clothing as produced in Paris and imitated in other fashion capitals such as New York, London, and Milan. Haute couture is not only made-to-order for a specific customer, it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabri...

Serger: redirect Overlock...

Hem related Images and Photos (experimental)

Lucien Lelong Grey-Blue Coat with Geometric Panels Flaring Hem and Deep Cuffs