This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2009)

Hem detail with inscriptions, Saint-John in Crucifixion, Ferrara, by Vicino da Ferrara (1469–70).

In sewing, a hem is the edge of a piece of cloth that has been sewn to prevent unravelling of the fabric.

There are many different styles of hems of varying complexities. The most common hem folds up a cut edge, folds it up again, and then sews it down. The style of hemming thus completely encloses the cut edge in cloth, so that it cannot unravel. Other hem styles use fewer folds. One of the simplest hems encloses the edge of cloth with a stitch without any folds at all. There are even hems that do not call for sewing, instead using iron-on materials, plastic clips, or other fasteners. These threadless hems are not common, and are often used only on a temporary basis.

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 designed for home use can make many decorative or functional stitches, so the number of possible hem treatments is large. These home-use machines can also sew a reasonable facsimile of a hem-stitch, though the stitches will usually be larger and more visible.

Clothing factories and professional tailors use a blind hemmer, or hemming machine, which sews an invisible stitch quickly and accurately. A blind hemmer sews a chain stitch, using a bent needle, which can be set precisely enough to actually sew through one and a half thicknesses of the hemmed fabric.

Most haute couture hems are sewn by hand.

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 ravelling. 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.

Hem repair [link]

Hem repair tape is available as an alternative solution to sewing a broken hem. To effect a fix, the hem repair tape is laid around the inside of the hem. It is then ironed with a hot iron. The heat causes the tape to bond the two surfaces together.

[{double hems}]

v t e Sewing Techniques Basting Cut Darning Embellishment Fabric tube turning Facing Floating canvas Gather Godet Gore Gusset Hem Heirloom sewing Lining Pleat Ruffle Shirring Style line Stitches Backstitch Bar tack Blanket Buttonhole Chain stitch Cross-stitch Embroidery stitch Hemstitch List of sewing stitches Lockstitch Overlock Pad stitch Running Sashiko Tack Topstitch Zigzag Seams Armscye Seam allowance Notions and trims Bias tape Elastomer (Elastic) Eyelet Grommet Interfacing Notions Passementerie Piping Rickrack Self-fabric Soutache Trim Twill tape Wrights Closures Buckle Button Buttonhole Fly Frog Hook-and-eye Placket Shank Snap Velcro Zipper Materials Bias Yarn / Thread Selvage Textiles / Fabrics Tools Bobbin Dress form Needle threader Pin Pincushion Pinking shears Scissors Seam ripper Sewing needle Stitching awl Tailor's ham Tape measure Thimble Tracing paper Tracing wheel Trades and suppliers Cloth merchant Draper Dressmaker Haberdasher Mercer / Mercery Sewing occupations Tailor Sewing machine manufacturers Barthélemy Thimonnier Bernina Brother Industries Elias Howe Janome Jones Sewing Machine Company Merrow New Home Pfaff Sewmor Singer Tapemaster Viking / Husqvarna White Patterns Butterick Clothkits McCall's Simplicity Glossary of sewing terms

[{single hems}]