Hello! Do I do hem stitching? Or weave with sewing thread and fold and sew? I'm using 8/2.  Thanks!

Comments

Wed, 09/18/2013 - 14:53

sequel (not verified)

Hem stitching implies fringe.  Fringe will tatter away to nothing, given the frequency of laundering.  Turn the edge and hem.  Use machine stitching if you want, but definitely hem by hand if you are entering a competition.

Wed, 09/18/2013 - 15:03

kerstinfroberg

I know many Americans will disgree with me on this, but tis is how "it has always been done" in Sweden: no hemstitching on loom (as they will be turned under for hems, it is just unnecessary work) - no special yarn for the hemming area. Should the towel have a pattern, the hemming area has that same pattern. Sometimes, when weaving (for instance) turned twill, the hem part can be woven "opposite" so that the pattern is unbroken on both sides.

- there was a discussion on WeaveTech some time ago, when I was told that many Americans object to the (Swedish) Vävnmagasinet's towel patterns, "because they have no PROPER hems" - which just shows even towel weaving can be diverse in diverse cultures  :-)

If you are looking for fancier hems, Susan Harvey has two tutorials, here and here.

Wed, 09/18/2013 - 15:45

Sara von Tresckow

Kerstin,

There's at least one weaver here in the US who does hemming just as you describe.

If you weave a reasonably fine fabric, just keep weaving a bit longer for the hem. NO special "tricks" needed.

Wed, 09/18/2013 - 22:39

sally orgren

I would definitely use a finer weft for the hem area, so the fabric is not 3x as thick when folded over to hem. I wouldn't use poly sewing thread, but try to find 20/2 weaving yarn, or use cotton sewing thread if you have to.

(My husband calls these "dumb stripes" when I am weaving a batch of dishtowels and switch to a finer weft for the hem area.)

One "trick" that might help. Paint a line of regular glue mixed with water at the cut line between towels since you are not hem stitching. It helps keep the fraying at the cut edge down, and makes it easier when folding over and pressing to stay flat.

Wed, 09/18/2013 - 22:57

laurafry

It sort of depends - if it suits, I will weave a finer thread for weft for the hems, other times I will keep weaving with the same thread but perhaps use a somewhat different treadling - straight twill instead of fancy twill, say.  If I'm using a fairly thick weft for the body of the towel in a twill, I might use a finer thread and plain weave for the hem.  I try to choose the best process for the item I'm making....

cheers,

Laura

Wed, 09/18/2013 - 23:18

ReedGuy

I have even machine sewed with overcast using 16/2 cotton yarn, after having weaved with it in the piece. It is not a straight forward process, but I have done it.

Thu, 09/19/2013 - 11:43

cottageweaver (not verified)

I do as Kirsten describes for hems, unless there's a reason it won't work on a particular project.  One example for a special hem is the hemming for cotton warp/singles wool blankets I wove recently.  I zigzagged the raw edges before finishing, then used fabric cut on the bias to make wide bias strips and sewed those over the raw edges. I'd seen this technique in Swedish books, and I love the way it looks (see project page).

For towels, I just keep weaving and fold for hems, but I do keep the pattern in mind when weaving the hem area.  Since I usually use 10/2, 12/2, 16/2 or cottolin for towels, it works fine and the hem isn't bulky.