---
title: "Hem"
description: "A hem is the finished lower edge of a garment or sleeve, made by folding the raw edge under and securing it."
type: Glossary
url: https://teazle.art/glossary/hem
published: 2026-10-14
updated: 2026-10-14
author: "The Teazle editors"
---

# Hem

*A hem is the finished lower edge of a garment or sleeve, made by folding the raw edge under and securing it.*

To hem, the edge is turned under once or twice and stitched, by hand with nearly invisible stitches, by machine, or with a blind-hem stitch. The depth of the hem affects how a garment hangs; couture skirts may be weighted with chain or wide facings.


## Sources

1. [Hem (AAT 300210502)](http://vocab.getty.edu/page/aat/300210502). Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus
2. [Hem (Q12536994)](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12536994). Wikidata

Canonical: https://teazle.art/glossary/hem