Had to pick between a clean hem or a raw edge for a denim jacket

I was finishing a custom denim jacket last week and got stuck on the sleeve ends. I could either do a proper turned hem, which felt safe, or just leave the raw edge and let it fray. I went with the raw edge because I liked the look. Now after two washes, one sleeve is fraying way more than the other and it looks lopsided. Has anyone else had this happen with raw denim edges, and is there a trick to making it wear evenly?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_ben24d ago

My last raw hem project ended up looking like a science experiment gone wrong. I swear one cuff frayed into a perfect circle while the other just gave up after a few threads. I read somewhere that the way you move your arms can actually wear the fabric differently. Maybe try giving the lazy sleeve a few good tugs by hand to even it out?

cora62824d ago

Actually, a perfect circle on one cuff sounds kind of cool. Uneven fraying gives it character, like it has a story. Tugging on the other sleeve might just make it look forced instead of natural. Sometimes the weird, uneven results are the whole point of doing a raw hem in the first place.

kelly.parker8d ago

That arm movement thing is actually a solid point. Your dominant side does way more work, so the fabric wears faster. Tugging the other sleeve might help, but you could also just wear it normally for a week and see what happens. The uneven wear tells a real story about how you actually use your clothes. Forced symmetry on a raw hem just kills the vibe.