Fair Linens: Part 2 Hems

Altar  Fair Linens is one of those terms that sparks my imagination. When I hear the term, I envision lovely hand-embroidered motifs, beautifully worked upon the surface of pristine, crisp linen with precise, even hems worked in the tiniest hand stitches.

use a variety of hems – sort of. The type of hem used in making Fairlinens and small linens will vary depending on the source being consulted.

Types of Hems

Fair Linens are hand hemmed with a simple slip stitch worked in even tiny stitches. The quality of the hand hemming is determined by the number of stitches made in each inch of length, as well as the evenness of the stitching. To aid in obtaining even, tiny stitches, use a single strand of fine cotton thread such as YLI Heirloom Thread which is a 100/2 size, or a similar fine sewing thread. Regular machine sewing thread will work, but it does not create fine even little stitches due to the bulk of the thread. I also prefer to use a size ________ needle with hand-hemming fine Altar Linens.

Fair linens may also be worked with a hemstitched hem.  Hemstitching is a lovely and very special finish for fine linens, but it does take a bit of practice and work. Please practice hemstitching on smaller linens first.

Fair Linens should never have a machine-sewn hem. Of course, machine-sewn hems do exist on Fair Linens, as well as other small linens. While these machine-made hems work, understand that they are not considered as a “high quality” finish for Altar Linens.

Lace hems

Fringe hems

Fair Linens: Part 1 Measurements

Inspiration for a Lazy Sunday Afternoon: Small Altar Linens

Altar Linens

Altar Linen Fabric Selection

Back ground on Fair Linens

Whitework Embroidery for Church Linens

Altar Fair Linen with Lace Edge Trim