Had to pick between a raw hem or a stitched finish on my first denim jacket project

I was working on this denim jacket in my tiny apartment in Austin and got stuck at the hem decision. Raw edge felt more authentic but I worried about fraying after a few washes in the shared laundry room. Went with a double stitched finish using some vintage 501s I thrifted as a guide and honestly it came out cleaner than I expected. Has anyone else had a project where the hem choice totally made or broke the look?

2 comments

2 Comments

davis.emma2d ago

Wait... you used vintage 501s as a guide? That's wild. I've been sewing for like six years and I never would have thought to do that, I just kinda wing it and hope for the best. The double stitched finish sounds way more polished than what I usually end up with, honestly I'm impressed you had the patience to measure anything out. My last denim project frayed so bad after two washes it looked like a fringe jacket gone wrong.

finleyfox2d ago

The vintage 501 trick is basically me admitting I can't trust my own eyeballs, lol. Patience is more like stubborn refusal to rip out crooked seams for the fourth time. @davis.emma have you tried a walking foot for denim or just embrace the frayed vibe?