Abaya hem fraying or wearing thin: how to protect it

What does the damage

Knowing which of these applies to you tells you which fix to ask for.

• Dragging: a hem that touches the pavement is ground against it with every step. The fold wears through first, then the cut edge inside starts to fray.
• Heels: climbing stairs or stepping backwards, your heel lands on the back of the hem and catches the inside of the fold. This is why the back often wears before the front.
• Wet ground: water climbs up the fabric and carries grime with it, leaving a dark tide line on pale abayas and a dull band on black ones.
• Escalators, car doors and bicycle chains: sudden snags that pull threads and tear the stitching.
• Hard scrubbing: rubbing a muddy hem with a stiff brush while it is wet roughens the fibres as much as the mud did.

Tidying a frayed edge at home

This is general home care; always follow the care label and test on a hidden area first.

Snip loose threads close to the fabric with sharp scissors instead of pulling them, which can draw a run along the weave. On a small frayed patch, a fray-stop liquid sold for sewing, applied sparingly, holds the threads in place. A few small hand stitches can catch a hem fold that has come loose. For a grubby band, let mud dry, brush it off, then pre-treat with diluted detergent before washing as in our guide to washing an abaya.

If the fold itself has worn through along much of the hem, the usual answer is to hem it slightly shorter or add a facing, which a tailor near you can advise on. We do not alter existing garments.

Choices at order time that protect the hem

With a made-to-measure abaya, the hem can be planned from the start. These are things to ask for in your quote notes, and we confirm what is possible on your fabric and design in writing.

• Clearance: a length that just clears the floor in the shoes you wear most. Our guide to abaya length with shoes sets this, and it is worth giving the back length too if your heels catch.
• A deeper hem: more fabric turned up gives the edge weight and body, so it hangs straight and resists curling.
• A faced hem: a separate strip of fabric sewn to the edge and turned inside. It suits flared and curved hems, such as on umbrella and flared abayas, and gives a firm, clean edge.
• A bound edge: a strip of binding wrapped round the raw edge. It is hard-wearing and can be in a contrasting colour if you want it to show.
• A tape inside the back hem: like the heel guard tailors put inside trouser hems, a firm tape takes the scuffing from your shoes.
• A tightly woven fabric: close weaves fray far less at the edge than loose or sheer ones. Our abaya fabrics guide compares them.

Ordering

Our custom abaya service makes each abaya to the length you give, with fabric we supply or fabric you send. To order with our fabric, request a Fabric + Stitching quote and mention the hem finish you want in your notes.