Turpai or machine hem: which finish for a kameez?

Three ways to finish a kameez hem

Each method starts the same way, with the raw edge turned under once or twice. What differs is how the fold is held.

• Turpai (hand hem): a slip stitch or similar, worked inside the fold. Soft, flexible and nearly invisible on plain fabric.
• Visible machine hem: a straight stitch run along the folded edge, sometimes two rows. Strong and quick, and the stitch line becomes part of the look.
• Blind hem by machine: the fold is arranged so the needle catches the outer fabric only every few stitches. Tiny dots show on the right side, which are hard to see on prints and textures.

How they compare

A machine hem is the strongest of the three and copes best with frequent machine washing, which is why everyday cotton kurtas usually have one. A hand hem has more give, so it hangs softly and follows a curve such as a gol daman without stiffening it. Its weakness is that if one stitch catches on a heel or a bag, a length of hem can come loose; a machine hem rarely does that.

On sheer cloth both can look heavy. Chiffon and georgette edges are often finished instead with a very narrow rolled hem, and dupatta edges with a machine-made picot. On thick fabrics, such as khaddar, a hand hem can leave a faint ridge where the fold sits, while a machine line simply looks deliberate.

Which finish suits which kameez

A printed lawn kurta for daily wear is well served by a neat machine hem; the print hides the line and it will be washed often. A plain raw silk or cotton silk kameez for an occasion, where a stitch line would break a clean surface, is the classic case for turpai or a blind hem. Our cotton silk and raw silk guide describes those fabrics. Where a border or lace runs along the hem, it usually covers the fold anyway, so the method matters less than how the border is attached.

Trouser and shalwar hems take more wear than a kameez hem, from shoes and floors, so a machine finish is the practical choice there unless the cuff is a decorative one.

Other parts usually finished by hand

Even a garment sewn almost entirely by machine tends to have a few hand-finished details, because they need small, controlled stitches in exact places. If you have a preference for any of them, say so in your notes and it is written into the quote; the Fabric + Stitching page explains what the quote covers, and you can ask for a quote with your hem choice included.

• Hooks and eyes at the top of a zip or waistband.
• Buttons, and the thread shank behind them that lets them sit on a placket.
• Press studs and thread loops for buttons.
• Tacking a facing down at the shoulder seams so it does not roll out.
• Securing the corners where lace or a border meets itself.