Why the ends are sealed, not hemmed

Every ribbon has to end somewhere, and how you finish that end decides what the object feels like in a pocket.

The problem with a hem

A folded, stitched hem is the traditional answer. It is durable and it looks considered. It also adds two extra layers of satin and a line of thread at exactly the point your fingers return to most. For a thing whose entire job is to be run between finger and thumb without catching, that ridge is the one flaw you notice every time.

What sealing does instead

A heat-sealed cut fuses the weave at the edge. There is no fold, no stitch, and no step change in thickness. The end feels like the rest of the ribbon, slightly firmer. Nothing frays, because there is no loose fibre left to fray.

What it costs

Sealing is less forgiving than sewing. The temperature has to suit the fibre, and polyester and silk do not behave the same way: polyester fuses cleanly, silk scorches if you rush it. Each cut is a small decision made by hand, which is a real constraint on how many we can make in an hour.

Why it is worth it

Because the failure mode of this product is not wearing out. It is being put down and not picked up again. Anything that interrupts the gesture, a ridge, a scratchy thread, a frayed corner, is what ends the habit. The seal removes the interruption.