I buy men's cotton handkerchiefs for embroidery as a souvenir or as a gift. I have found the weave of this handkerchief to be perfect for my embroidery, the needle does not tear the weave like others I have purchased. I like that they are thick enough for my sneeze and anything else I might need them for, not fragile at all. The scarf in the first photo is straight out of the box. I washed and tumble dried them on hot cycles and shrinkage was minimal. The second photo is after my embroidery, hand wash and iron, not too much of a difference from straight out of the box. The hem is very nice, some handkerchiefs required very small threads to be cut, but not very much. This one had no protruding threads. This is now my favorite handkerchief for future purchases! I am very, very satisfied!