How to Hem Pants by Hand easily

  How to hem pants by hand.

Do you have pants that need to be hemmed? Are you paying a tailor to shorten your pants? Here is how to hem pants by hand. I have three sewing machines and a serger, but I still hem pants by hand. My sewing machine has a hemming stitch, but I prefer the look of hand hemmed pants. 

Difficulty: Moderately EasyInstructions

Things You'll Need:

• Iron
• needle
• matching...exactly matching thread
• ruler
• safety pin or diaper pin
• white handkerchief for steaming cloth.
• straight pins

1. Step 1 Illustration 1

   The first step is to determine how short you want the pants. Put the pants on with the shoes you intend to wear them with. You should also put on a belt and adjust the pants to the place you will wear them on your waist. You may also need to put on a top or jacket to determine where the pants need to hit at the waist.

   If you have someone to help you, it is helpful. Turn up a cuff on the pants to determine how short you need them. In other words, turn them up opposite of how they will be turned up. Secure the fold with a big safety pin or diaper pin or two if necessary. I usually pay attention to where the pants hit on the back of the shoe and pin there. See Illustration 1.

2. Step 2 Illustration 2

   Remove the pants. (Put on some clothes now! I do not support naked sewing!)
   At this point, I like to work at the ironing board. With a ruler, measure the amount of length you folded up...from the fold to the edge. Write this amount down so you won't forget.

   Remove the pin, fold the pants with each leg seam to seam, so that the two legs are together, one on top of the other. Lay the pants out on the ironing board as in Illustration 2.

3. Step 3

   Subtract 1 1/4 inches from that number you wrote down. Carefully check your figures....
   Construction people have a saying, "Measure twice and cut once." I have two pairs of capri pants that were just happy accidents when I was hemming pants while on the phone.

4. Step 4

   I am sidetracking here a little:

   Where does the existing hem come into these measurements? If it is being cut off, don't worry about it, but if not, you will need to let it out. You can use a seam ripper for this.

   I guess this is the point for a confession. Sometimes, when in a hurry, if all a pair of pants needs is turning up one hem's width, I just leave the hem in and turn it up and tack it.
   I know...I know...it's awful, but depending on the fabric and the pants, it doesn't always matter so much. On a very fine fabric, it will show up as sloppy and bunchy sometimes, and you can't do this. Sometimes if the fabric is too heavy, it will look bad, too. It's best not to do that, but just saying that you CAN.

5. Step 5

   Back to the correct way to hem pants by hand.

   Using the wooden ruler as your guide, cut off the number minus 1 1/4 inches from each pant leg. I do one leg at a time, laid folded on the ironing board.

6. Step 6 Illustration 3

   Next you will need a hot iron with steam. Carefully turn up 1/4 inch hem (to the wrong side of the pants, this time!) and steam.
   Next turn up a one inch hem, leaving the 1/4 inch hem and steam. I use the ruler as I work, checking as I go around.
   See Illustration 3

7. Step 7 Illustration 4

   At this point you can pin up the hem you have pressed, being sure to smooth it out flat as you go around. This helps avoid problems when you are sewing. Sometimes, when you hem pants a large amount, it requires a little fudging to ease the hem in place. The good thing is doing it by hand you can backtrack a little, loosening and tightening stitches to smooth it as you go; you can't by machine.
   See Illustration 4.

8. Step 8

   Next, you will sew the hem in. The thing to remember is to keep a light touch. Use a thread that is a dead match, nothing else. If you want your pants, or worse your husband's pants, to look "home-cooking, country bumpkin," hem pants by and use the wrong color thread and big stitches...

9. Step 9 Illustration 5

   Thread your needle with only one thread; don't double the thread. Tie a small knot in the bottom, and secure in the hem edge of the pants. I start at a side seam in the pants, and go around. See Illustration 5

10. Step 10 Illustration 6.

    Pick up only a few threads on the part of the pants that will show, taking a more secure stitch into the turned up part. See Illustration 6

11. Step 11

    When you are through, take a few stitches in the same place on the turned up portion to secure and clip the thread. You have learned how to hem pants by hands!

12. Step 12

    Steam the hem in nicely by wetting a cotton men's hanky and steaming. You can use any other piece of white cotton, if you have it. This step really gives it a polished, professional look, and sometimes covers a multitude of sins. (or mistakes)

Tips & Warnings

• I often omit the 1/4 inch hem and zig zag the edge, then hand stitch. But, I was accomodating folks who had no sewing machine at all. I actually prefer the look of hand hemming a 1" hem and a zigzag raw edge. If you do this, only subtract 1" from that number.