How to Hem a Sports Blazer

Hemming a sports blazer can help tailor it to a person's exact measurements.

Hemming a blazer can be a challenge and is best left to those with moderate to advanced sewing skills. Often, a blazer hem is created during the construction of the blazer when the lining is sewn to the outer fabric. However, if you open the seam you can sew a new hem in place by hand that will shorten or lengthen the blazer hem. Use these same instructions for the body hem and the sleeve hem.

Things You'll Need

• Seam ripper
• Iron and ironing board
• Ruler
• Straight pins
• Thread
• Needle

Instructions

1. Inspect the hem of the blazer. Some blazers have a hidden hem, while others have a visible hem.

2. Remove the stitches from the existing hem with a seam ripper. You may have to rip the seam connecting the lining to the blazer to find the actual jacket hem.

3. Unfold the hem. Iron the hem open, removing the existing crease in the hem.

4. Adjust the length of the hem to your desired measurements. Use a ruler to make sure the hem is even all the way around. Pin the new hem in place.

5. Iron the new hem line in place.

6. Tuck the lining fabric under the raw edge of the blazer hem, hiding both raw fabric edges.

7. Sew the hem to the lining using an overhand stitch, where you pull the needle through both pieces of fabric, then loop the thread around and enter from the same side of the fabric.