How to Cuff Men's Dress Pants

You found a pair of men's dress pants at a terrific price. They fit your husband perfectly in the waist; however, they are about 2 1/2 inches too long. Sure, you can hem the pants; but instead of just hemming them, you make fake cuff on the pants instead. It's fast and you won't have to cut off any of the pants' fabric.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Ruler or tape measure
• Straight pins
• Pressing cloth
• Matching thread
• Needle and thread or sewing machine

1. Put the pants on and fold the hem upward to determine where the new hem needs to be. Men's dress pants should rest just on top of the shoe without bunching. Pin the pants' hem at one point.

2. 
   Fold the old hem upward.

   Measure the fabric that is turned up; there needs to be at least 2 1/2 inches to have a 1 3/4 inch cuff. Pin all around the edge of the folded hem. Sew a basting or running stitch as close to the fold as possible to hold the material in place.

3. 
   Create the fake cuff.

   Turn down the fabric that was folded upward, so that 1 3/4 inches of the right side of the material is showing. There will be a small "pocket" of material between the two sections of the pant leg that will create a 1 3/4-inch fake cuff. Pin along the top edge of this 1 3/4-inch cuff.

4. Sew along the top edge of the cuff--where the straight pins were inserted--catching all the layers of the pant. You can do this with a sewing machine or by hand.

5. Turn the pants legs inside out. Use a needle and thread and tack the inside of the cuff to the seams on the pant legs to hold the cuffs in place. Remove the basting that was sewn in earlier.

6. Set the iron to the proper temperature for the pants' fabric. Cover with a pressing cloth, and iron the cuff to make a sharp crease around the top of the cuff.