How to Hem Pants By Hand

If you know how to hem your own pants, you have more pants to choose from at the store. You can get a perfect fit on top, and not worry about length.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Needle
• Thread
• Scissors
• Pants that are too long
• A little time.
• Ironing board
• Iron

1. Measure the length.
   Get a friend to help you if you can, or stand in front of a floor level mirror. Put on the pants and the shoes you're most likely to wear them with. Pin the pants hem under until you get it where you want it. it can be easier to judge dress pants length if they have an ironed in crease.

2. Turn the pants inside out.

3. 

   Iron the hem line in place. Leave the pins in.

4. Decide if you need to cut.
   If you're dealing with children's pants, it's a good idea to leave the option to let them out later. If you're hemming an adult's pants, the hem seam will look better if the excess fabric is only as wide as a standard cuff. If the pants are tapered, you'll need an especially narrow fold over to prevent bunching.

5. If you cut, bind the edge.
   The raw edge needs to be finished so that it doesn't come unraveled. On commercial pants, the edge is sometimes gone over with a special machine stitch, and sometimes with a tape binding. You can fold it over 1/4 inch toward the inside of the pants leg and do a zig-zag stitch over the raw edge to keep it from unraveling. Iron this fold in place first. With heavy fabric, use a blanket stitch without the fold.

6. 
   Hem stitch in red.

   Use the hem stitch all around the pants leg.
   Make one stitch along the seam that goes only through the inside fabric. Then take a tiny stitch through the outer fabric just above the top of the inner cuff. The picture shows contrasting thread to make it easier to see. You should use thread similar to the color of the pants.

7. 
   Outer hem stitch in red

   Check occasionally to make sure you aren't going through both layers. The outside of the pants leg should only have a row of evenly spaced tiny stitches.

8. 
   End stitch

   Stitch all the way around on both legs and you're done. Don't forget to do an two end stitches at the end of the seam so it doesn't come unraveled.

Tips & Warnings

• To knot the thread at the start of a seam, wrap it around your index finger so it overlaps, and roll it off at the overlap with your thumb, then pinch the thread and pull the long end.