Know How to Hem Your Pants

Being a guy, I was never introduced to sewing and never really took a liking to it until very recently, when necessity demanded that I take up the thread and the needle. Here, we explain the simple task of hemming pants on your own.

Some people use fabric tape to get the hemming done without stitching, but I will advise you against it as the tape glue eventually wears off. Other than that, the only way you may get the job done without sewing is by asking somebody else to sew for you or by using a machine if you have one.

Here are the things you will need to hem by hand:

• A ruler
• Couple of straight pins or tailor's chalk
• Scissors
• Thread and Needle/Sewing Machine (in case you have one)

Total time required to pull off this simple sewing project would be an hour at the maximum.

Hemming is folding over and sewing together. Here is what you need to do. Firstly, iron the pants. Examine the pants for any previous hemming and in case you find any, remove it using a needle. Get your equipment and keep it in readiness.

Next, try on the pants and wear them along with the shoes that go with them. Fold the end of the pants inwards and check which hemline would be comfortable. Mark the hemline that would be just right for your height. Make a marking with a chalk and pin it. You only have to do this for one leg.

Get the pants off and mark it more clearly. Using a ruler, measure the length of the hemline and fold a symmetrical one on the other pant leg. Iron it to make it clear.

Next comes the part where the scissor must go into action. You need to be very sure that you are happy with the hemline that you've got, as there is no turning back later, once you have cut it. If you are sure, then using a ruler, mark the cutting line for the excess of pant fabric, leaving a margin of about 2 inches for hemming. Cut and trim the excess fabric. Again, iron the pants on the new hemming line.

Last, but not the least, hand stitch the hemline into place using a blind hem stitch. This type of stitch makes sure that the stitches are not shown on the outside.

Let the needle and thread go into action. Make sure that you sew the stitches with even distances, in case you are hand stitching. Practice blind stitching on a rough fabric, before you hem the pants. With that, you're done. Now that they are cut to the right size, they are ready to wear.

In the end, it all boils down to good measurement and needle work. This kind of a job takes patience and you are not going to have it unless you are a do-it yourself kind of a person.