How to Hem 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. This small article on hemming pants is a by-product of my experiments in sewing which I started conducting some years ago. Initially, the going was tough but then I got good at doing it. Keep reading to understand the simplicity of hemming pants on your own.

There comes a time in a man's life when he must decide to be on his own. That includes taking full responsibility for yourself. Doing your cooking, laundry, cleaning and sewing comes as a part of that responsibility. It is a great feeling to be completely self reliant in every way. Guys don't need to learn embroidery, but simple sewing techniques come in handy. It saves you money and time. Okay, I think that is enough of a discourse on self reliance. Let us get to the crux of the matter now.

Things You Will Need to Hem Pants

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 that, the only way you may hem pants without sewing is by asking somebody else to sew for you or by using a sewing machine if you have one. Chances are that you don't have a machine and if you have one, you are clueless about using it. The very fact that you are reading this article means that you didn't find any body to do the hemming for you. Moral of the story is that you cannot escape sewing, if you need to hem your pants.

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

• A ruler
• Couple of straight pins or tailor's chalk
• Scissors
• Thread & 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.

How to Hem Pants By Hand

Okay, this is what happened with me. I bought a pair of pants which I thought would look good without trying them out. Surprise, surprise! I get home and realize that although, they are a good fit, they are too long for my legs! That is when I discovered hemming. For those of you who came in late, hemming is folding over and sewing together. Here I assume that you want to know how to hem dress pants.

Here is what you need to do. Firstly, iron the pants as that makes hemming easier. 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 would usually go with them. Fold the end of the pants inwards and check which hemline that you feel would be comfortable. Mark the ideal hemline that would be just right for your height. Make a marking with a chalk and pin the hemline. You only have to do this for one leg.

Get the pants of and mark the hemline more clearly. Using a ruler measure the length of the hemline and fold a symmetrical hemline on the other leg of the pant. Iron the hemline 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 you've got, as there is no turning back later, once you 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. A blind hem 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 the blind hem stitching on a rough fabric before you hem the dress pants. With that hemming is done. Now that they are cut to the right size, your pant is ready for 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.