How To Hem Pants The Easy Way

By Sewing Staff
Published on November 2, 2022
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Are you looking for ways to hem pants? Pants should ideally end at our ankle. If it touches the floor, then you might need this technique on how to do the hem in a jiffy!

TL;DR: How to Hem Pants

Begin by measuring the new length while wearing the shoes you’ll normally pair with the pants, then mark that length evenly around both legs.
Fold and press a double-fold hem: first fold the raw edge up, then a second fold to hide the raw edge, pin, and press flat.
Sew the hem with a straight stitch using the machine, starting at the inside seam, with a suitable stitch length (about 2.5-3mm) and matching thread.
Finally, repeat for the other leg, press the finished hems, and wear without worries of uneven length or dragged hems.
Note: For delicate fabrics or professional finishes, you might need a blind-hem technique instead of visible top-stitching.

A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Hem Pants

How to Hem Pants using a Blind Hem Stitch

Have you had those moments when you’ve found the perfect pair of jeans, but the length is just too long for you? This used to deter me from buying those perfect pairs.

Now that I have mastered how to hem pants with just the perfect pant break, I don’t give up and walk away from the pants of my dreams. This is my tried-and-tested method on how to blind hemstitch a pair of pants using a sewing machine!

Materials:

old pants
hemming pins or basting pins
sewing thread (same color as pants)

Equipment:

Instructions:

Carefully remove the original seams of your pants with a seam ripper or a pair of sharp scissors.
Once you’re done, put on your pants with the shoes you often wear.
Cuff the fabric on the area where it grazes your shoes and pin it in place. This is your ideal pants’ length!
Wiggle out of your pants and turn them inside out. Grab a ruler and measure the distance from the edge of the pants to your desired hemline. Compare the measurements of both legs are the same.
Iron the edges well to make a crisp crease. This will guide you as you hem the pants. Wear the pants again to make sure you are making the right hemline before moving on to the next step.

Tuck the ironed part of the hem inside itself. Do this until a half-inch of the cuff sticks out of the fold. Remove the old pins and pin the new fold in place. Then, lightly iron the crease in place again.
Set your sewing machine to the blind hem stitch setting.
Place your pants with the wrong side up on the machine, and stitch slowly.
Once done, remove the pins and press the new hemline fold in place.
Try out your pants again. You can now check if the cuffs look even and drop to the right length.

Watch this video by Sugar Bee Crafts to see the steps in action and never wear pants that are too long for you again!

I love this easy and simple tutorial on how to hem pants with a blind hemstitch. The stitches are not noticeable at all!

Now, if you don’t have a sewing machine at home, you can do the last step by hand using a basic slip stitch (also known as a ladder or blind stitch) or a blind hemstitch. I would usually do these when I was still learning how to sew.

Do you have other sewing techniques on how to hem pants? Share them with us in the comments down below!

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Stay connected with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest!Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on December 16, 2019, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.