If you are on the shorter side like I am, hemming pants is a regular activity for you. And it should be, because sometimes just folding the jeans just causes more damage with the edges getting scuffed.
Avoid making this lazy mistake by learning how to hem your pants instead.
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Hemming Pants Ideas
Scoff at Scuffed Jeans
Hemming pants is no trouble at all! It is so easy and there are so many ways to do it, even without a sewing machine.
Infact it has become second nature to me. I would often do this when my children receive hand-me-downs or when I alter new pants they haven’t grown into yet. I am on the short side as well, so hemming jeans for me is nothing out of the ordinary.
My husband should thank me for this trick because it saves us a lot of money! Do you want to know my secrets? Check out my list!
1. Hem Dress Pants Without a Sewing Machine Using Blind Stitch
Hem a man’s dress pants without using a sewing machine. It’s possible when you master the art of the blind stitch.
Don’t worry, we all start somewhere. So just keep practicing.
2. Hem Jeans Keeping the Original Hem
Retain the jeans’ original hem when taking them in. I never knew you could actually do this! But once you start working on them, we bet you’ll find it difficult to stop.
- Hemming kit includes basic tools and supplies to hem clothing
- Comprised of 92 pieces and basic notions, kit users can tape, pin, sew and mend pants, skirts, dresses and more quickly and easily
- Includes hem tape, iron-on tape, hand needles, straight pins, needle threader, seam ripper, marking pencil, thimble, scissors and thread
- 5 mini-spools have 10 yards of thread each and come in red, blue, tan, black and white
- Scissors are 5 ½-inch shears
3. Hem Dress Pants Using Zig Zag Stitch
Now this is a trick to hemming dress pants most people don’t know about. Use the zig zag stitch in the sewing machine and be ready to see magic happen.
- For sewing all types of light to medium-weight materials including synthetics, knits and woolens.
- Typical sewing operations include pant cuffs, felling slack bottoms, hemming dresses, skirt and coat bottoms, draperies, negligees, undergarments, lapel padding, blouses and sleeves.
- Skip stitch feature for 1-1 and 2-1 stitching.
- Swing-away bed plate for extended work space.
- Included Accessories: Extra Needles Thread Stand 2 Screwdrivers (1 Philips head- 1-standard) 5-piece allen key set 1-Tweezer 1-Plastic Oiler 2- Machine Clamps Electronic Foot Speed Controller Knee lifter 2-replacement brushes for the motor Instruction & Part manual
4. Slim and Shorten
If you’ve got baggy pants you want to slim and shorten for a special event, this is the technique for you. With the slim and shorten way, you can make your old-fashioned pants look modern and new!
5. Skinny Joggers Hem
Here’s a solution for your baggy pants. Taper them down and turn them into fashionable skinny jogger jeans with this life hack!
RELATED: How To Hem Pants The Easy Way
6. Invisible Hem
If you do not want your stitches to be visible, here is a trick for you! Just hand stitch your pants to create an invisible hem. You won’t need a sewing machine for this method.
7. No Sew Glue
This practically zero-effort of hemming pants just requires you to use No Sew Glue. Just fold your pants over, glue them, put heavy books on top, and wait for the glue to dry!
8. Double-Stick No Iron No Sew Fashion Hem Tape for Denim
This double-stick hem tape requires no sewing at all. It is ideal for mess-free quick fixes.
9. Duct Tape
Another quick fix to hemming pants is using some duct tape. Just fold the pants and tape them from the inside.
10. Keeping the Original Stitching
You do not need a sewing machine for this method. Just hand-sew tiny stitches to alter the length of your pants. Easy peasy, right?
Need another idea for hemming pants? Check out this video by Sewway on shortening heans with the original hem:
Do you have a favorite trick when hemming pants? When I’m too lazy to sew, my favorite trick is just duct taping the hem after I cuffed the pants. It’s a no-sweat trick; but of course, it’s a band aid solution.
I learned a lesson my hard way. When I washed my son’s pants with the duct tape on, the gooey parts stuck to the fabric. Now, I make sure I remove them and hem them before I wash pants in the laundry.
Want to learn more ideas for hemming pants? Let us know in the comments section below!
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on October 18, 2016, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
I self-taught myself to hem and was trying to do a invisible hem but it wasn’t that perfect. I think I ll copy your way to doing an invisible hem. Also like the zig-zag hem have to try it too. 🙂
I’m short too and have wanted to find out how to him using the original hem, I’d like to have access to that diy info for reference. How can I do that. I was only able to see it here once.
I didn’t find anything about hemming pants that are tapered and when you turn up the hem the tapered part is not as wide as the part you are hemming it to. I don’t know if you understand what I mean.
Whenever you are taking up the hem on tapered pants you will need to taper the hem out. So if your hem is going to be a two inch hem, you will need to taper the hem portion out so the hem will match the pant leg. I hope you understand what I am saying.
My thought on slimming pants that have pleats will distorts the pleats. When pleats are put in when designing the pants were intentional, giving extra give to that style.