In the past I've been the in-house alterations tailor at a men's clothing store. All the suit trousers we had on the racks were unhemmed and each pair was custom fitted and then hemmed by me when they were bought.
With these as my qualifications I humbly offer my tips for easy trouser shortening. I know many of you are perfectly proficient at this task already. But I also know how many people have asked (and paid) me to hem their trousers over the years - despite them owning a sewing machine.
Please let me know if any of this doesn't make sense - I am happy to clarify any crazy sentences I've constructed.
TROUSER HEMMING TUTORIAL
TOOLS - Tailors chalk - it isn't expensive and is the secret weapon here. Pins. Ruler. Scissors. Sewing machine - quicker than a needle and thread but not always best for dress trousers. An Overlocker (Serger) is not necessary.
PIN - Firstly, pin the hems up and try on the trousers to find the correct length. Two pins, one front and back are enough but please use a ruler or tape to get the front and back the same. One leg or two - your choice.
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| Hem pinned |
It's a good idea to have washed the trousers first to allow for shrinkage.
Make sure you have done any other alterations that will affect the length - take them in before you take them up!
Wear the sort of shoes that will be the norm for the trousers. Bare feet aren't the best.
Walk around a bit to get a true fit.
Happy? Then take them off and put on something else so you don't scare the neighbours who peer in your windows.
MARK - Part 1 - Measure the amount you want to shorten the trousers by. Remember this "magic number"! The memory challenged can write it down if needed. Now you can remove the pins.
Turn the trousers inside out and align the side and inner leg seams. Lay them on your ironing board or table like so.
Get your ruler and chalk. Measure the "magic number" from the hem and put a small mark on the side seam. This is your desired finished length. Mark again 2cm above and 2cm below this.
The upper mark is the "fold to here" line and the lower mark is the cutting line. This gives you a 2cm hem.
This hem size can vary of course - 2cm is good for most casual trousers and jeans but 4cm would be better for dress trousers.
MARK - Part 2 - Now lay your ruler at the mark ABOVE your magic number. Run your chalk along the ruler edge. Do one side of the seam at a time and angle the ruler down towards the hem slightly to put a small curve in the line. Trust me here - hems aren't really "straight".
Keep your hand pressed hard on the ruler and then flip the top leg up and repeat your chalk line. This will make a mark on the back of the upper and the front of the lower leg. It can help to place your fingers towards the back of the ruler so it can angle up a little and the chalk can get in under the edge of the ruler.
And then flip the lower leg up and repeat your chalk line again. If you don't feel comfortable with this method the first few times then you can move the ruler onto the lower leg to mark this final line. Having less layers makes it easier to get the chalk in hard against the edge of the ruler.
In the photo below you may be able to see how I've angled the ruler up so the chalk can slide in under it. Notice the line on the ironing board? You can get pretty fast at this after a few times.
CUT - The lower mark you originally made is the cutting mark. You can hold your ruler up to the trousers as you cut or just use your "eyeometre" (yes, this is the technical term). I generally hold the ruler at the close edge to start my cut and then move it to the seam line and then to the other side so I have something to "aim" for.
It's best to cut one leg at a time if you have bulky side seams like on jeans. The bulk can make it hard to stay neat and accurate when you are cutting through both legs at once. It's much easier to cut both together on suits and other fine materials though.
SEW - Put the appropriate coloured thread in your machine. Zig-zag over the cut edge to stop any fraying. You can overlock (serge) the cut edge if you like but I find a zig-zag can be just as neat (and quicker if the thread colour will need changed on the overlocker). Use a medium to wide zig-zag stitch and a medium stitch length to get good coverage of the raw edge.
Now turn the hem allowance up so it aligns with the chalk line. You can pin it if you like or just keep it lined up as you stitch along.
Pick a guideline on your machine to ensure you sew a consistent hem. My machine is marked at 16mm so I generally use this for a 2cm hem. I sometimes use the next line, 18mm, if the fabric is fine and I think my cutting has been really accurate.
Start (and finish) stitching close to the inner leg seam to help hide your backstitching.
I have stitched on the inside (wrong side) of the leg but if you have cut and pinned accurately you should be able to sew on the outside (right side) with confidence. This is particularly useful if you want to use a topstitching thread that matches your jeans. This thread is thicker than normal thread and really helps to "hide" your alteration.
Use a needle and hand sew the hem if the trousers are more formal and a line of stitching would look too casual or cheap. Hmm, better make a tutorial on stitches for hand sewing next.
PRESS - Trim your threads and lightly press your trousers to smarten the finish and help the stitches blend into the fabric. Jeans are an exception to this however. It looks a bit funny having pressed hems on jeans - just "finger press" the seam instead (that's the sewing term for squeezing).
There you are shorty - ALL DONE!
The new length looks perfect :)
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