How to Hem Pants

Step 1: Let hem out Let out the existing hem with a pair of scissors or a seam ripper.
Step 2: Try pants on Try the pants on with the shoes you’ll wear them with. Have a friend help determine the right length and pin the pant legs at your new hemline.
Step 3: Fold at pin line Take the pants off, turn them inside out, place them on an ironing board, and fold the bottom at the pin line.
Step 4: Measure new hem Measure from the pin to the bottom of the pants; then measure your fold all the way around each leg to make sure it’s the same.
TIP: Trim excess material if the hem allowance is more than an inch and a half.
Step 5: Iron in new hemline Iron each leg at the pin line and fold the hem allowance in half so the raw end is tucked into the new hem for a more finished look; then iron them again.
TIP: Use a dry or damp cloth between the iron and material to protect your pants from a too-hot iron.
Step 6: Hem pants Pick a matching thread color and sew an invisible hem by using a loop-type stitch between the hem allowance and pant leg, being careful not to stitch all the way through the pant leg or pull the thread too tight.
Step 7: Try pants back on Turn the pants right side out and iron a final time. Double check your hem length by trying on the pants and shoes.
FACT: The earliest known sewing needles were made of iron and date to the third century B.C.E.

Lessons in this Guide