Tuesday, October 9, 2012

How to shorten pants with original hem


So I bought these pants knowing they were too long.  These might be my first purchase with the intent to fix them by sewing.  I feel like that somehow moves me up from beginner to I kinda know how to sew.  Anyway, it was soooo easy to shorten these pants.  It took me about 15 minutes  but you could probably do it in 5.  There was no cutting so if you might be growing you can take it out and the best part is that it uses the original hem.  These pants are a stretchy work out type material but it works just as well with jeans.  All you need is a sewing machine!

Materials needed:
Sewing Machine
Thread
Pants that are too long
Pins

 1) Fold the pants up (on the outside) to the desired length.  Keep in mind that you will be folding the hem back down.
 2) Sew a basic stitch right underneath the original hem.

3) Fold the hem back down and iron it flat.  If you want you can cut off the excess, but that isn't necessary unless it sticks out.  I left mine.
One thing I hate is hate is stepping on my pants when jogging, especially when it is wet outside.  Now I don't need to worry about that.  See, my adjusted pants rest just a half inch above the ground with my shoes on.  Perfect!

2 comments:

Sandy a la Mode said...

great tutorial! i have plenty of pants that could use a little shortening!!

xo,
Sandy
Sandy a la Mode

Gayle Daly said...

I was so excited about this secret. I tried it and it was a whiz, BUT I hemmed my jeans a little too short and trimmed off the fabric before trying them on. That was dumb. So the jeans are in the giveaway. Next time I will be more careful, but this is a great hint!