DIY: How to Hem Your Own Pants

One major drawback of being on the short side is living in a world where every pair of pants seems to have been made specifically for lady giants. Even when I opt for the ‘short’ length option they are still almost always several inches too long. Who has the legs to fill all of these lengthy jeans? Certainly not me, so I am often left to improvising my own shortening solution. 

Many jeans and pants I simply cuff because I like that look, but when every pair of jeans you own starts to look this way, your chances of being mistaken for an extra in The Sandlot are exponentially increased. There are “fancy” ways to hem pants with a hidden stitch but I don’t really like that look and it seems to take more effort than I’m willing to put in. 

With these thoughts in mind, I bring you a simple and quick way to hem your own pants. Only basic sewing skills required! 

What You Need

Pants

Sewing Machine or Needle

Thread (To match the stitching in your pants) 

Sewing Pins 

Chalk or White Crayon/Colored Pencil 

How To Do It

1. Put your pants on inside out and make a mark with your chalk where you’d like the hem to be. You might want to try on shoes for this step to make sure they fall just right. 

2. Cut your pants 1 inch below the mark you made and roll the extra material up so that the edge meets up with the mark you made. Fold it over itself again and pin in place. This should make the pants the right length and make a clean looking hem on the inside as well. 

3. Sew using a straight stitch along the top of the inside fold. When your stitch gets back to the start do a few backstitches to secure the hem. 

Voila! Pants that don’t make you look like you’re playing dress up! This is also a good way to make cropped pants to show off those fabulous ankles or hem anything that you want to shorten, like a great thrifted dress that overwhelms your short frame. 

I hope this is clear, but I’d be happy to answer any questions! Do you have any tips for fixing the dreaded long pants syndrome? 

xoxo, 
Michelle