How to hem trousers: finishing the bottom of trousers with trouser braid

There is a rule: the length of men's trousers should be such that the back of the trousers reaches the heel of the shoe, and there is a small crease in front. If the trousers are too long, it looks very untidy, and the legs seem crooked in such trousers.

You can, of course, take your trousers to a tailor for hemming, or you can try for your own husband and hem his trousers yourself.

Tools and accessories:

Sewing machine;
- overlock;
- black threads;
- scissors;
- chalk or a piece of dry soap;
- ruler;
- devices for ripping seams;
- iron;
- ironing cloth;
- sewing pins with a head;
- pincushion.

How to properly and beautifully hem men's trousers:

So, how to hem men's trousers using a machine? First you need to tear off the old hem. Ask your husband to try on the trousers along with the shoes he will wear them with. Roll up the trouser legs to the desired length and pin them. Remember, the length of the trousers should be such that the back of the trousers reaches the heel of the shoe.

A small hall is allowed in front, as can be seen in the photograph.

First, open the hem around the entire perimeter of the trouser legs, turn the hem right side out.

In this case, I have trousers made in Germany, and they usually sew the braid only on the back of the leg, this complicates the task a little, since the braid is sewn into the side seams. In Russian-made trousers, everything is a little simpler, since the braid is simply sewn along the entire perimeter of the trouser leg, and it does not need to be removed from the side seams. But we will consider a more complex case, then you will cope with a simpler case with a bang.

So, using a seam ripper (or just small nail scissors), prop up the side seams where the tape is sewn into them.

Open the tape and remove the threads.

On the front side, draw a line corresponding to the desired length of the trousers; it is better to do this with a slightly pointed piece of dry soap.

Back the side seams up a little more, up to the drawn line.

Baste the braid along the line.

Sew the braid on both sides (using a sewing machine). It will be more convenient to do this if you turn the trouser leg inside out and sew as if inside the trouser leg, that is, along the front side.

Place the ends of the braid into the side seams.

Sew the side seams, secure the ends of the braid. Step back 4-5 centimeters from the braid, cut off the rest.

Turn the hem to the wrong side, this is what it will look like.

Turn the trouser legs right side out again and iron them, even steam them with an iron through ironing cloth or gauze.

Now you need to process the edge of the cut trouser leg. It is more convenient to do this using an overlocker. But if you don’t have an overlocker, you can finish the edge with a zigzag stitch.

This is what the overlocked edge looks like.

All that remains is to sew the lapel to the main trouser leg. You can do this manually, but it is very difficult to stitch it so that no marks are visible on the front side.

I have a very modern and very smart Brother sewing machine that has a blind hem feature. If you also have a similar sewing machine, then install a sewing foot specially designed for this purpose, select the desired mode (on my machine it is number 07). To make hemming convenient, first sew the lapel with a basting stitch at a distance of 1 cm from the edge of the lapel.

Fold down the flap and sew a hemming stitch along the entire perimeter of the leg (for a detailed description of such a seam, see the instructions for your sewing machine).

This is what this seam looks like from the lapel side, but from the front side it is absolutely invisible.

All that remains is to steam the lower part of the trousers again and try the trousers on your husband, the trousers are now the desired length, you have completed your task and now you know how to hem men’s trousers! Congratulations!

Did you manage? Then you have every right to read the article about

Doing it manually is not always as easy as it seems. In the atelier, classic men's or women's trousers are hemmed on a special machine. Instead of thread, transparent thread (monofilament) is often used, so the hemming seam is not visible from the front side.

The hem of the bottom of men's trousers is first overlocked using an overlocker, then the trouser tape is sewn on with two lines using a machine. For women's trousers, braid is not used. Sometimes, depending on the type of fabric and model of trousers, a finishing stitch is used instead of a hidden hem stitch. Basically, this treatment is used to secure the hems of knitted and children's trousers.

At home, trousers must be hemmed manually using a hidden seam. In most cases, you can even fix the hem with a web, but be sure to duplicate it with a hidden stitch. In any case, it is advisable to know some of the features of this technology in order to hem trousers correctly and beautifully.
How to hem trousers so that the seam does not “pull” and the threads of the hand seam do not come out on the front side, the tape does not “fray”, etc.
Check with a professional tailor for recommendations.

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How to hem tapered trousers

If you've already had to hem trousers with your own hands, then you've probably noticed that hemming the bottom of the trousers is often not done at all. The fact is that the diameter of the trouser leg at the very bottom is smaller than the area where the seam is laid. This will be especially noticeable when finishing machine stitching is used instead of a hidden seam. By the way, the hem for men's trousers should be at least 4 cm, and for women's trousers - 3 cm.
To prevent this from happening, you need to unravel both seams of the trouser leg from the bottom by 4 cm (the width of the hem) and stitch them again from this point, but reduce the allowance to the bottom to the minimum value. In this case, the diameter of the leg at the bottom will increase, and the hand-blind seam will no longer tighten the hem. Not all trousers need to do this. As a rule, such a discrepancy occurs in women's, very tapered trousers. You don't need to do this for a skirt either.

How to sew trouser tape on a sewing machine

I won't talk about how to straighten and cut pants. You can learn more about this in the article How to hem jeans. I’d rather dwell in more detail on the “nuances” of the technology, since the entire result of your work will often depend on these little things.

So, how to sew a trouser tape on a sewing machine. It would seem that there is nothing complicated, just carefully stitch the tape in two lines and do not forget to tuck the edge of the tape at the place where it joins. You should not tuck the tape, since the joining seam will become quite rough. In men's trousers made of thick fabric this may not be very noticeable, but on light fabrics the hem will stand out like a stick. It is best to singe the cut section of the trouser braid with matches and overlap it. Trouser tape is usually synthetic and melts very well.

When adjusting the tape, you need to accurately align its edge with the hem line marked in chalk. Moreover, the top line, which will become the bottom line when finished, must be sewn exactly 0.1 mm from the edge of the tape. No more and no less. In the finished product, the tape should “peek out” a little to protect the trousers from rubbing along the hem seam. By the way, the color of the ribbon should be matched to the color of the main fabric of the trousers.

Also, when adjusting the tape, do not tighten it. If you pull the tape, the pants at the bottom will be very narrow. If, on the contrary, you “pull” the fabric, then the lower part of the trousers will turn inside out, which is even worse. When adjusting the tape, make sure that neither the fabric nor the tape sits under the presser foot. Be sure to adjust the correct thread tension and check the presser foot pressure on the fabric.

As for the tape itself, buy a tightly woven braid. It may be more expensive, but over time, tattered areas will not appear on it.

Now you need to hem your trousers or skirt by hand, preferably with a hand blind stitch. This is a rather complicated technology and requires skill. But, if you “practice” a little, you can make such a seam quickly and efficiently. If it is difficult for you to make a hidden seam, you can hem your trousers or skirt in the “wrong” way as in the top photo.

After you have widened the lower part of the trouser leg, processed the cut edge with an overlocker and stitched the tape, you must first prepare the trousers. If you have a narrow shoe included with your ironing board, then it will be very useful to you now. Place the trouser leg on it and carefully press the hem of the trouser leg through the ironing iron. Make sure that the trouser tape extends exactly 0.1 cm from the edge of the hem.
Now you can sew the hem with a hand stitch.

You need to hem with a thin and not long needle for hand sewing using one thread. The thread should be thin and strong. It is important that the thread is not twisted. Twisted thread will constantly twist into huge loops, making it difficult to sew and tighten stitches evenly.

You need to hem the trousers from right to left, the stitch length should be approximately 0.7 cm. As you can see in the diagram, the thread must be passed below the overlock stitch, then the hemming seam will be securely hidden and will not tear when putting on the trousers. For convenience, the bottom of the trousers (hem) needs to be turned out. Do not tighten the stitches too much so that a trace of excessive thread tightening does not appear on the front side. It is impossible to smooth it out with any iron.
And most importantly, so that the thread does not appear on the front side of the trousers, grab literally one thread from the weave of the fabric with the point of the needle, no more. But on the reverse side, from the side of the overlock stitch, you don’t have to “try on” too much.
Using this method, you can quietly, firmly and accurately hem trousers or a skirt, even from very thin fabric, it is only important not to tighten the thread too much in the stitch.

Hemming trousers using a web

The web is very convenient to use for hemming the bottom of the product. It’s just not advisable to glue the hem of a skirt made of thin and “delicate” fabric. The web will definitely be “stamped”, and the bottom of the skirt will become stiff. It is better to hem the skirt by hand, with a very thin thread and needle. In other cases, it is better to use the adhesive web in combination. That is, first fix the hem of the trousers with a web. After this, you can also hem them manually, since adhesive materials lose their properties due to frequent washing and over time, the glued area will come loose and you will have to hem the trousers by hand.

How to hem knitted trousers

The hem of knitted trousers is most often secured with a finishing stitch. It is not advisable to use cobwebs for sizing knitted fabrics in general, since this area will become too rigid and lose stretchability and elasticity. The folded and pressed hem must be basted with thread, matching the side seams. Only after this can you secure the hem with a finishing stitch.

If these are sports knitted trousers, then you need to make two parallel lines. Do not use a double needle for this operation. This seam is very fragile and can only be used for decorative purposes. Moreover, knitted trousers need to be hemmed on the wrong side of the leg, and not on the front. Pay special attention to this.
If, when sewing knitted fabric, the sewing machine creates loops and gaps, then we recommend reading the article Sewing knitwear without gaps and looping.
Not all sewing machines can “confidently” sew knitwear. If you need to hem knitted trousers with a sewing machine, first test how it sews on a piece of fabric. You may need to adjust it to prevent holes from missing stitches.

If you need to hem your trousers and you have even the slightest skill with a needle, there is no need to take them to a tailor. You can completely hem your trousers yourself. And the master class presented below will show you that doing this is as easy as shelling pears. You don't even need a sewing machine for this.

So, I will show you how to hem trousers using the example of a child’s school trousers. As a rule, the jacket remains on time, but the trousers become short during the school year. That's why I always hem my son's school trousers this way. This allows, when the need arises, to quickly lengthen them. In the fall, I fold my trousers to the desired length and hem all the available stock.

I rip out the old seam. The edge of the trousers has already been finished using an overlocker. On the front side, using a ruler, using chalk or a piece of soap, I draw a new hem line.

We do the same with the second half of the trousers. We bend it inside out along the drawn line and secure it with tailor's pins.

All that remains is to hem it. To do this, grab a couple of threads of the main fabric of the trousers with a needle and, continuing to move the needle, grab the overlock seam of the hem. Then we grab a couple of threads and an overlock stitch again. We continue this procedure in a circle.

Do you like the trousers, but have doubts? After all, they fit well at the waist and fit perfectly on the figure, but the length let us down. It hangs in tabs and drags along the floor. Do not buy?

And it’s a pity to refuse the purchase. After all, in everything else the item fits perfectly!

Let's shorten them. We will help, and you can do it at home quickly and accurately. And in such a way that you don’t even need a machine.

Length plays an important role in how you look. She emphasizes advantages, lengthens legs, visually corrects figure flaws.

However improperly hemmed trousers can radically ruin your appearance. You may look ridiculous and even funny. It would seem like two or three centimeters, but they are the ones that will play a fatal role in creating your image.

Important! Before you shorten your pants, decide what shoes you'll wear with them. Mark the cutting line, taking into account the height of the heel or sole.

Women's trousers length

The following length is popular among women, which is directly related to the style of the products.

Straight classic: the length of the trouser leg should be 2-3 cm from the floor or reach the middle of the heel.
Tapered from below: should slightly open the ankle and be a couple of centimeters shorter than the classic size.
Wide: the hem must touch the floor, the toe of the shoe should only be visible from under the trousers.
Flared: length reaches to the middle or 2/3 heels.

Men's trouser length

Men have their own traditions and rules.

Classic: There should be a small fold at the junction of the shoe and the pant leg. And the back of the trouser leg should cover half the heel of the shoe. Pants should not touch the floor. They should not reach it by at least one centimeter.
Tapered: It is undesirable for pants to cover the lacing of shoes, and back and front they should touch the edge of the shoe.
With a turn up: length depends on height and shoe height. The shorter the height, the narrower the collar should be. In any case, the cuff is no more than three centimeters.

Please keep in mind that some materials shrink after washing and therefore the size of the garment may change.

Important! When purchasing, it is better to choose products in which the legs are slightly longer than necessary. After all, you can always remove excess fabric.

How to determine the correct length when trying on

When going shopping, you are unlikely to take a ruler or measuring tape with you.

In order not to make a mistake with the length of the trousers, It is better to try on the item in the shoes with which you plan to wear them.
It is important to pay attention to the heel, because it adds height. And a thing worn with and without a heel will look completely different on you.

It is advisable to insert a belt when trying it on if you plan to wear one in the future.. A fastened strap can also shorten the item by a couple of centimeters.

By adhering to these simple rules, you will avoid mistakes when purchasing.

How to determine the length without trying on

Another option for determining the required length. With it you can do without fitting. But in this case you will need to use other pants that fit all parameters.
Fold them along the arrows on a flat surface. By placing one on top of the other, you can make sure whether this item fits in size or not.

Preparing to shorten your trousers

What materials and tools to prepare

To hem your pants you will need the following.

Tools:

scissors;
needle;
ripper;
pins;
ruler;
tape measure;
soap (dry)/chalk;
iron.

Materials:

braid;
cobweb;
threads in the color of the trousers or darker.

How to prepare pants legs for shortening

Before changing the length of the product, it must be measured correctly. It is better to do this directly on the owner of the clothing.

And if this is not possible, take other trousers, turn them and new trousers inside out. Attach both items to each other along the crotch seam. Use chalk or soap to draw a line of the required length.

First way to mark length

Lay out the item you plan to hem on a wide table.
Transfer the marked line of the future cut to the front side.
From the arrow line on trousers mark a right angle.
Along the trouser leg draw a dotted line.
Set aside 3.5 cm down and draw a parallel line. This will be the cut point.
Straighten your trouser legs and place them on top of each other. For reliability, you can pin them together with pins/needles.
Necessarily place pins along the future hem line.
The fabric is fixed and will not move, so cut the length fearlessly.

Advice. You can cut off the legs one by one. Along the cut edge of the first leg, mark the cutting line with chalk, secure with pins and shorten the second leg.

Second way

From the bottom of the trousers to the cutting line along the entire perimeter of the legs using a ruler, set aside the required number of centimeters and place points.
Soap according to the marked signs draw the future cutting line.
Make sure it is parallel to the bottom edge of the pants.
Use scissors to cut off the excess length.

Once the excess fabric has been removed, you can begin hemming and processing the cut. Without a sewing machine, the job can be done in several ways. Let's look at each of them.

How to hem trousers with a blind seam

The most common way to do the work by hand is to use a blind stitch.

What is a blind seam?

The main purpose of a hand seam, which is called a hidden seam, is to join parts or hem things so that the seam line is invisible.

In trousers, such a seam will be hidden between the fabric and will not be visible from the outside.

The main thing is that the thread matches the color of the product. In extreme cases, it can be darker.

Step-by-step instruction

Turn the product inside out to the wrong side.
With pins pin up the fold line.
Side seam lines and arrows(If there are any) must match.
To prevent the gate from moving, it is necessary pin the fabric again, 1-2 cm above the future hem.
Let's start making a blind seam.

We insert the needle into the cut edge of the trouser leg and grab one or two threads from the trouser fabric.
We bring the needle to the side of the cut edge.
We perform punctures at a distance of no more than 0.5 cm.
In this way we stitch the trousers along the entire cuff.

When finishing the work, we steam the hidden seam and the bottom edge of the trousers from the inside with an iron (through gauze).

Important! Do not iron the seam from the front side to prevent it from being printed on it.

How to shorten pants without sewing

There is another way to design a hem. When using it, you will be able to do not only without a machine, but without sewing at all. In this case, you will need not a thread and a needle, but a cobweb.

What is a cobweb

Cobweb is thin adhesive tape, which, when heat treated, glues the joints of the fabric.
It has different widths. Therefore, depending on the gluing area, you can choose either very narrow or quite wide.
The advantage of the web is that it suitable for all types of fabric.

Another plus is that the tape bends easily and exactly follows all the curves of the product.

Reference. The hem of the trousers, taped with gossamer, will be thin and elastic.

The only disadvantage of the adhesive strip is that it does not retain its properties even after frequent washing. Water may cause it to lose its adhesive properties over time.

Step-by-step instructions for using the web

This is the easiest way to secure hems to clothes.

Turn the pants inside out.
Fold the edges to the required length.
Place adhesive tape between the hem and the main leg fabric.
Iron from the wrong side with a hot iron connection point;
Allow the fabric to cool and then check to see if the web has sealed the material.
If necessary, dampen the fabric and iron again.

Useful tips for hemming trousers

Before hemming a new item, be sure to wet or wash her. The fabric tends to shrink.
Tucked Iron your trousers from the inside out. Set up your iron to maximum temperature, use the steam function. This will make the seam less noticeable, and the hem side will look more aesthetically pleasing.
When using an iron, be sure to look at the product label and follow the care instructions.
Finish the cut edge with an overlocker if possible.. You can take it to the studio, this is an inexpensive service.
You can also fold the cut inside the hem. This way the fabric will not fray when washed or worn.
After the trousers have been rolled up and the length pinned, the bottom of the pants can be ironed. In this way you will secure the hem, and it will be more convenient to hem it.
Chipping areas you can baste the fabric with a thin thread of any color. This will prevent you from getting scratched by contact with the pins.
Before ironing the item, make sure the fold is done correctly. Otherwise After steaming, it will be difficult to correct hem inaccuracies.
Be sure to attach the pant legs together and check their length. They must be the same!

Hemming not only trousers, but any other item, is absolutely easy. Even if you don’t have a sewing machine at hand.

If you have a sewing machine, you can hem classic trousers at home with your own hands.
To work you will need trouser tape, chalk or a small dry thin soap and a ruler.

In classic men's trousers, the braid is usually sewn only on the back half of the trousers. This is done so that the main fabric of the trousers does not wear out when worn. You can sew the braid around, but over time, after numerous washes, the braid shrinks a lot and the bottom of the trousers looks tight. In order to reduce shrinkage, the braid should be pre-wetted and dried with an iron.
The amount of braid depends on the width of the trouser leg. You need to measure the width of one back half of the trousers along the bottom, multiply by two and add approximately 8 cm for allowances and shrinkage. We select the braid to match the color of the trousers or a tone darker. The threads match the braid.

In order to measure the desired length of trousers, the trousers must be tried on together with suitable shoes and a belt. The length of the trousers is marked in the center (arrow) of the back half, depending on preferences and fashion, from the beginning of the heel and below. We pin the required length with pins.

On a flat surface (floor) or preferably on a table, fold the trousers along the arrows and compare the trouser legs from the waist to the bottom - right and left. This is necessary in order to properly align the trouser legs, because... They are often not the same length, and if measured from the bottom, the legs will be different lengths.

You can pin them together so that while we are marking the hem line, the trouser legs do not move.

We mark the hem line perpendicular to the side seam along the marked length in the fitting. From the marked line downwards we set aside 4-4.5 cm - the width of the hem and draw another line. Along this line we cut off the excess length.

Now you can split the pinned trouser legs and similarly mark the hem line on the other side of the trouser leg.

We will sew the trouser braid only on the back half of the trousers. To do this, mark it with soap so as not to accidentally sew the braid onto the front half. We hem the side and crotch seams at the bottom of the trousers by approximately 5 cm. We apply the trouser tape to the marked hem line of the back half of the trousers. We attach the braid on both sides by 0.1 cm. I remind you that the length of the braid should be equal to the width of the back half, taking into account the width of the seam allowances for the step and side seams. Now you can sew up the seams that we hemmed, as it was originally. But if the trousers are tapered or slightly tapered and the trouser fabric is not stretchy, then you need to stitch these 4-4.5 cm, not according to the mark left from the stitching, but slightly flaring the hem by 0.2-0.4 cm, depending on narrowing. If this is not done, then the finished hemmed trousers may look like they are held together along the hem line with hidden ties.

The cut along the bottom needs to be overlaid, but if you do not have such a special machine, you can do this on a household machine, setting it to a wide and rare zig-zag.

The trouser legs should be swept along the marked hem line, and when sweeping along the back part where the braid is stitched, make a 0.1 cm edge of the braid, that is, it should be visible by 0.1 cm from the face.

Iron it.

Then we hem the width of the hem with hidden ties. To do this, it is better to take a very thin long beaded hand needle. We select the threads to match the color of the main fabric.

We take the bottom of the trouser leg with the wrong side facing us, slightly turn over the edge of the hem processed with a zig-zag or overlock. Using a needle and thread, we grab the hem fabric (one thin thread of the weave of the fabric itself) and here after 5 mm. Lightly grab the fabric of the trouser leg with the needle. You need to do this so that the puncture with the thread you are stitching with is not visible from your face. We repeat this screed every 5 mm. The thicker the ties are, the stronger and more beautiful the hemming of the trousers with hidden ties will be. After this, remove the basting and iron the bottom of the trousers through cotton fabric with a steam iron.

In the near future the material will be supplemented with photographs...