Easy hand-sewing at home! How to hem pants and alter them.

Common hemming methods

There are basic techniques for adjusting the hems of your bottoms. Learning them correctly will allow you to use them in a variety of situations!

◇Regular festival

This is the most common method of hemming by hand. To prevent the stitches from showing on the outside, you hem by picking up about 1 mm of the outer fabric.

◇ Nagashi Matsuri (Floating Festival)

Because the stitches are spaced further apart than with a regular whip stitch, this method is effective for hemming fabrics where you want to give them some movement (such as soft fabrics or linings).

◇Chidori-gake

If you don't want the seam allowance to be bulky, fold it in half instead of in thirds and sew it using this method. For fabrics that fray easily, sew a zigzag stitch along the edge beforehand.

◇Triple-fold stitch

This is a common hemming method seen on casual clothing and workwear. A sewing machine is usually used. Because the stitching is visible on the outside, it's used when you want to make effective use of stitching or when you want a durable hem. When sewing thick fabrics like jeans, you'll need a heavy-duty sewing machine needle and thread, and you'll need to manually turn the machine where multiple layers of fabric overlap.

Tips for hemming

Hemming the garment using the same method as the original design will result in a seamless finish. Check whether the seam allowance is 1cm or 3cm and finish it in the same way.

Let's make a hem-sizing ruler!

Regular acrylic rulers cannot be used for hemming because they cannot be ironed. So, let's make our own hem ruler by drawing markings on a postcard or cardboard that you have at home! Place it against the edge of the fabric and fold the fabric with an iron, and you can determine the hem line without making any marks.

Key points when making a hem ruler

Even when using a transparent ruler to mark the hem, be sure to fold the seam allowance with an iron before sewing. A little extra effort makes a huge difference in the finished product.

Hemming procedure

While wearing the garment, fold up the hem and have someone else pin it in place (leave it a little longer as you will be wearing shoes).

Measure the length at one point on the heel or side of the foot, and use that length as the total hem width.

Determine the cutting line by adding the seam allowance to the finished line.

Using a hem ruler, fold the hem three times with an iron and baste it in place.

Start sewing from the less visible inner part using a triple-fold stitch or a regular blind stitch.

Learn various techniques and hem your pants with ease!

Mastering various hemming techniques can be useful when you want to adjust ready-made clothing to fit you perfectly!

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