Sometimes, you have no choice but to buy pants that are too long. And while you can always take your pants to the tailor and let them do the work for you, it's quite simple — and much more affordable — to hem your own pants right at home.
We turned to expert sewer Amanda Perna, Project Runway alum and fashion designer behind The House of Perna, to give us a step-by-step tutorial of how to hem pants with a sewing machine. Different fabrics and pant styles call for different hems, so Amanda went with the topstitch hem, which is better suited for denim, thick fabrics or anytime you don't mind seeing the stitching marks.
No matter if you're a total beginner or occasional sewer in need of hemming how-to, follow Amanda's tutorial to ensure a proper fit. And while you're at it, brush up on your other skills by checking out Amanda's how-to guides on threading a needle and sewing a button by hand.
Tools You'll Need
- Tailor's chalk or a chalk pen
- Ruler
- Scissors
- Iron
- Straight pins
- Sewing machine (take a look at The Good Housekeeping Institute Textiles Lab's best sewing machines)
- Fabric thread
How to Hem Pants
- Step 1: Put the pants on and measure them. Try them on with a few different shoes with varying heel heights and find a happy medium.
- Step 2: Once you find a length that you like, mark your pants on the two outside seams with tailor's chalk. Use a ruler to mark a straight line with chalk.
- Step 3: Use your ruler to measure 1/2-inch from the chalk line to mark your first turn up.
- Step 4: Go down another 1/2-inch to mark your seam allowance a.k.a. the line you cut to create a new hem.
- Step 5: Cut across the bottom mark (seam allowance) with sharp scissors.
- Step 6: Take an iron and press it all the way at half an inch. Place straight hems along the front and back of the hem to keep it stable.
- Step 7: Starting at the side seam, roll inward and pin. Make sure the side seams match up and the pins are on the outside, so you can pull them as you're sewing.
- Step 8: Repeat on the other leg.
- Step 9: Find a thread in a similar color to the original stitching. Adjust the stitch length on your sewing machine, put your needle down, pull the pin out, do a backstitch and go. Note: When working with material that stretches, use something with a longer stitch length, so it pulls with ease.
- Step 10: For the side seams, use your hand wheel and go slow to get through the thicker fabric.
- Step 11: Backstitch, cut and press flat. Repeat on the other leg.
Create the Ultimate Sewing Station
Mariah Thomas (she/her) is an assistant editor for Good Housekeeping, where she covers home and lifestyle content. Mariah has more than four years of editorial experience, having written for TLC, Apartment Therapy, Women's Health and Avocado Magazine. She received her master's degree in journalism at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and published her first book, Heart and Soul: Poems of Thoughts and Emotions, in 2019. She's also the founder of RTF Community, a platform for creatives of color to connect, learn and showcase their work.
