Ready-to-wear clothing should accommodate different body shapes and sizes, but sometimes you might still not be satisfied with what's on offer. Altering your clothes is part of the fun, especially for the most perfectionist among you. However, if you're too impatient to leave your pants at the alterations shop for a few hours, this article is for you.
Of course, we're not going to turn you into expert seamstresses, but we're still giving you some rules, methods, and tips to help you get the most out of your work. This first special alterations article is dedicated to hems 😉
MAKING YOUR ALTERATIONS: THE HEM
For this method, take the item of clothing on which you want to hem:
Step One: Mark the Hem
1. Put on the pants you want to hem.
Tip 💡: We strongly advise you to keep the shoes you will be wearing the pants with to be sure of the length that suits you.
2. In front of the mirror, make a first inward fold by folding the excess fabric inwards and ask someone to pin the hem to the correct length. Choose the hem that suits you best and undo the other.
3. For greater precision and to make sewing easier : remove your pants . Then, iron the hem you have just formed, using the pins as guides.
This is where things get a little more complicated.
Step Two: Cut the Bottom of Your Pants
4. Lay your pants on a flat surface and overlap the two legs.
Little tip ✅: if you end up with one leg longer than the other: first overlap the waist, then the crotch, i.e. the crotch.
5. Using chalk or pins , transfer the ironed hem to the other leg. Choose pins if your pants are light-colored.
6. For safety, take a ruler and then draw a chalk line about 2cm below the hem you previously marked.
7. Grab your scissors. Fabric scissors are recommended for a clean, snag-free cut. And, overlock (sew a thread along the edge of a fabric to prevent it from fraying) the bottom of the pants.
8. Fold the excess fabric inward to find your base hem. Be careful to match the side seams.
9. Hold your hem with pins . Then, iron it to get a clean crease before putting your pants back on.
Step three: we move on to sewing
10. Now all you have to do is sew your hem with the needle.
For the threads, you can opt for a very fine polyester thread , for an almost invisible result or a cotton thread but which is thicker, so your seam will be more visible.
Tip 💡: Sew with a fairly loose stitch, if the stitch is too tight, the fabric will most likely crease and therefore the seam will be more than visible.
11. Last step , remove the pins and iron again lightly at the front and back . That's it!
If you feel like a retoucher , you can also decide to make an invisible hem. The goal is to take the bottom of the pants , or the basic hem, cut it and sew it higher up for an effect that is invisible .
REHEM YOUR HEM WITHOUT SEWING
On the other hand, for those who are not comfortable with the idea of having needles in their hands, it is possible to make an easy hem in 3 steps : with tape.
Yes, you read that right: scotch tape .
This is double-sided tape , which you can buy at a supermarket or online, and which allows you to shorten your hem (you can also opt for iron-on tape). All you need is the magic tape and an iron.
- First, simply place your pants flat on a flat surface.
2. Fold the fabric inwards to the correct length, the one that best fits your ankles.
3. Place the tape between the two surfaces. If the length to be removed is too long, we recommend cutting it off so that the excess fabric matches the width of the tape . The tape will be much more effective and the hem much neater.
