How to hem men's trousers correctly

Everyone has at least once encountered a situation where trousers that fit perfectly at the waist and hips do not fit in length. As a rule, the situation is well known to people of average and below average height. You definitely shouldn’t refuse to buy in such a situation, because the pants can always be shortened and adjusted to suit you.

Many people mistakenly believe that if the legs are a couple of centimeters longer, then there is no need to hem them. But in this case, the whole image becomes untidy, and the fabric wears out faster due to constant wrinkles and friction.

How to hem men's trousers correctly

To hem your trousers to the desired length, you can always turn to professionals in the atelier, or you can do it yourself. Moreover, this does not require special education, and in the absence of a sewing machine, you can get by with a simple needle and thread.

Correct length of men's trousers

Before cutting and hemming your trouser legs, you need to figure out how long they should be. Classic trousers with creases, jeans or chinos: each style has its own rules.

Classic

To make dress pants look good, the back of the legs should be a little longer and end an inch above the heel. In front, they should cover 2/3 of the boot. If the length is selected correctly, the front leg of the trouser is gathered into a fold at the shin, and the back does not fall below the middle of the heel.

The exception is tapered trousers. They should also form a single fold, but may be slightly shorter at the back than a wider model. Ideally, trousers of this style should be tried on for specific shoes.

Chinos

This is an informal model, so there are many ways to wear chinos. They are worn both with and without a collar. Everything is determined by cut and personal style. When choosing a length, you should follow a simple rule: the narrower the trousers, the shorter the length. Although going to extremes is also not recommended. A straight leg should form a fold in the front, otherwise the overall look will be sloppy.

Jeans

The length requirements for jeans are the same as for trousers. Narrow models should lie on the shoes, but not wrinkle, and wide ones should gather into a fold on the shin. Fans of roll-ups should choose jeans of such length that when rolled up they expose a maximum of the ankle.

Hemming men's trousers

Before hemming, it is best to wash and iron the trousers. This is necessary, since many fabrics can “shrink” after the first wash. The procedure is the same for different trousers, but hemming the classic ones is the most difficult. The main condition: the seam should not be visible.

Classic men's trousers with braid

Men's classic trousers are best hemmed using a special tape (braid).This allows you to give a rigid shape to the bottom of the legs and protect the fabric from damage.

Preparation, freezing

It is best to measure the desired length during the fitting process and only with shoes and a belt on. As a last resort, you can make a mark on other trousers that are already worn.

Measurement steps during the fitting process:

• tuck the excess length outward to the required level;
• secure with pins on the back and front;
• Apply chalk marks to future edges.

Important! If the measurement is taken not on a person, but from other trousers, you need to focus on the inside of the trouser legs (the crotch seam).

Progress

After marking, the trousers are folded on a flat surface. It is necessary to connect the legs so that the waist line matches. Pin the legs together to prevent the fabric from moving.

Procedure:

• Draw straight lines based on the marks. The most convenient way to do this is with a ruler-corner.

Reference! In some cases, the line may be slanted, decreasing towards the back of the trousers.

• The distance from the line is 4–5 cm. This is the necessary allowance for allowance. Using the same corner, draw a second line parallel to the first. This will be the cutting line.
• Cut off the excess.
• Finish the edge with an overlocker. Instead of an overlocker, you can sew it with a zigzag stitch on a regular sewing machine or process it by hand.
• In the first line (hem) attach the trouser tape and sew two lines along the edges. The first should be as close as possible to the edge of the tape and the hem line. It is very important to pull the fabric and braid with the same amount of tension, otherwise the edge will be sloppy.

Important! The cut of the braid must be folded and stitched, otherwise over time it will begin to unravel.

• Fold the edge of the legs inward along the line of the braid. The edge of the braid should protrude 0.5-1 mm.
• Carefully iron the hem from the inside.
• Sew with a special “invisible” stitch on a machine.
• Iron the trousers again through a damp cloth.

We hem the trousers by hand

If you don’t have a sewing machine (or it doesn’t have a “blind” stitch function), you can hem it manually.

The procedure remains the same. The edge is hemmed manually using a hidden seam. So that the stitches are not visible from the outside, you need to grab only 2-3 threads with a needle.

It is very important not to overtighten the thread, otherwise the seam will be visible. The line should be relaxed.

Some tips

• For jeans, special threads and needles are used, and the hem line is tapped with a hammer.
• Knitwear is also hemmed only with special needles.
• For summer trousers made of light fabric, the allowance is smaller (1-1.5 cm), and if braid is used, it is only from the back.
• For marks, it is best to use soap rather than chalk. This will make it easier to get rid of marks on the fabric.
• If you need to hem it urgently, but don’t have a sewing machine, you can use double-sided interlining. To do this, the tape is applied to the fold, steamed with an iron on one side, then the edge is folded and steamed on the other. However, do not forget that this solution is temporary and will require full processing later.
• If the pants have decorative inserts, you can shorten them along these seams. This is especially true for models with cuffs and elasticated legs.

And one last piece of advice: if you don’t have the slightest understanding of which way to approach the sewing machine, and the needle has long since rusted, then it’s better to take the trousers to the studio. So, time will be saved, and the item will definitely not deteriorate. Moreover, this service is quite inexpensive.