Pants that are too long get stepped on, fray at the heel and bunch over your shoes in a way that makes a good pair look borrowed. The fix is usually simple, and plenty of people can do it at home.
This guide covers how to hem pants properly: measuring in the right shoes, choosing a break, and picking between hem tape, a hand-sewn blind hem and a machine hem. It also covers jeans, including the original-hem technique, and cuffed trousers.
Pants hemming is a regular job at our Mesa counter, so we will also be honest about the pairs better left to a tailor. Linings, tapered legs and cuffs can make a home job look home-made.
Contents
Key takeaways
- Mark the new length while wearing the shoes you will wear with the pants; a change of heel height changes where the hem should fall.
- Decide on the break (no break, slight break or full break) before you mark anything, because it determines the finished length.
- Hem tape or fusible web is the fastest fix, but Oregon State University Extension notes it is not as durable as stitching on garments that are washed often.
- A hand blind hem is invisible from the outside and is the traditional finish for dress trousers.
- The original-hem technique shortens jeans while keeping the factory hem and its faded edge.
- Lined, tapered, cuffed and suit trousers are the pairs most worth handing to a tailor.
Before you cut: measure in the shoes you will wear
Most bad hems start with a bad measurement, not bad sewing, so the first step in how to hem pants happens before you pick up a needle.
Put the pants on with the shoes you will actually wear with them. A pair hemmed for sneakers will look short with a heel. The Oregon State University Extension hemming fact sheet makes the same point: wear the same shoes and undergarments you will wear with the garment, and wear the belt too if you normally do.
Stand straight, weight on both feet, arms relaxed. If you can, have someone else fold and pin the hem for you, because bending down to look shifts the waistband and changes the length. Pin the fold all the way around each leg, then check both legs. Many people have one leg slightly longer than the other, so measure each inseam rather than copying one to the other.
A few things to do before you start:
- Wash first if the pants will shrink. Cotton and denim that have never been washed can shrink, and you want that to happen before you set the length. Our guide on why clothes shrink in the wash explains which fabrics are most at risk.
- Take out the old hem. Unpick it with a seam ripper and press the old crease out as much as you can.
- Check the care label before using heat from an iron or fusible web on synthetics.
Choose your break
The “break” is the fold or dent that forms where the front of the trouser leg meets your shoe. It is a style choice, but it decides the finished length, so settle it before you mark anything.
| Break | How it looks | Works best with | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| No break | Hem just touches the top of the shoe, no fold at the front | Slim and tapered trousers, cropped styles, loafers | Shows sock when you sit or walk |
| Slight break | One small dent at the front of the leg | Most suit trousers and dress pants; the safe middle choice | Needs accurate marking on both legs |
| Full break | One clear fold across the front, back of the hem reaching toward the heel | Wider, straight-leg trousers and a more traditional look | Too much length drags on the ground and frays at the heel |
If you are unsure, go for a slight break. It looks tidy with almost any shoe.
How to hem pants: three methods compared
Once the fold line is pinned, the steps are the same for every method. Turn the pants inside out, fold up along your pins and press. Measure an even hem allowance below the fold and trim the excess. The Oregon State fact sheet suggests a hem of roughly 1 to 2 inches for pants and jackets, and recommends trimming the side seam allowances inside the hem so they do not make a ridge. Finish the raw edge with a zigzag, serged or turned-under edge so it does not fray.
Then choose how to hold it in place.
| Method | Skill needed | Durability | Visible from outside? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hem tape or fusible web | Very little; an iron | Lowest; can release with washing and heat | No, if pressed evenly | Quick fixes, work pants, emergencies |
| Hand blind hem | Moderate; a needle and patience | Good | No | Dress trousers, wool, anything you want to look tailored |
| Machine hem (straight or blind hem stitch) | A sewing machine | Highest | Straight stitch shows; blind stitch barely shows | Casual pants, chinos, jeans |
Hem tape or fusible web
This is the quickest answer to how to hem pants without sewing. Fusible web is a heat-activated adhesive: you slip a strip between the hem allowance and the leg, then press with a hot iron and a damp press cloth. Iron-on hem tape works the same way.
Test it on a hidden spot first, because some fabrics mark or melt under the heat needed to fuse it. Oregon State recommends keeping the web back from the cut edge by at least 1/4 inch so it does not form a ridge or stick to the ironing board. Get the length right before you fuse, because a fused hem is hard to undo cleanly.
Hand blind hem
A blind hem is the traditional finish on dress trousers. The stitches catch only a thread or two of the outer fabric, so nothing shows on the right side.
Fold the finished edge of the hem back slightly toward the outside of the leg. Take a tiny stitch in the leg, picking up one or two threads, then a small stitch in the hem edge, and repeat. Oregon State suggests spacing the stitches about 1/4 to 1/2 inch apart. Start at a seam so the knot is hidden, and never pull the thread tight, or the outside of the leg will pucker.
Machine hem
For casual pants and chinos, a straight stitch close to the folded edge is quick and strong. Many machines also have a blind hem stitch and foot, where the zigzag part of the stitch catches only a thread of the leg. Practise on a scrap first; it works best on medium or heavier fabric that hides the tiny stitches.
How to hem jeans and keep the original hem
Jeans are the exception to all of the above. The factory hem is thick, it is often chain-stitched, and it has a faded, worn edge that a new hem cannot copy. Levi Strauss & Co. explains that chain-stitched hems twist and roll after washing, an effect called “roping”, which is a big part of why people want to keep them.
The original-hem technique shortens the leg from above the hem instead of cutting the hem off:
1. Mark the new length while wearing the jeans and your usual shoes. 2. Measure the distance between the new length and the current bottom edge. That is how much you are removing. 3. Turn the leg up on the outside, folding a tuck so the original hem sits at the new length. The fold should be half the amount you are removing. 4. Pin, then stitch all the way around the leg just below the edge of the original hem stitching. A zipper foot lets you get close to the thick hem. 5. Turn the hem back down. The excess now sits inside the leg as a flap. Trim it, leaving a seam allowance, and finish the raw edge with a zigzag or serger. 6. Press the seam allowance up toward the leg. Some people add a line of stitching over the seam to keep it flat.
Done well, the only sign of the change is a small ridge just above the hem. On flared legs the tuck will not lie flat, so it gets harder. For plain jeans hemming, cut, double-fold and machine stitch with a denim needle and heavier thread.
Cuffed trousers
Cuffs (turn-ups) are extra fabric folded back on itself, so shortening them means rebuilding them. You unpick the cuff, re-mark the finished length and cuff depth, and fold the fabric into a new cuff and hem allowance. If too much has already been trimmed, a cuff is no longer possible.
The folds must be pressed sharply and tacked at the side seams, and both legs must match exactly. Knowing how to hem pants with a plain hem does not quite cover this; it is where a lot of DIY pants hemming goes wrong.
What to leave to a tailor
Knowing how to hem pants at home is useful for chinos, work pants and jeans. Some pairs are genuinely better handled by someone who hems trousers all day:
- Lined trousers. The lining has to be shortened separately and left with enough ease that it does not pull the leg up.
- Tapered or slanted hems. A narrow leg or a hem that is longer at the back than the front needs the allowance shaped, not just folded.
- Cuffed trousers. For the reasons above.
- Suit trousers. They should be hemmed to match the jacket and your shoes, and pressing wool properly takes the right equipment. Our post on what can and can’t change in a suit covers the rest of the suit.
- Fabrics that mark easily. Silk, velvet and fine wool can shine under an iron.
Our alterations and repairs service handles hems on trousers, jeans, skirts and dresses. Bring the shoes you plan to wear so we can pin the length on you, and we will tell you honestly whether it is a simple hem or something more involved.
The bottom line
Learning how to hem pants comes down to three things: measure in the right shoes, choose your break, and pick a method that suits the fabric and how often you wash it. Hem tape gets you through a week. A blind hem or a machine hem lasts.
If the pants are lined, tapered, cuffed or part of a suit, bring them in. Call us on (480) 969-9982, drop them in the 24-hour drop-off box outside the store at 1911 E Brown Rd, Mesa, or ask about East Valley pickup and delivery on Wednesdays and Fridays, scheduled by phone. Our contact page has hours and directions.
Bipin Kanabar — Owner, Bartoli Cleaners & Laundry, serving Mesa since 1957.
Frequently asked questions
Is hemming tape better than sewing?
No, sewing is more durable, but hemming tape is faster and needs no skill. Fusible tape can loosen after repeated washing and hot drying, and Oregon State University Extension describes it as less durable than stitched hems on wash-and-wear garments. Use tape for quick fixes or pants you rarely wash, and sew anything you wear and launder often.
How to fix pants that are too long quickly?
The quickest fix is iron-on hem tape. Put the pants on with your shoes, fold the extra length inside and pin it, then take them off and press the fold. Slip the tape between the layers and press again with a damp cloth. For a one-off event, a few safety pins on the inside will hold for an evening.
What tool can I use to hem pants quickly?
An iron and fusible hem tape are the fastest tools, with no sewing at all. If you want stitching, a sewing machine with a blind hem foot is quickest once you have practised. Either way you also need pins, a tape measure, fabric chalk and sharp scissors to mark and trim an even hem allowance.
How can I shorten my pants?
You can shorten pants by re-hemming them: unpick the old hem, mark the new length while wearing your shoes, trim to an even hem allowance, finish the raw edge, then fold and stitch or fuse it. For jeans, the original-hem technique keeps the factory hem. Lined, cuffed or tapered pants are better shortened by a tailor.
Do I need to wash jeans before hemming them?
Yes, if they have never been washed or are marked as likely to shrink. Raw and untreated denim can shrink in length after the first wash, so hemming first can leave them too short. Wash and dry them the way you normally will, then mark the new length. Pre-shrunk jeans can usually be hemmed straight away.
