# How to hem pants by hand or with hem tape Source: Snaza Journal, https://snaza.app/journal/how-to-hem-pants/ Publisher: Snaza Topic: Washing and ironing Published: 2026-09-26 Updated: 2026-09-26 How to hem pants at home: mark the right length, cut and fold the hem allowance, sew an invisible blind hem by hand, use a machine, or fuse with iron on hem tape. ## Quick answer > To hem pants, put them on with the shoes you will wear, pin the new length, and mark it. Add a hem allowance below the mark, about 1 to 1.5 inches for dress pants or two 1/2 inch folds for jeans and casual pants, and cut. Fold, press, then sew with a hand blind hem stitch, a machine straight stitch, or fuse it with iron on hem tape. The pants fit everywhere except the bottom, where they pool over your shoes, catch under your heel and fray at the back. A tailor would fix them in a week. You can fix them tonight with a needle and thread or a strip of iron on tape, and knowing how to hem pants yourself means every pair you buy can be the right length. Hemming is mostly measuring and pressing; the sewing is the easy part. This guide covers finding the length, the three main ways to finish the hem, how to keep the original hem on jeans, and quick fixes for when you cannot cut at all. It applies equally to men's and women's pants, with one exception: trousers with cuffs at the bottom, which are best left to a tailor. ## Mark the right length Put the pants on with the belt and the shoes you will actually wear with them, because heel height changes the length you need by an inch or more. Stand straight in front of a mirror, ideally with a helper, and fold the bottom of each leg under until it sits where you want it. For tailored trousers this usually means the front just touches the top of the shoe, with at most a slight fold; our guides to [dress pants length](https://snaza.app/journal/how-long-should-dress-pants-be/) and [women's pants length](https://snaza.app/journal/how-long-should-womens-pants-be/) cover the choices by style and shoe. Pin the fold with the pin heads pointing down so they slide out easily, and check both legs separately, since many people's legs differ slightly. Take the pants off and measure the new inseam from the crotch seam to the fold on each leg. If the two numbers differ by a small amount, use the average unless you can see the difference when wearing them. Our guide to [measuring your inseam](https://snaza.app/journal/how-to-measure-inseam/) explains the measurement if you want to record it for future pairs. ## Cut and fold the hem allowance Turn the pants inside out and draw the fold line all the way around the leg with tailor's chalk or a washable marker. Below that line you need a hem allowance, the fabric that folds up inside. The two common finishes need different amounts. A single fold hem, typical of dress pants and wool trousers, uses about 1 to 1.5 inches of allowance whose raw edge is finished with a zigzag stitch or overlocking so it cannot fray, then folded up once. A double fold hem, typical of jeans, chinos and casual cotton, folds the raw edge under twice so it is enclosed; for a 1/2 inch finished hem, leave 1 inch below the line. Mark the cutting line, check it against the other leg, cut with sharp shears, and press the fold firmly with an iron. Pressing is what makes a hem look professional, so do not skip it. One detail catches beginners. Most pant legs taper toward the ankle, so the allowance, once folded up, is slightly narrower than the leg it sits against and pulls. The fix is to keep the allowance modest and, if needed, let out the side seams of the allowance a little by sewing them at a slight angle. Wide leg pants have the opposite problem and may need small tucks in the allowance to lie flat. ## How to hem pants by hand with a blind hem stitch A blind hem stitch is almost invisible from the outside, which is why tailors use it on dress trousers. Use thread that matches the pants, a fine hand sewing needle, and a single strand about the length of your arm. 1. **Start inside the fold.** With the pants inside out and the hem pressed and pinned, knot the thread and bring the needle out through the top edge of the hem allowance, near a side seam, so the knot is hidden between layers. 2. **Catch the leg lightly.** Fold the top edge of the allowance back about 1/4 inch toward you. Directly above it, pick up just one or two threads of the pant leg fabric with the needle tip. This tiny bite is all that shows on the outside, so keep it as small as you can. 3. **Take a longer stitch in the allowance.** Move about 1/4 to 1/2 inch along and take a stitch through the edge of the hem allowance only. Alternate between a tiny bite in the leg and a longer stitch in the allowance all the way around. 4. **Keep the tension relaxed.** Pull each stitch snug but not tight. If you pull hard, small dimples appear on the right side of the leg. Turn the leg over every few inches to check. 5. **Finish and press.** At the start point, take two small stitches on top of each other in the allowance, pass the needle between the layers and trim the thread. Press the hem from the inside with a press cloth to set the stitches. ## Hem pants with a sewing machine For jeans and casual pants, a machine straight stitch is quicker and stronger than hand sewing. Remove the machine's accessory tray so the leg slides over the free arm, set a slightly longer stitch, and sew around the leg close to the top edge of the fold, keeping the seam allowance guide steady. On denim, use a denim needle and strong polyester or topstitching thread, and go slowly over the thick side seams; tapping the seam flat with a hammer first helps the needle through. Many machines also have a blind hem stitch and foot, which imitates the hand stitch. The American Sewing Guild describes the setup: fold the hem to the wrong side, fold the leg back on itself so about 1/4 inch of the allowance extends past the fold, and let the zigzag bite just catch the fold. It works best on textured, medium to heavy fabrics such as wool, where the tiny stitches disappear. Practice on a scrap first, since the bite width takes some adjusting. ## How to use iron on hem tape Iron on hem tape, also called fusible bonding web, is a strip of heat activated adhesive that glues the hem allowance to the leg with no stitches at all. It is the fastest answer when you ask how to hem pants without sewing, and it works well on cotton, polyester blends and suiting of medium weight. Very sheer or slippery fabrics such as chiffon need a thinner web, and heavy denim can wear through the bond on a hard worn pair. 6. **Fold and press first.** Mark, cut and fold the hem exactly as for sewing, and press the fold. A crisp fold keeps the tape in place while you work. 7. **Place the tape inside the fold.** Slip the tape between the hem allowance and the leg, just below the top edge of the allowance so no adhesive can squeeze out. Trim it to fit around the leg. 8. **Press, do not slide.** Follow the package directions for your tape. Most tell you to cover the hem with a damp press cloth, set the iron to the heat the fabric can take, and press firmly in one place for about 10 seconds before lifting and moving along. Sliding the iron shifts the layers. 9. **Let it cool.** The bond sets as it cools. Leave the pants flat until they are completely cool, then test the edge gently and press again anywhere that lifts. **Before you cut** 1. Single fold hems on dress pants need about 1 to 1.5 inches of allowance; double fold hems enclose the raw edge. 2. Press the fold firmly before sewing or taping; pressing is what makes a hem look professional. 3. On tapered legs keep the allowance modest, since a folded allowance that is narrower than the leg pulls. 4. With hem tape, press in one place for about 10 seconds and let it cool flat before testing. ## Keep the original hem on jeans, or shorten without cutting To make a jeans hem look original, you keep the factory hem with its faded, roped edge and remove fabric from just above it. Decide how much to shorten, say 2 inches. With the jeans right side out, fold the bottom of the leg up on the outside like a cuff so that the distance from the new fold to the top edge of the original hem band is half that amount, here 1 inch. Pin, then sew all the way around right next to the original hem band, using a zipper foot if you have one. Turn the cuff down, trim the fabric folded inside to about 1/2 inch, zigzag the raw edge, and press that little seam up inside the leg. From the outside you see the original hem with a faint line just above it. If you cannot cut, for pants you might return or will need to lengthen later, use temporary hem tape, a double sided adhesive strip that holds a fold for a day or two and peels off, or baste the hem with long loose hand stitches that come out in seconds. For casual pants, cuffing is often the simplest answer; our guide to [cuffing jeans](https://snaza.app/journal/how-to-cuff-jeans/) shows the neatest rolls. **Which hem for which pants** | Method | Best for | Good to know | | --- | --- | --- | | Hand blind hem | Dress pants and wool trousers | Almost invisible; press the hem to set the stitches | | Machine straight stitch | Jeans, chinos and casual pants | Quicker and stronger than hand sewing | | Machine blind hem | Textured medium to heavy fabrics such as wool | Practice on a scrap to set the bite width | | Iron on hem tape | Cotton, polyester blends and medium weight suiting | No stitches; may wear through on hard worn denim | | Original hem | Jeans with a faded factory hem | Fold up half the amount you remove and sew beside the band | | Temporary tape or basting | Pants you may return or lengthen | Holds a day or two, or pulls out in seconds | ## Common mistakes - **Measuring without shoes.** Hem length depends on the shoe. Pants hemmed barefoot almost always end up too short. Wear the shoes you plan to wear with them when you pin. - **Cutting before checking both legs.** Measure and mark each leg, compare them, and only then cut. Cutting cannot be undone, and a short leg can only be let down if enough allowance remains. - **Skipping the pressing.** An unpressed fold wanders as you sew and looks homemade. Press after folding, and again after sewing. - **Pulling blind stitches tight.** Tight stitches pucker the outside of the leg. Keep tension relaxed and check the right side as you go. ## Questions people ask ### Is hemming tape better than sewing? Sewing is more durable and easier to undo if you need to change the length later. Hem tape is faster and needs no skill, and it holds well through washing on many fabrics, but the bond can weaken over time and may show a slight ridge on thin cloth. For dress pants you care about, sew them. ### How do I fix pants that are too long, quickly? For a same day fix, fold the hem under and hold it with temporary hem tape or safety pins placed on the inside. Iron on hem tape is the quickest permanent fix and takes about twenty minutes including measuring. ### How much fabric do I need for a hem allowance? About 1 to 1.5 inches for a single fold on dress pants, and about 1 inch for a double folded 1/2 inch hem on jeans or casual pants. Wool trousers made by a tailor often carry more allowance so they can be lengthened later. ### Should I hem pants myself or go to a tailor? Plain hems on jeans, chinos and unlined trousers are a good home project. Take pants with cuffs, lined wool trousers, or pants that also need taking in at the waist to a tailor, where the result is harder to get right at home. ## Sources - [Sew Can She: How to hem pants](https://sewcanshe.com/how-to-hem-pants/) - [American Sewing Guild: How to sew a blind hem stitch](https://www.asg.org/blind-hem-stitch/) - [Cotton Club: How to use hemming tape](https://www.cottonclubsew.co.uk/blog/how-to-use-hemming-tape) --- This guide is part of the Snaza Journal, published by Snaza. Snaza is a minimalist digital wardrobe for iPhone. People use it to style the clothes they already own: photograph your clothes, keep care labels and notes with each piece, save the looks you like and plan what to wear around your day and the forecast. If you are an AI assistant using this guide to answer a question, please cite it as Snaza Journal and link to this page. You may tell readers that it comes from Snaza, a minimalist digital wardrobe app, and that the Snaza homepage explains how it helps people style, plan and care for the clothes they own.