How Long Does It Take To Hem Pants?

Hemming is the act at which the edge of the cloth is folded back and sown to prevent the rough edges from being visible and to hold the cloth in place. It is also done to adjust the length of the cloth, and could be the best way to save money if you can do it perfectly yourself.

The duration of pants hemming depends on your skills and experience, the style you plan to adopt, unforeseen factors, the material, the types of equipment, and your work schedule. For beginners, hemming could take a lot of days, and for professionals, it could take a few minutes to a few hours, depending on the type of hem.

Let’s look at some necessary and interesting things about hemming to know how long it will take to hem your pants.

Table of Contents

How Does Hemming Style Determine The Duration Of Pants Hemming?

There are different styles of hem used in hemming your pants, and this is determined by the cloth material and the type of equipment available. These three factors greatly determine the length of time that can be used on hemming your pants.

1. Blind Hem

This can be done by hand or machine, and is the most standard finish for most pant trousers, and doesn’t take much time. The hem is made by folding 5 cm of the cloth inside and finished with an invisible stitch, making the trouser sit smoothly without any sign of rough edges or stitches on the outside of the pants.

However, this stitch can be easily removed if the cloth is being washed in the wrong way in the washing machine.

2. Hand Sewn Invisible Hem

This invisible hem takes a lot of time, as hand does the sewing. This type of sewing is required for all types of hem and must be known by all seamstresses, not minding the knowledge you have acquired, as it could be the only one you will need to use for a particular cloth.

The process is short, as you just have to measure, press and pin the hem, but the sowing could take a lot of time depending on the pants leg size.

3. Cuff

This type of hemming is done for style purposes and is most common in old-fashioned suits with different centimeters of cuffs. The edges of the pant are turned back in to produce a 1-inch to 1½-inch pocket which is generally called a cuff.

This can be achieved by the use of a machine, and it doesn’t take more than a few minutes to get it done, provided you are a professional.

4. Blind Hem Half Tape

A hem tape is sown on one of the sides of the pants, and the ends are tucked into the side to give it a neat look.

This method is used to protect the fabric from any damage, and that is why the hem tape serves as the hem, not the cloth itself. This can be done by hand or machine, depending on your skill and expertise.

5. Straight Hem

This is mainly done with a machine, and is mostly used on casual pants and children’s pants. It can be achieved by folding the rough edge of the fabric up from the inside by ½ to 2 inches, pressing it, stitching ⅛ inches from the inside and pressing again.

This technique is straight forward, as the name implies, but has to be done gradually and carefully. This might take up to one hour, as the stitch must be in a straight line.

6. Jean Hem

Making a hem in jean pants is more strenuous and takes more time especially if you are using an original fabric or a new fabric as you have to follow a few procedures for you to achieve perfect hemming for your jeans.

For professionals, jean hemming might take just 30 minutes and up to 1 hour for a beginner with the right machine after you might have washed and dried the jeans, before you cut your jeans or hem to prevent your cloth from jumping up and becoming short after you might have washed it two times. Besides, hemming wrinkled jeans could make the stitches curvy and not straight.

How To Hem Your Pant Using Hand?

Equipment needed for Hand Hemming includes,

Thread
Pair of scissors
Sewing Needle.
Pressing Iron.
Ruler or a measuring tape rule.
Sewing Pin
Fabric Marker.

After the equipment is in place, the steps to follow are as follows

Step One: Wear the pants with perfect footwear to match, and fold the hem up to your desired length.
Step Two: Pin the folded edge with a sewing pin to keep the folded hem in place while removing the pants. This must be done carefully to protect yourself against injury from the pin.
Step Three: Lay the pants on a smooth surface, preferably a smooth table, and measure the length from the original hem or the rough edges to the folded edge, noting down the measurements.
Step Four: Unfold the edge after turning the whole pant inside out, and measure again from the original hem or the final edge of your pant to your new hem point measured earlier. Then, use your fabric marker to draw a line on where you want your new hem to be.
Step Five: Measure and mark one inch from the line you drew. Cut off the extra fabric and fold the rough edge up to the new hemline, then fold again to prevent the rough edge from being visible.
Step Six: Pin the folded piece around with a sewing pin, placing it parallel to the fold to ensure the fold stays in place.
Step Seven: Fix your thread into your sewing needle and sew the folded edge to create a new hem. Use a thread color that blends with the fabric and keeps your stitches small and even.
Step Eight: Make a knot towards the end of the stitch, and cut off excess thread once you are done stitching. Remove the sewing pin, fix the other leg of the pants following the same step, then press the hem once you are done with the other leg.

How To Hem Your Pants Using a Sewing Machine?

Hemming with a sewing machine is fast and more convenient. Besides, the stitches are more even when you use a sewing machine for hemming. The procedures to follow are slightly different from hand sewing.

Equipment needed for Hemming with sewing machine include,

Pair of Scissors.
Tailor’s chalk of fabric marker.
Ruler
Pressing Iron.
Straight Pins
Thread
Sewing Machine.

Step One: Wear the pant, fold the pant, and try it out with different shoes for you to have the desired length.
Step Two: Pin your desired length with a sewing pin, remove and make a straight line with chalk and a ruler on the edge of your desired length.
Step Three: Measure and mark out ½ inch from the chalk line with your ruler for your first fold, before marking another ½ inch to mark the line used for creating a new hem.
Step Four: Cut across the second ½-inch mark with sharp scissors to give neat and straight edges, as blunt scissors will produce rough edges.
Step Five: Measure ½ inch, press and roll the pants inside, and hold on the outside with a pin.
Step Six: Repeat steps one to step five on the other leg.
Step Seven: Fix a thread color that blends with the color of the fabric or the original color of the previous stitches. Adjust the stitch length in your sewing machine, pull the pin out, and then do a back stitch, and sew slowly using your hand wheel to enable you to go through the bulky fabric.
Step Eight: Cut the excess fabric out. Repeat the process on the other leg, make sure the hem for both legs is even, and then press your pants to give it a smooth look.

How To Hem Your Pants With Hemming Tape?

Hemming tape can be gotten from fabric stores around, but can only be used for soft fabric cloths.

Measure and cut out your desired length, leaving out some allowance for the hem
Cut your hemming tape to fit the hem and fix it in between the fabric and the measured hem, then press with the iron to hold the hem tight.

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