Being short (5’2″ or 160cm), I often have the need to take up hems. There really is no way around it.
I bought this jump suit to wear to my work Christmas party and I love it. But as always, the pants are too long. Although there are clothing ranges specifically catering to shorties like myself, I find that their range of styles is sometimes limited. I find myself still shopping the regular styles and therefore often needing to take up the hem.
What You’ll Need
In order to take up a hem, you will need a few basic sewing supplies:
Your garment which is too long
Matching cotton or thread. I only use Gutermann thread and I tend to go for polyester thread. It is strong, doesn’t tangle easily and comes in a wide range of colours. You can get it at places like Spotlight, Lindcraft or other craft or fabric stores. This is the one I generally use.
Quick Unpick or Seam Ripper. Again, you can get them and any good sewing supply store such as Lindcraft or Spotlight. This is the one I use.
Good sharp scissors. These are the ones I use.
Hand sewing needles. These are the ones I use.
Tape measure. Again, you can get these from any good sewing supply store. This is the one I have. I love it because it winds up inside it’s own little cover and so doesn’t get tangled up and stretched in my sewing box. It’s also really convenient to just drop in my handbag when I am heading to the shops.
Pins – glass head dressmaker’s pins are the best as they are not easily lost when you drop them on the floor and you can see them in your garment. These are the ones I use.
If you don’t have a mum or Nana around who can help you out, here’s how to do it.
How to Take Up a Hem
Equipment
- Sewing Needle
- Thread (cotton or polyester) to match the item of clothing
- Sewing Pins
- Tape Measure
- Sharp Dressmaking Scissors
- A Handy Assistant
- The Item of Clothing
Instructions
- In order to get the length correct, try on the item of clothing. If you are taking up a hem on a pair of trousers or long dress or skirt, make sure you are also wearing the shoes you will be wearing with this outfit. That way you will be sure to get the length right. You will need your handy assistant for the next step
- Standing up straight, get your handy assistant to place a single pin at the exact spot to indicate the correct length. For this step, I gave my husband the instruction to place the pin about 1.5cm ( 0.6 of an inch) from the floor right on the side seam. This pin is now where you will fold the fabric to take up the hem.
- Take off the item of clothing, being careful not to scratch yourself with the pin
- Measure from the bottom of the clothing to the pin. This will tell you exactly how much you need to take up. If you need to take it up a lot, you may need to cut off some fabric. In order to take up the hem neatly, you will need to leave at least 2.5cm (1 inch) of fabric below the pin – don't cut off too much.
- To make sure you are cutting off the right amount of fabric and it is even all the way around, measure from the pin, down 2.5cm and place another pin. Measure from that pin to the bottom of the garment. This is how much you need to cut off all the way around.
- Measure this much all the way around, placing pins about 5cm apart (2 inches) apart all the way around. This will give you a cutting guide. Cut along this row of pins, removing the pins as you go but leaving the original pin in.
- Measure up 2.5cm around the entire hem, again placing pins about 5cm apart all the way around. These pins should line up with the original pin and will indicate the fold line. Depending on the fabric, you may want to iron the hem at this point – it will make it easier to do the next step.
- Fold under the hem so that the edge of the fabric tucks into the fold of the fabric. There is now 3 layers of fabric in the hem. Pin it all the way around about 3-4cm apart.
- Thread the needle with thread that matches the fabric. If it is a multi-coloured fabric, select a thread that shows the least (maybe a neutral coloured thread).
- To make a knot in the end of the thread, hold the end of the thread (about 1cm from the end) against the needle. Wind the thread (not the end of the tread) around the needle about 6 times. Hold the wound thread and needle between your thumb and pointer finger firmly, but not tight and pull the needle through the thread. Continue to hold the thread between your finger, pulling the rest of the thread through until a knot forms in the end of the thread.
- Starting at a seam, pull the needle through the back of the fabric so that you hide the tail of the thread inside the hem. Bring the needle out through the very edge of the hem.
- There are a few ways to proceed from here, but I am going to show you the most versatile stitch to use for hemming. If you are right-handed, you will be sewing from right to left. If you are left handed, you will be sewing from left to right.
- Sew a couple of small stitches in the same spot at the seam, sewing though the seam and the hem to anchor the stitches. from there you will be taking a stitch about every 1/2 cm. The smaller the stitches, the stronger the hem. The 1st stitch will be 1/2cm from the seam, you will pick up just a couple of threads in the fabric so as not to show too much thread on the right side of the fabric. Pull the thread through, not pulling too tight to crinkle the hem.
- The next stitch will be another 1/2 cm along but will be through the folded fabric. You can put the needle through more of the fabric this time as the thread will not show – you are only picking up 1 layer of fabric. Put the needle into the fabric and take it out about 3mm along.
- Continue sewing like this around the entire hem, 'anchoring' with a few stitches at every seam until you get back to the beginning.
- To finish off, sew a few small 'anchor' stitches into the original seam. Tie a knot at the base of the thread as close to the fabric as you can. Use the same method as before. This time, put the needle against the thread right near the fabric, wind the thread around 4-6 times and holding the thread and needle between your thumb and pointer finger, pull the needle through the thread to form a knot right at the base of the thread, closest to the fabric. Push the needle between the layers of fabric and pull it out a couple of cm further along. Pull a little tight so you can snip the thread off and the end of the thread will end up hidden in between the layers of fabric.
- Iron the hem with steam to 'set' the hem
Video
Notes
