Don't Trip! No-Sew Hem Hacks
(Photo: Anthropologie)
If there’s one sage piece of advice to take away from the infinite wisdom Stacy London and Clinton Kelly dished out on TLC’s What Not To Wear (RIP!), it’s this: Clothes won’t necessarily fit you straight off the rack. And that’s not a bad thing! The truth is, almost any garment looks a little more flattering with afew nips and tucks to show off your individual shape.
You can enlist a tailor,or give it a go on your own. (We promise: You can handle something more ambitious than shearing your jeans into stringy cutoff shorts.) Whether you’re totally reconstructing a vintage dress to give it a modern silhouette or just making a few tiny adjustments, it’s definitely possible to retool an item at home.
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Hemming is one of the simplest tweaks. It makes a slouchy pair of pants look polished and office-ready—and you don’t need to be a seamstress to pull it off. Here are easy ways to hem, no sewing required.
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Step 1: Remove Original Seams
You can use a seam ripper or even a nail clipper—but be careful not to nick the fabric around the thread.
Step 2: Find the Right Length
One rule of thumb: for the cleanest line, dress pants should fall about ½ from the ground in the back, hitting the top of your shoe in the front. That means unfortunately, it’s hard to wear the same pair of pants with heels and flats. (Of course, this will vary depending on the vibe you’re going for: Cropped or super wide-leg pants are intended to fall differently.) Try on the pair of shoes that you’ll most often pair with the pants. Then, use straight pins to mark where the hem should fall. Check your work in a full-length mirror.
This kind of attention to detail might seem a little fussy, but it’s not so outrageous. According to career website The Muse, improperly tailored clothes make a bad impression in an interview. You want your work to speak for itself, so don’t give the interviewer the chance to be distracted by a sloppy hemline and wonder if that inattention extends to your work. Put your best foot (or leg!) forward.
Step 3: Mark ‘Em Up
Use a ruler and chalk pencil to make sure that the hem is even all the way around.
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Step 4: Iron
Ironing creates a crisp crease. Any wrinkles in the fabric can result in incorrect measurements. Translation: an unintentionally asymmetrical look.
Step 5: Trim Excess Fabric
Leave about 1 ½ inches around the cuff, and then snip off the rest with sharp fabric scissors.
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Step 6: Apply Fusible Tape
Fusible tape is a sturdy no-sew option. Pick one that is close to the hue of your pants. Unroll the cuffs, then lay the tape along the crease you ironed. Fold the fabric over the tape; smooth down. Iron the fabric to set the tape, following package instructions.
Step 7: Try On Your Pants
Once you think you’ve hemmed them to the right length, try on the pants to check that the hems are even. Not quite? Put them through a wash cycle and dryer until the tape falls out, then try again. Nailed it? Admire your handiwork!
For an even simpler approach, try Style Snaps (also touted in aninfomercial, of course!). Here’s the gist: the adhesive strips cling to any fabric—stick ‘em where you need them, and clip two together to form a hem. According to the ad, you can remove them, too, allowing pants to work double duty with flats and chunky heels.
One ‘trick’ we don’t recommend: Using safety pins to hold your hems in place. Sounds like a recipe for getting poked in the leg. Probably best to nix that approach.
Do you have any genius hemming hacks? Share them in the comments!
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