I hate alterations, but when your short-legged husband asks you to take two pairs of his pants up it's hard to say no! :)
Over the next two weeks of tips on Tuesday I thought I would cover hemming pants. This week will be on pinning and measuring. Next week will cover the sewing.
My go to book for alterations is Clothing Alteration Secrets Revealed by Judith Turner. There are some amazing tips and instructions in here for all sorts of alterations.
Pinning and Measuring Pants
1. Get the person who's pants you are taking up to stand on a chair or a box to raise them up slightly. Standing in front of a mirror is a good idea as both you and the person wearing the pants get to see how they look once pinned. Make sure they are wearing the shoes that they plan to wear with them and a belt if they plan of wearing one.

2. Fold the pants in towards the leg. This is more fiddly to do, but folding them up on to the outside can be distracting for the wearer to decide whether they are the right length.


3. Pin the hem in place and get them to check they are happy with the length. I try to place my pins as near to the fold line as possible.



5. Next check the pants. This is an important step before cutting and stitching. Lay the pant legs out and check that it looks visually correct and that nothing is twisted before marking and cutting. You might also like to take a note of the measurement of the outside leg between the top of the waistband and the fold of the new hem.






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