﻿How To Tailor Pants Without Sewing Machine Tapering & Hemming DIY
[0:00:00] Hey, guys. It’s
Thomas with the Real Men Real Style here. So, you have this amazing pair of trousers in
the perfect fabric. The only problem, they just don't fit quite right.
Maybe they're just a little too baggy, which makes you look sloppy and unkempt.
Or maybe they're a little too long, leaving pools of fabric around your shoes.
Don't give up hope and throw them away. Today, I'm going to teach you how to easily tailor
your trousers at home, no sewing machine required. Here are the tools you'll need to get started, a
sewing needle, a thread that matches your trouser fabric, safety pins, sewing pins, a fabric pencil
or a chalk, a seam ripper, a ruler, and an iron. So, first, we're going to start with how to slim
the trouser leg. Step one, measure and pin. There are two methods you can use to get the
right measurements. The first method is to use an existing pair of trousers that fit you perfectly
as a guide. Turn your pants inside out, then lay your perfect fitting pair on top.
You can slim your pants from the inside seam, the outside seam,
or both. I recommend sticking with the inside seam as any mistakes will be less visible.
Line up the outside seams and the crotch, then trace along the inside seam with a fabric pencil
or chalk. Once that's done, pin the fabric in place to keep it from moving while you sew.
If you don't have a perfect fitting pair of trousers to use as a reference,
you will need to figure out how much fabric to remove yourself. Turn the trousers inside out,
then put them on. Put safety pins on the inner seam until it fits as snugly as you'd like.
Move around to make sure they aren't too tight. You want to be able to still sit down without
ripping them open. Take off the trousers and lay them on a flat surface. Trace along the line
of safety pins with a fabric pencil or chalk. Make sure the taper smoothly transitions into the
crotch or the upper leg. An abrupt transition will leave ugly looking dimples. Switch out the safety
pins with sewing pins and you're good to go. Step two, time to sew. Cut your thread, so it's
more than twice the length you'll be tapering. We're going to double thread the needle for
maximum strength. It's wise to cut a couple extra feet of thread, it's better to have slightly too
much thread than to run out part way through. Pull the thread through the needle,
making sure both ends are equal in length before making a knot.
If you're like me and you have trouble threading a needle, be sure to smash that like button.
Wrap the thread around your index finger to form an X. Pinch that X between your
index finger and thumb, then slide your index finger back. Bring your middle
finger down in front to hold it before pulling the thread with your other hand.
This leaves you with a strong knot that won't come undone.
Now, take your thread ripper and cut a 2 to 3-inch stretch of hem loose from around the inside seam.
This will allow us to cover up the new side seam later for a polished final look.
Begin sewing at one end of the trousers following the line you drew with the fabric
pencil. Alternate pushing the needle through one side, then bring it back to the other. Try
to keep your stitches close together for maximum strength. 2 to 3 millimeters is a good baseline.
It's tempting to go for longer stitches to save time, but you're going to regret
it if your pants rip open if you were cutting corners. Continue to sew along
the line you drew until you reach the end. Create a knot by pulling the needle through the
last stitch to form a loop, then pull the needle through that loop to form a knot. Do this a couple
of times to make sure it's good and secure. Re-sew the hem to cover the end of the new seam. Now,
repeat the process on the other leg. Step three, iron and press. We're almost done.
Now, take your iron and press the new seam flat, so it will drape cleanly. Make sure your iron is
set to the correct temperature for your fabric. Your trousers should now fit nice and trimmed.
Now, let's talk about how to hem those trousers that are too long.
Step one, measure and pin. Just like when slimming your trousers, if you have a pair
of pants that are the perfect length, you can use them to get the right measurements.
Make sure your pants are inside out, then lay the perfect fitting pair of pants on top of them. Make
sure they’re lined up at the crotch, then mark across the hem with a fabric pencil or chalk.
If you don't have the perfect fitting pair of pants, you will need to figure out the
correct length for yourself. Put on the trousers and roll up the hem until they
are the perfect length for you. Make sure to do this while wearing a pair of dress shoes.
If you do this step with just socks, you may end up with pants that still
don't fit correctly with shoes. Put a pin in the bottom of the fold,
then take off the trousers and turn them inside out. Using the pin you place as a guide, mark a
line across the width of the trousers. Now, create a new line 2 inches below the line you just drew.
Use your thread ripper to undo the original hem if you don't have 2 inches of fabric. Now,
cut off all the extra fabric below this line. Now, we're going to take our fabric pencil
and we're going to draw another line 2 inches above the original line we made.
Fold the fabric up to that top line. Now, they are sitting at the correct length,
use your iron to press the end of the hem, so it will stay in place. We also don't want the
top end of the hem to fray, so we will fold it inward to keep everything neat and tidy.
Fold the fabric in half under itself, so we will be left with a one inch hem.
Keep folding around the entire trouser leg pinning the fabric in place as you go.
Step two, time to sew. We're going to follow the same process as before,
double threading the needle then making a knot. Now, start sewing, keeping your stitches an eighth
of an inch from the top of the hem. Go all the way around the hem, keeping the stitches
neat and tidy. Create a knot once you reach the end, then repeat the process on the other side.
Step three, iron and press. Once we're finished sewing, we're going to take the hem and press
it flat with the iron one more time, just to make sure it's sitting nice and clean.
There we go, gentlemen, from unkempt and sloppy to stylish and sharp. This technique also works on
any kind of trousers including jeans and chinos. What piece of clothing do you want to learn to
tailor next? Let me know down in the comments. So, is your t-shirt in need of some tailoring
magic? Check out this video, where I show you how to make your t-shirt fit perfectly.
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