Shortening Pants with Top Stitched Hems in 8 Easy Steps
Many pants for men and for women have top stitched hems these days. Most of the khaki pants and shorts have them, as well as many popular jean styles. The following directions are for pants that need to be shortened a lot. You do not need to remove any stitching because they are so long.
If the pants you are shortening have stitching that needs to be removed, simply use a seam ripper or a razor blade to take out the existing hem. Press the pants flat and proceed with Step One.
A Note About Terms I've Used ...
There are not too many technical words associated with learning how to shorten top stitched hems. It may help you to know these terms, though...
Top Stitch is the stitching that is sewn on the RIGHT side of the garment, able to be seen on the outside and inside. It can be hand stitching, but is most often done by machine. It is usually both decorative and functional. It is often seen where hems are secured or pockets are attached. Contrast thread is sometimes used for decoration.
Turnunder In Steps 3,6,7 and 8 I use this term. It is my way of describing the raw edge that you will "turn under" and hide, so that your hem allowance doesn't fray.
Here's What You'll Need ...
 |  |  | | Scissors | Heavy Duty Needle | Ruler |
Chart One: Working From the Inside of the Pants
 | STEP ONE: OBSERVEHere the customer has already pinned up the pants. I can just press the new hemline into place. There is no need to remove the existing hem. There will be plenty of pants leg left to turn under, even after those stitched hems are cut off. |  | STEP TWOThe next step is to measure the existing hem. Here it is 1¼". You'll want your new stitching to be just the same distance from the new bottom of the pants. Also observe the crease where the raw edges have been folded under. |  | STEP THREEMeasure how much the turnunder is. You can usually feel where the double thickness is. Topstitched hems have to have somewhere for the raw edges to hide so there is no fraying. It is usually ½". |  | STEP FOURStraighten the part that the customer had folded. Do not press. Use the crease that you pressed in Step One and measure the hem allowance from here. In this case it is the ½" turnunder plus the 1 3/8" from Step Two. My chalk mark is at 1 7/8". |  | STEP FIVECut along your chalk line. If the pants are laid out evenly and you are careful, you can even cut across double thickness. You need to have a bit of experience to do that, so cutting a single thickness around the entire pant leg is your safest choice. |  | STEP SIX
Fold up your turnunder. You see here I have folded up ½" Press this. Be careful not to press your hemline crease. Use just the edge of your iron. |  | STEP SEVENNow fold the new hemline back into place. Your pants are folded on the original line that the customer made, with the turnunder encased. Press this well. Make sure the hem allowance is the same width (here, 1 7/8") all the way around the leg. |  | STEP EIGHTTop stitched hems can be stitched from the right side or the wrong side of the pants. Here I am stitching on the inside of the pant leg. The needle is about 1/8" from the folded turnunder edge. |
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