I Attempted to Hem Some Pants

However, I did have to tackle one project that I have been putting off for twelve years. For Christmas in 2005 my husband received a pair of pants that were perfect around the waist, but they needed to be hemmed. For twelve years those pants have been sitting in a bag. I had no idea how to hem and I didn't have a sewing machine anyway. 

This last week my husband was going to need those pants. Up until this point he had been able to borrow some when he needed them, but he wasn't going to have that option this time. 

I finally had a machine. I finally had some basic understanding of sewing. It was time to tackle the task.

Normally I would watch a video to walk me through what to do. This time I decided to just figure it out on my own. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. 

I basically pinned them at the length they needed to be. Then I flipped the pants inside out and pressed the ends. I then sewed a 1/2" seam using my Ideal Seam Guide. Once it was sewn, I cut off the extra material and then turned that down and sewed it on the machine without a guide because it was such a small area I was sewing and it would be on the inside of the pants and wouldn't be seen anyway.

It's not very pretty, but it does demonstrate how much straighter the stitch is when I use the Ideal Seam Guide. The seam on the left was done with the guide, the seam on the right was done without a guide.

I know this is not the conventional way to hem pants, but it worked for me. My husbands pants are the right length and they won't fray when washed. I call that a win. I would definitely still love to learn the best way to hem a pair of pants for any future hemming needs I may have. How do you like to hem your pants or skirts? Any tricks you're willing to share? 

Next week I will start working on my block for the block of the month club. I received my material in the mail, I just haven't had a chance to prep it yet. Aren't these oranges beautiful though? 

It is going to make a beautiful block.