Q&A for How to Hem a Pair of Pants

Release the stitches in the vertical seams of the section of cuff you turn up for the distance you turn up the cuff, that should allow the narrower bottom of the leg to spread out enough to prevent puckering in the wider section up the leg. The released stitches in the vertical seams won't show, as they will be inside the leg, and you can restitch those vertical bits to stop the vertical seams up the leg from coming undone.

It can really work, but it is tricky to get right. Different pants' materials, their weave, and their weight all can affect how the tape attaches, and then there's the challenge of heating up the hem and tape enough so that it melts completely but you don't burn your pants. And even if you get a good melt and bond, it can look just exactly like you glued your hems in place. I have been working with fusible tape of various types for over 30 years and I do not use it to hem pants of any kind because it just doesn't turn out that well 90% of the time. It is so much easier to use a needle and thread and the result is far better.

These are generally called "jogger pants," as in "jogger sweatpants," "jogger jeans," etc.

You can pick out the stitches by hand, then remove the elastic. Pick the stitches out of the elastic and set them aside, or if you like, use new elastic. Re-press the hem to the inside of the pants at the desired height. (You'll want to turn the pants inside out.) Sew the hem, leaving an opening in which to insert the elastic. Pin a large safety pin to the tail end of the elastic to aid you in feeding it through the "tube" of hem that you made, being careful to not let the other end disappear inside. Pull on both ends of elastic and securely sew them together. Ease the elastic into the opening. Hand stitch the opening shut. Turn pants right side out and wear.

If you don't have pinking shears, your fabric may fray (lots of loose threads escaping and causing damage to the fabric because of washing/rubbing on things) over time. Another option is to cut it with regular scissors and fold/roll the cut edge in about 1/2", so that when you hem the pant the cut edge is not exposed. You should plan for this before cutting off the excess from removing the original hem so that you leave enough fabric. You will probably want to fold it over and iron it flat to make sure that you are keeping it even all the way around as you hem.

You can keep the original hem in while you are getting the measurements for your new hemline. Then, after you iron in the new crease, you can take out your old hemline and cut the surplus fabric off.

Get some binder clips. Pull the pant leg opening really tight and then fold it upwards. Continue pulling until there's no wrinkles, and the tightly pin it in place. Sew away.

Cut off as little from the hem as possible to prevent having to buy new pants if you grow taller. Also, by cutting less hem, you can minimize mistakes. With the fabric cut from the pants, all you can do it throw it out.