How to Hem Clothing by Hand

Last Updated: March 23, 2023

It's easy to shorten clothing that's too long and still be able to let it out later on. This is great not only for children's clothing, but for keeping up with length trends; definitely a money saving skill!

Steps

It is essential to have the person try on the article of clothing for a fitting to allow you to pin it to the correct length.
Place them about 3 inches (7.5 cm) apart all the way around the material. Turn it inward as you put in the pins.

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Take the item off carefully to avoid scraping pins on your model.
Make sure that the thread matches the color of the material as closely as possible.
This provides the strength needed for a hem; the hem takes a lot of punishment from daily wear. (To double the thread, put it through the needle and bring both ends together, tie them in a knot.)
If the clothing is extremely long, measure and cut some of the excess material off, but leave about 2 inches (5 cm). Finish the raw edge of the fabric so that it does not fray. If you want to let the material out later, simply fold it over a few times, making an edge about two or three inches thick.
Take up as little fabric as possible with the needle on each stitch. Try to place stitches about 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) apart. You can sew by hand or with a sewing machine, depending on which way suits you most.

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What stitch should I use when hemming by hand?

Community Answer

Preferably backstitch for a neater and stronger hem that machines use on clothes. Running stitch would be okay, but is weaker and I think looks less professional.

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How do you invisible stitch?

Community Answer

Sew longer stitches on the inside of the garment and smaller on the outside. Or, use invisible thread (but this is quite slippery and hard to work with).

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Tips

The thicker the material, the thicker the needle you should use - both hand and machine. The thinner the material, the thinner the needle you should use.

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Wear a thimble, it's easy to prick yourself with a needle or the pins.

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If you're shortening something of your own, have someone else place the pins for you if at all possible. Otherwise, you may get a crooked line because you cannot see what you are pinning.

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Warnings

Don't try to hem extremely delicate fabrics such as silk or muslin yourself. Heavy-duty pattern-making muslin is fine, however.

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How to Hem Clothing by Hand

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