How to Hem Men's Dress Pants

Men's pants are made of cotton wool, or a combination of wool and cotton. Less expensive pants can be made of synthetic materials like rayon blends and polyester. Most fabrics used for men's pants are extremely easy to hem by hand or machine.

1.  Determine the length you need for your pants and ask a friend to help mark your pantsand determine if the length is correct.

2.  Create a new hem. Have the person the pants belong to try them on, make sure the pants are buttoned and zipped. Have the owner put on his shoes he will be wearing with the pants you are hemming. The bottoms of the hands should be slightly above the top part of the shoe heel.

3.  Turn the pant leg up so the back is at the length needed and the front comes over the tops of the shoes. Pin the pants in place. Have the owner of the pants removed them carefully so the pins will not stab him.

4.  Trim the excess material if there are 2 inches of excess fabric or more. You must have 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch of the material to make your new hem. If you do not have a lot of excess fabric, you can leave it on the pants. If you want a professional looking hem, remove the pre-existing hem, and iron open, and continue as above. This will keep the pre-existing hem from getting bulky when you fold it and makes the final hem look much better.

5.  Press the raw edges 1/4 inch around the leg and repeat. Hand sew your new hem. Iron your new hem again after you have completed sewing the hem, this will give your pants a neat and polished look.