A few people got new trousers this week, and one of the several unfortunate aspects of life as a short person (in our case a whole family of them) is the need to take up trouser hems. I have 5 pairs = 10 legs to do, and so far I've only done the washing, measuring and unpicking/cutting parts, I've yet to do the edge tidying and stitching. It's not that pants hemming is a difficult job, it doesn't take much effort when you get down to it - it's just the getting down to it can be a challenge.
Pants must always be washed (unless they are dry clean only) before you start. It is very discouraging to make the cut and do the hems only to find that the pants have shrunk in the wash, leaving them just that annoyingly little bit short. Actually, pants sometimes continue to shrink in the legs over time - I'm certain that is why they get shorter, not that a person's bottom is taking up more room at the top end! If you can, make the hem a bit wider than the original, then if you need to redo the hem you have something to work with.
Try the new pants on, making sure you are wearing the shoes you plan to wear with them so that you can mark the legs in the correct places - its better if you can get somebody else to help. Have a look at the amount of excess fabric to decide whether you need to unpick or cut off. Alternatively, lay out a pair of pants you know to be the correct length over the top of the new pants and use them as a guide. Be careful that you have the crotches of the two pairs of pants together, if you find the body lengths are too different you are best off trying the new pants on. You don't even need a sewing machine if you are a good hand sewer.
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