Hem a pair of pants.

Shortening a pair of trousers is really easy if you know how to do it! It's a service that you can buy from us when you buy pants (but since we're rather flexible, it's usually fine to buy the service even for a pair of pants that you bought a couple of weeks, months or years ago, as long as the work trousers are washed). But this is also something that we actually believe that anyone with access to a sewing machine can do themselves in less than ten minutes!

Below follows a short instructional video (text in Swedish) on an easy way to shorten a pair of trousers, and also a step-by-step guide on how to shorten a pair of pants.

YOU WILL NEED:

• Trousers with too long legs
• Measuring tape or a ruler
• Scissors
• Iron 
• Thread in a matching color
• Sewing machine, a regular household machine works fine. If you don't have your own and there's no gadget bank, maker space or similar nearby, maybe a neighbor or grandma would be willing to lend you theirs!

STEP ONE.

Put the trousers you want to shorten on, stand on a flat surface and fold the hem up until they feel right for you. If you are not wearing shoes, it is usually enough for the fold to end up at the same height as the floor at the heels. Repeat on the other leg. Many of us have different length on our legs, and it is not certain that it will look even if you shorten both legs the same amount.

Double-check the length with the shoes you plan to wear, it may be that you'll need to adjusted the length a bit .

- Pin the fold up so that you can easily take off the trousers.

STEP TWO. 

Measure 4 cm from the edge of the fold so that you in the next steps you can sew a 2 (+2) cm wide hem. Check how much of the fold is left - it needs to be cut off! For example; if you folded up 8.5 cm, you should cut off 4.5 cm. Then measure 4.5 cm around the entire hem and cut off.

STEP THREE. 

Fold up the raw edge 4 cm and press the edge of the fold with the iron. Press in 4 cm all around the hem. The easiest way is to keep the trousers with the face (outer) side out and press inwards. If you prefer to turn the trousers inside-out, so that the wrong side is showing and out, then press outwards as well.

STEP FOUR.

Thread the machine with a suitable color. Adjust the stitch length and thread tension if necessary - you can test sew on the fabric you cut from the trousers.

Lay the trousers right side down, and fold the raw edge 2cm into the hem, -so that it ends up "at the bottom" of the fold. Sew as close to the edge at the top fold as you can (2cm from the bottom edge) around the entire trouser leg. Done!

If folding feels a bit uncomfortable when you are sitting at the machine, try it and see how it goes! It is easier than it looks. If after a try it still doesn't feel quite right, you can of course undo the seam and instead pin or press in the upper part of the hem as well.

STEP FIVE. 

Try on the trousers and check that they feel good, give the seamstress some praise and then you're ready to continue with your other commitments!