Flattering Pant Hems for a long leg.

Flatter your client by creating a neat long line.

I am a seamstress. I love to sew. I imagined sewing pretty dresses for my daughter. I had two sons. They were not all that keen on Mum’s sewing for them until recently. Now they are my clients.  I make vests (post to come) and save them tailoring fees by moving buttons, adjusting fit and hemming pants. They are both a couple of clothes horses so they are grateful. 

This current narrow pant style can be a problem for the vertically challenged.

The fashion is to hem them straight across at the ankle and to show colorful socks. I like it but it is not a flattering look for someone with shorter legs.

Son #1 is the tall soccer player type. He looks good in anything and has his own style and often sets a fashion that you see others start to follow.

Gratuitous proud mum photo here

Son #2 is your football lineman, field lacrosse D-pole with a low center of gravity and the muscles to stand guys up who are bigger and heavier. Dozer is his lacrosse nickname. It fits no matter what sport he plays. I’m not a football fan but when your kid decides to play you become one, in a hurry. One of my favorite moments in the football game was where the defensive lineman would measure himself up against Dozer and see he was a whole helmet taller. He clearly figured he was going to run right over Dozer. The ball snaps and this kid hits a wall. He can’t move Dozer. Second try. The defensive lineman goes at Dozer harder and this time Dozer bulldozes him backwards with the lineman’s feet scrabbling on the turf.  Happy times!

“Women go crazy for a sharp dressed man!” ZZ Top

When Dozer started at college he changed his style completely. Gone were the t-shirts and baggy shorts and enter shirts, ties, vests and shiny shoes.  We even discussed oxfords versus brogues. While he was a barista at starbucks he got into bowties because they were a conversation starter with the customers. I feel a ZZ Top song coming on….

Dozer’s stockier build and shorter stature made pant hems important. The high, makes me think of what we called flood pants in junior high, hems on the currently fashionable, narrow pants would shorten him even more. I think the narrow pants are very flattering on people with shorter legs, however, hemming them longer makes them bunch up in the front (see handsome photo, vest by me). 

He bought a lovely pair of black pants recently and I decided to try something new.

Rather than hem them at a severe angle to stop the front from bunching on the arch while allowing the back to be long enough, I made a facing. The problem with the severe angle, in my experience, is that  the turned up fabric inside the pant hem pulls the outer fabric out of shape. Unflattering!!

marked hem front and back

used curve on the hem

Gotta have curves!

I used a curve to match the front and back marks and then used the fabric I cut off to make the facing. Make it about 1.5 inches and turn it inside out sewing right sides together with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

 Press the seam allowances well then press the facing to the inside. Turn the raw edge in 1/4 inch and carefully hand stitch the hem so the stitches hardly show on the right side.

curved pant hem

 Press well. 

Wearing pants with curved hem. No bunching in the front. So there is a long flattering line front and back. Love those shoes!

Now we are ready for some style!