How to Hem a Pair of Women's Lined Dress Pants

Things You'll Need

Pins
Iron
Ruler
Sewing machine
Seam picker
Needle
Thread

Linings are common in white dress pants.

Many short women, or women who have decided not to wear heels, occasionally need to hem a pair of dress pants. Pants that are not hemmed drag on the floor, which can make them look dirty and can eventually ruin them. Hemming dress pants is more complicated than with jeans because you often have to deal with the lining of the pants. If the lining is in the way of your new hem, you will need to re-hem the lining farther up the pant.

Step 1

Put on the shoes you are going to wear with the pants to determine where you want your new hem to be. Pin the hem, turn the pants inside out and iron the new edge flat. Remove the pins as you are ironing to help you remember where the hem's line is without the pins getting in the way. As you are ironing, measure the hem to so that it's the same all the way around the pants.

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Step 2

Sew a straight stitch all the way around the pants ¼ inch from the folded bottom of the pants, if the new hem is still below the lining's hem. Cut off the extra fabric and you are finished.

Step 3

Detach the lining from the bottom of the pants with a seam picker if the new hem overlaps with the lining hem. You can ignore this step if the lining is not attached to the pant leg and is simply attached at the top of the dress pants.

Step 4

Hem the dress pants along the ironed line by sewing a straight stitch ¼ inch from the bottom fold of the pants. Cut off the extra material.

Step 5

Mark the lining of the pants 1 inch above the new hem. Fold the lining under and iron it along the line. Sew a new hem 1/8 inch from the bottom of the folded edge of the lining and cut off the excess lining.

Step 6

Attach the bottom of the lining to the pants with tack stitches 2 inches apart along the hem of the lining. Put your needle through the entire hem of the lining but only through one thread of the inside of the dress pants and back through the entire hem. Tie a knot and continue around the entire leg, ensuring that the stitches are invisible from the front.

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