If you have a serger, you have a head start on doing alterations.  It isn’t just for sewing knits, you can do all kinds of finishing work and help with mundane tasks.  Almost every pair of pants I purchase is too long, so I have to hem them up.  I found two pairs in my closet clean out (What’s in YOUR Closet) that needed hemming, so to the sewing room they went.  I did these two pairs in under an hour.  Start by determining how much to take up.  I like a 2-inch hem, so I serged off the excess fabric, cutting and finishing the edge at the same time.

Pin up the hem.

Fold back the pant leg so the underside of the hem is showing.

Put the blind hem foot on your sewing machine. It has a bar in the middle that will ride along the fold you created. This will create enough extra in the stitch to allow the hem to be pressed flat.

The edge of the hem should be about 1/4 inch on the right side of the bar, with the fold up against the bar.  You’ll sew on the underside of the hem, and just barely catch the left side every three stitches.

When you have finished the hem stitch, it will look like this, but don’t worry, it will press flat.

The outside will have a bit of a crease…

but it will press out and become invisible.

All done!  An easy alteration that you can do in a jiffy.  If you don’t have a serger, look for an overlock stitch on your sewing machine to finish the edge.  Another way is to turn under 1/4 inch and stitch down the edge to finish it before you turn up the hem, however, I think this creates too much bulk unless the fabric is a dress weight.  There are also hem tapes you can use, if you can find the right color.  Whatever way you choose, hemming pants and skirts is an easy alteration.

My blog is a variety of subjects, a lot of quilting and sewing, but also tablescapes, recipes, book reviews, hand stitching, stamping cards, crafting, gardening, travel and mountain living. I love to have new followers, too! If you are visiting from Fave Quilts, All Free Sewing, Pinterest, a link up site, or just found me, please stay a bit and have a look around, some of my tutorials are gathered at the top in pages to make them easy to find. You can also use the category list on the sidebar to see everything in a given category. For more sewing posts, click on the Sewing category. Lots of fun is had here, and I invite you to follow with any of your favorite methods. To follow by email or blog reader, use the link buttons on the sidebar. If you are viewing my blog on a smartphone, scroll down past the comments to see the options. If you are on a computer, the options are on the sidebar on the right. Click on the Home page to see the latest posts and projects on the blog. The Teacups Quilt Along BOM just started in August 2018, so you have time to catch up. My next mystery quilt along begins in January. Click on the Home page to see the latest posts on the blog. Thanks for visiting, and I hope you enjoy all the tutorials and fun things here!

See what’s new on sale today with the Fat Quarter Shop’s Flash Sale.  Find more great Serger Books on Amazon, and great deals on Serger Threads too. I am delighted to be featured during National Sewing Month at All Free Sewing!!

How do you use your serger?