How to add Cuffs to Pant hems

pant cuff -sewing

A cuff is an extra band of fabric stitched to the hem and then turned up – so it acts as an embellishment and adds an extra bit of interest to your pants. Usually, cuffs have a casual vibe which is very attractive.

It is also an easy way to add a few inches to the length of the pants.

How to sew Cuffs to the hem of your pants

This assumes that you have a ready-made pant already with you (and not sewing it from the scratch). If you are sewing the pants from scratch, Just increase the length of the pants and turn the hem up for your cuffed pant hem, like the picture below.

pant cuffs

An extra wide hem is stitched. The extra hem is turned up and top stitched at the side seams.

cuffed hem made by folding the hem of the pants up and sewing at the sides

If the fabric has a double side (different color on the inside this can be used for a contrasting effect)

pant cuffs

 

How to sew a seperate Pant cuff

First and foremost you have to get rid of the hemstitching – open up the hem stitching with a seam ripper. Decide on the length you want for the pants. Do you want the extra length you will get, by retaining the extra length at the hem? If not cut it off, leaving just 1/4 inch as seam allowance. If you want extra length you can retain the hem – just let out the stitches with a seam ripper.

Decide on your cuff fabric. Decide on the cuff width you want.

Cut the cuff material

Length of the cuff fabric = width of the pant leg across the bottom plus 1/2 inch seam allowance.

Width of the fabric of the cuff fabric = Double your cuff width and then add 1/2 inch to this – this is because you will be be folding the fabric by half. Measure the width of the pant leg hem as well. Add 1/2 inch to this. This is the length of the fabric strip you should cut. For small kids a width of 3.5 inches is all you need. 

Mark and Cut this measurement from your cuff fabric.

If you have a tapered pant with a narrow hem, Mirror the pattern of the hem edge exactly

Press the seam allowance of the pant leg open.

Take the cuff fabric – Sew the short edges together.

sew the edges together

Press the seam allowance open. You have this tube now. Turn it rightside out.

Fold it by the middle so that it looks like this.

Fold the fabric tube

Bring the pants inside out.

Insert the pant leg through the cuff you have made.

Keep the cuff fabric and the pant edge together

Align the cuff fabric edge and the pant leg edge. Pin it.

Sew the edges together with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

Sew the cuff material and the pant edge together

Now turn the pant right side out. Fold the cuff to the outside.

Turn the cuffs to the top

At this point, make a small tack stitch on the inside along the fold of the cuff to keep it anchored. Do it on both sides. You might want to make it a little (1/4 of 1/2 inch) below the top edge of the cuff so that it is not visible from the outside.

An easy method is to add a faux-fabric cuff is to stitch an extra fabric to the inside of the leg; stitch it to the inside of the hem – this way when the leg is folded up the fabric inside will look as if it is a cuff. Refer the picture given below.

the pant cuff with the inner fabric sewn to the inside

Related posts : How to shorten a jeans hem; How to alter the hem of pantsNames of different hemlines; How to sew a hem – How to Hem with a Sewing Machine ; 18 methods to sew hem by hand; Making a hem invisible – 4 methods

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Author: Sarina Tariq

Hi, I love sewing, fabric, fashion, embroidery, doing easy DIY projects and then writing about them. Hope you have fun learning from sewguide as much as I do. If you find any mistakes here, please point it out in the comments.

1 thought on “How to add Cuffs to Pant hems”

  1. BARBAH TARAWALIE

    Great ideas, thank you very much for your time and help.

    Reply
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