HI - May a newbie intrude here? I bought slacks which are a tad too short (as in, what's petite mean these days?) and dream of converting them into capris. Anything I should know, like it's a waste of time....i.e. there's something in teh cut of the slacks which will prevent a successful conversion? The legs are slightly tapered. Or maybe I should just turn 'em into mid thigh shorts..
I am not good at sewing - I own a machine for rehemming and making stuff like curtains.
thanks for any tips.
If by "tad" you mean a bit less then the depth of the *current* hem, you could let down the hem and face it, thus salvaging the full-length slacks. However, if by "tad" you mean "several inches", then sure, there is nothing which would stop you from establishing a new length, allowing for a new hem, and whacking them off. Just be sure you leave about the same (or more) as the current hem depth in the slacks for the new hem. If the pants taper, you may have to flare the seams in the hem allowance.
Ok, for tapered legs, mark the finished length, mark a hem depth (somewhere between 1" and 1 1/2" probably), then establish the
*finished length* at the inseam and side seam (on the wrong side), and starting at the *finished* length, sew a new seam, flaring the stitching out toward the cut edge at the *bottom* of the hem. This should allow enough width in the bottom of the hem to match the width of the capris at the same area above the finished length. It would be advisable to either serge or whip stitch the new raw edges of the hem. Remove the original seam stitches in the hem allowance, press the seam open (or to one side, whichever way the original seams were handled), turn up the hem and press, and sew, either by hand or topstitch with your machine.HTH, Good luck,
Beverly
I don't pre-flare the hems on tapered pants. I start preparing the hem as if there were no taper, then if it doesn't lie smoothly, I pick out stitches in the seams until it does lie smoothly. If the seam allowances are wide enough to bridge the gap, I sew them back together by hand -- depending on the type of seam that I've opened, I'll whipstitch them together, slipstitch them together, or work a backstitch that doesn't quite come through to the right side.
If the seam allowances aren't wide enough, I may patch them -- but I'm more likely to simply hem them down, leaving a V-notch on the inside where it doesn't show. (Well, it does show; the fabric is different where it isn't supported, but I seldom make this repair on something where I care a whole bunch.)
(I'm speaking only of repair, of course; in new construction, one folds the pattern where the fabric will be folded, and cuts on the cutting line through both layers.)
Joy Beeson
InspirePoint website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.