Sunday 16 July 2017

Create fold up effect hem


This is a very cool looking detail on cigarette pants (you know the type that becomes narrower towards the foot but isn't skinny). It gives this relaxed casual look.

This was another detail on the Seamwork Moji trousers I wanted to recreate. With a bit of logic and a bit of imagination, I managed 😄.



One thing I didn't take into account and only discovered when I was finished sewing was the width of the final hem. To get the look right, this can't be too wide, I had to redo the legs and hems as my trousers ended up looking like hobbit pants 😆.

So the steps I'll show you below are not how I did it but how I should've done it, but that's the correct way for you to go ahead.

1- Find out where your hem will be. fold up hem looks best with slightly shortened trousers where the hem is a bit above the ankles.


One easy way to do this and how I did it is to compare the pattern pieces to a pair of pants you have that are the correct length, just remember to take into account the waist position on the two. If you don't have something to compare to, hold the front leg to your body, mark where on your leg you want this to go, get someone to help by marking the corresponding spot on the pattern you're holding while you stand straight.
Make sure your new hem line is straight i.e. parallel to the pattern's original. Then measure the distance between old and new hems to draw a matching line on the back leg pattern.
From now on, when I say hem I'm talking about the new one.

2- Now you need to check that leg width issue and adjust accordingly, if you need help on how to do this see here.

Basically what we want to achieve is that our pattern piece looks like this at the hem:


If this is confusing just bear with me till the end and you'll understand, I promise 😇. The 7cm are up to you, it depends how wide you want the roll up to be. This is basically the distance with the yellow arrow. I decided that 7cm looks nice when I made my pants.


I'll demonstrate the steps with the front leg, and you repeat for back leg in the exact same way.
3- Take your pattern pieces with the marked hem line from step 1 and "extend" them with a piece of paper.


4- Draw a line 7cm above the red hem line, let's call this upper line (green). This is where the upper edge of the fold will end up. This line is a reference line to double check yourself.


5- To make the next steps easy, draw a line on each side perpendicular to the hem and upper lines passing through the end points of the hem line (light blue).


6- Similarly draw lines that pass through the end points of the upper line (dark blue), these two lines will be parallel to the two light blue lines we drew in the last step.


7- Draw a line 7cm below the hem line that extends between the dark blue lines. We'll call this the fold line and give it the color orange.
Draw also a line from each end of the fold line to each end of the hem line, see the other orange lines in the photo above. Note that these two lines are not parallel, but rather create a parallelogram together with the hem and fold lines.

8- Repeat the same exercise again: Draw a line 7cm below the fold line that extends between the light blue lines. We'll call this the lower line and give it the color purple.
Draw also a line from each end of the lower line to each end of the fold line, see the other purple lines in the photo below. Note that these two lines are not parallel, but rather create a parallelogram together with the fold and lower lines.


9- In a similar fashion we create the line we'll call hem 2 and give the color brown: Draw a line 4cm below the lower line that extends between the dark blue lines.
Draw also a line from each end of the hem 2 line to each end of the lower line, see the other brown lines in the photo below. Note that these two lines are not parallel, but rather create a parallelogram together with the hem 2 and lower lines.


10- Cut your modified pattern piece along the new orange-purple-brown line as in the photo below.


Repeat the same for the back leg, once that is done you're ready to sew! Cut the pattern pieces making sure you add 1.5cm seam allowance if your pattern doesn't include seam allowances. If it does, you only need to add this at the bottom (for hem 2). My pattern didn't have seam allowances so I added them over all when I cut out my fabric pieces.

Although I had to take a break in between as this happened 😄😄😄


Sew your pants as per pattern instructions all the way, but along the new outlines you created instead of the original line. And don't hem yet.

Now here's how you hem your cool trousers:
1- Ignore the burn marks on my fabric! 😋

2- I started with neatening the hem allowances because my viscose was very flimsy, so I serged the seam allowances of hem 2, but if your fabric is more stable you can skip this.


3- Press this hem allowance to the wrong side (along hem 2).



4- Still working from the wrong side, fold the fabric along the fold line. Now lower line is lying on top of hem line, and hem 2 lies between hem and upper lines.


5- Pin in place and stitch close to hem 2 line. Press.


6- Now turn your trousers right side out, then fold them to the right side along the hem/lower line (now your fold line lies on top of the upper line). Pin in place and sew close to the fold line. And finally press.


Et Voila! 😚


Stay tuned for the reveal of these super cool trousers soon. On Made by Me!

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