I’m so excited to share my first free sewing masterclass! ✨
In this video I show you how to hem trousers with bias tape and kick tape, using a couture finishing method.
This technique will give your trousers a professional look, with invisible hand stitches and a long-lasting finish. Perfect for classic trousers and couture-level sewing lovers.
👉 Watch the full tutorial on YouTube below: https://youtu.be/nq2PaM-O2n4?si=algFAzKiYHAEW-Es
1. Stitch a guiding thread along the hemline. In my video you will see it as a white thread with a dot in brackets. This step is very important, don’t skip it.
2. Mark the hem allowance with tailor’s chalk. Mine is 4 cm. For classic trousers it is always 4 cm.
3. Trim the excess fabric.
Read more: Free Sewing Masterclass: Hem Trousers Like a Pro4. Clip the seam allowances, going about 0.1 cm above the hemline. Leave 0.5 cm on each seam allowance — this way we avoid extra bulk. Skip this step if you plan to adjust the length of the trousers in the future. In that case, keep the seam allowances as they are.
5. Reinforce the trouser hem with fusible interfacing, going 1 cm above the hemline (the white guiding thread you stitched earlier). Make sure the grainline of the interfacing matches the grainline of the trousers.
6. Press the hem allowance of the trousers along the marked white line, the hemline.
7. Finish the hem with bias tape. If you are using store-bought bias tape, press it open. Or cut your own bias strip from the lining fabric at a 45-degree angle.
8. I make mine 2.7 cm wide (the width of my ruler).
9. Stitch the bias tape into a ring. The length should be exactly the same as the circumference of the trouser leg — neither longer nor shorter.
10. Baste the bias tape to the hem. (I always baste by hand and don’t use pins, because it gives me a cleaner result. But you can do it your way. Also, I recommend basting if the bias tape is cut from a slippery fabric, like viscose lining. If it’s cotton, using pins is usually enough.)
11. Stitch on the machine, 0.4–0.5 cm from the edge.
12. Remove the basting stitches.
13. Press the bias tape upwards.
14. Fold the bias tape once. (The second edge stays raw, open.) Hand-baste it — definitely no pins here. (If the bias tape is cotton and not slippery like viscose, pressing with the iron may be enough. In all other cases, hand-baste.)
15. This way, by leaving one edge raw, we avoid extra thickness and seam lines showing on the right side.
16. Stitch in the ditch. This means the machine stitch should go right in the seam line, at the base of the bias tape — not on the bias tape itself.
17. Remove the basting stitches.
18. Press lightly.
19. Add kick tape. This tape is sewn to the inside of the trouser hem to protect it from wear and keep the edge strong. One side of the tape has a visible thickened edge, and this edge should face down toward the floor. (The tape should extend about 2 mm below the hem.)
20. Soak the kick tape in hot water and steam it with a hot iron before sewing. This step is necessary, otherwise after washing or dry cleaning the tape may shrink a lot and deform the trousers.
21. Baste or pin the kick tape in place, with the thick edge sitting 2 mm above the trouser hemline (our white guiding thread).
22. Trim the top edge of the tape (the upper edge), slightly melt it with a lighter to prevent fraying, fold it in by 0.5 cm, and secure it. Check once more that the length of the tape matches the circumference of the trouser leg. It should not pull; it may even sit just a little loose.
23. Stitch on the machine. First, sew along the trouser hemline (the white guiding thread), 0.3 cm from the edge of the tape. (The thickened edge should stay free.) Then, without breaking the seam, turn at the fold of the tape and continue stitching along the lower edge — about 1 mm from the bottom. Work all the way around the hem.
24. Press it and baste the tape again (the tape should extend 2–3 mm below the trouser hem).
25. Hem the trousers with invisible (blind) hand stitches.
26. You’re done! Congratulations — now you have trousers with a couture-finished hem.
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