Have you ever found the perfect pair of joggers – except they are waaay too long? I am short, so this is sadly a common occurrence for me. Joggers can be harder to hem than other pants (though if you need help with that, see my tutorial here). I created this tutorial to help anyone who is looking to hem joggers and doesn’t know where to start.
Mark the length of your pants
First you will need to see how much shorter your pants need to be. Mark the spot you want your pants to end. Now you will need to add the seam allowance. Measure the width of the elastic at the bottom of your pants. Add 1.5 the width of the elastic as your seam allowance. Mark this length with pins or a pencil, then cut.
Remove the elastic
Next you need to cut the elastic out of the bottom of your joggers. Leave the elastic in a circle.
Fold over your seam allowance
Turn your joggers inside out. Next, fold over your fabric half the width of your elastic (I had 1 inch elastic, so I turned my fabric over at 1/2″) Pin and press your seam down.
Line up elastic
Now get your joggers ready to attach your elastic. The elastic will be smaller than the leg hole (this creates the gathered look) Fold the elastic in half twice and mark the folds so you have 4 equally spaced pins on your elastic. Do the same for your joggers. Match the jogger and elastic pins together. Now with each section stretch the elastic to be the same length as the jogger and place lots of pins. Repeat with the other 3 sections.
Sewing elastic to the joggers
Now it’s time to sew the elastic to your joggers. Sew 1/4″ from the edge of the fabric. As you are sewing, stretch the elastic so there aren’t any bunches in the fabric, sew all the way around the leg.
Finishing off
Fold your fabric up so the elastic is completely encased in fabric. Stretch the elastic as you pin your fabric to avoid bunching the fabric. Sew about 1/4 away from the edge of your elastic, and you’re finished, enjoy your properly fitted joggers!
