The worst thing ever is trying to hem a dress or loose pair of pants when you’re home alone. It’s so difficult to get an even hem, and while measuring your legs then measuring the clothing works okay, I’ve never had great success with that method. It always ends up with the hem shorter on one side than the other. I saw this hack to measure a hem without help on Pinterest years ago, and I love it. I don’t remember who came up with this hack, but let me know if you’ve seen it before in the comments.
Materials
Some yarn/string
Tailors chalk in a contrasting color from the garment you are hemming
tape
a door frame
How to set up your hem station
First you will need to set up a little “hem station” to do this you will decide where you want to hem your garment. Start by taping one side of your yarn to your doorframe to the height that you want your hem to sit. If you know how far off the floor you want your garment in inches, just measure and tape your yarn. If you know where on your body you want your dress or pants to go, mark that height on your doorframe, then measure and tape one side, then measure and tape the other. The last step is to take your tailors chalk and rub it along your yarn. Make sure it’s really saturated so it can come off and leave a mark on your clothing.
How to mark your Hem Line
Put on the piece of clothing you are going to hem. walk up to your yarn and touch your clothing to the yarn. Make sure you are pushing up against it enough to mark up your clothing. Slowly walk in a circle while still touching your clothing to the yarn. If you are hemming a loose skirt, be very careful that you letting your dress fall straight before you mark it up. Carefully take clothing off and use this line to hem your clothes! I use this hack every time I measure a hem when I’m alone.
If you need help hemming pants, see my tutorial here
