How to add Cuffs to Pant hems

A cuff is an extra band of fabric stitched to the hem and then turned up – so it acts as an embellishment and adds an extra bit of interest to your pants. Usually, cuffs have a casual vibe which is very attractive.

It is also an easy way to add a few inches to the length of the pants.

How to sew Cuffs to the hem of your pants

This assumes that you have a ready-made pant already with you (and not sewing it from the scratch). If you are sewing the pants from scratch, Just increase the length of the pants and turn the hem up for your cuffed pant hem, like the picture below.

An extra wide hem is stitched. The extra hem is turned up and top stitched at the side seams.

If the fabric has a double side (different color on the inside this can be used for a contrasting effect)

How to sew a seperate Pant cuff

First and foremost you have to get rid of the hemstitching – open up the hem stitching with a seam ripper. Decide on the length you want for the pants. Do you want the extra length you will get, by retaining the extra length at the hem? If not cut it off, leaving just 1/4 inch as seam allowance. If you want extra length you can retain the hem – just let out the stitches with a seam ripper.

Decide on your cuff fabric. Decide on the cuff width you want.

Length of the cuff fabric = width of the pant leg across the bottom plus 1/2 inch seam allowance.

Width of the fabric of the cuff fabric = Double your cuff width and then add 1/2 inch to this – this is because you will be be folding the fabric by half. Measure the width of the pant leg hem as well. Add 1/2 inch to this. This is the length of the fabric strip you should cut. For small kids a width of 3.5 inches is all you need.

Mark and Cut this measurement from your cuff fabric.

If you have a tapered pant with a narrow hem, Mirror the pattern of the hem edge exactly

Press the seam allowance of the pant leg open.

Take the cuff fabric – Sew the short edges together.

Press the seam allowance open. You have this tube now. Turn it rightside out.

Fold it by the middle so that it looks like this.

Bring the pants inside out.

Insert the pant leg through the cuff you have made.

Align the cuff fabric edge and the pant leg edge. Pin it.

Sew the edges together with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

Now turn the pant right side out. Fold the cuff to the outside.

At this point, make a small tack stitch on the inside along the fold of the cuff to keep it anchored. Do it on both sides. You might want to make it a little (1/4 of 1/2 inch) below the top edge of the cuff so that it is not visible from the outside.

An easy method is to add a faux-fabric cuff is to stitch an extra fabric to the inside of the leg; stitch it to the inside of the hem – this way when the leg is folded up the fabric inside will look as if it is a cuff. Refer the picture given below.

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