It may be helpful to have a friend help with this step. In determining the hem length, it’s recommended that you wear the shoes that you’ll be wearing with the particular garment, as this will ensure the final length is most accurate.
A one inch (2. 5 cm) hem may be recommendable for pants, while 3/4 inch (2 cm) works well for blouses.
Hide your thread knot and bring the thread from the inside through the outside of the hem fold. Moving from right to left (or left to right if you’re left-handed), cross over diagonally and pick up a few threads of the fabric above the fold. Keep the needle pointed in the direction in which you’re working. Bring the needle back out through the fold and repeat. [1] X Research source
Hide the knot by pulling the needle outwards through the fold. Point the needle in the opposite direction from the one in which you’re working. Pick up a few threads of the fabric just above the hem and pull through. Now pick up a bit of fabric from the hem and pull through, with the needle still facing in the opposite direction, and repeat.
Hide the knot by pulling the needle outwards through hem, right at the very edge of the fabric. In the fabric just above the hem, pick up a few threads and pull the needle through. Reinsert the needle into the edge of the fold, just below where the previous stitch ended. Pull it through the edge of the hem about 1/4 inches (7mm), as if you were pulling it through a tube of fabric, and then outwards. Repeat the first three steps.
Hide the knot by passing the needle outward through the upper edge of the hem fold. Pass the needle through the fabric above the hem edge, about 1/4-1/2 inch (6-13 mm) long. Complete the stitch by passing the needle through a few threads of the top of the hem fold. Start your next stitch in the fabric right above the end of the previous one and repeat.
Hide the “tail” of the thread by passing the needle horizontally about 1 inch (2. 5 cm) in between the folded hem. Do not pierce all the way through to the right side of the garment. Bring the needle out onto the wrong side and cut away the remaining thread.
If you’ve used the quick-and-easy whipstitch to hand hem your item but you want the hem to be more durable, simply use one of the other methods suggested above or machine stitch the hem at a later date. The beauty of the whipstitch method is that it allows for temporary fixes or testing of hem lengths, which can be ideal for travel, fashion shows or shoots, designing, and so on.
