Hemming suede pants?
 

I got two pairs of beautiful suede pants on sale. Unfortunately, I am only 5
feet tall and they need to come up about 4 inches. What is the best way to hem
suede pants? I heard that some people use glue. Right now the edge is just
unfinished. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!
"It is never too late to become what you might have been."

I saw a show on leather pants, and Sandra Betzina used contact cement (glue)
for the hem, so guess your right on that.
And Susan Kalje says the same, look he
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/cr_sewing_p...392673,00.html
step 17

Maine-iac Rose
@---
remove the thorns and add a hyphen between the 2 words to email me.

"KatKaylor" wrote in message
I got two pairs of beautiful suede pants on sale. Unfortunately, I am only
5
feet tall and they need to come up about 4 inches. What is the best way to
hem
suede pants? I heard that some people use glue. Right now the edge is just
unfinished. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!
"It is never too late to become what you might have been."

I've used rubber cement. Spread rubber cement on both surfaces to be
joined, and let it dry. Then press the two edges together, clamp it
or weigh it down. Depending on the thickness or stiffness of the
suede, you probably want to hem the trousers an inch or so longer than
you want them now. Leather tends to develop permanent creases which
will make it hang a little shorter after a few wearings.

You will have enough suede from what must be cut off to conduct some
experiments. Just assuming that you would want to actually turn up a hem,
you will still have to cut away about 2 to 2 1/2 inches.
You can use these scraps to see how well folding and top stitching
works; how well rubber cement works; and there's another way. You could use
the scrap as a tape to apply to a cut edge (lay inside the edge and top
stitch or cement). I have used all three ways. A lot depends on the look you
want and how soft the suede is. Some suede will stretch or curl a little;
some won't give if you let a beaver chew on it. Oh yes. One more. You just
might get away with using Stitch Witchery. Very carefully. Give that one a
try on one of your scraps. I hope something here helps. Polly


"velma929" wrote in message
m...
I've used rubber cement. Spread rubber cement on both surfaces to be
joined, and let it dry. Then press the two edges together, clamp it
or weigh it down. Depending on the thickness or stiffness of the
suede, you probably want to hem the trousers an inch or so longer than
you want them now. Leather tends to develop permanent creases which
will make it hang a little shorter after a few wearings.

i have both a suede skirt and suede trousers and both are hemmed with
a type of bond a web which is about an inch wide and is sticky so that
when pressed the hem stays in place. neither of the hems are
"finished" because suede and leather do not fray,

KatKaylor wrote:

Right now the edge is just
unfinished. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

Unless you hate the unfinished edge, it seems to me that would be the
easiest to reproduce!

-Charlotte

Thank you all so much for your good advice.
When I trim the pants, I will have enough to make a small handbag. No joke!
LOL!

Warm Regards,
Kathleen


"It is never too late to become what you might have been."

I got two pairs of beautiful suede pants on sale. Unfortunately, I am only 5
feet tall and they need to come up about 4 inches. What is the best way to
hem
suede pants?

Before you simply chop them off, make sure you aren't cutting off any design
lines. When you take that much off the bottom of a pair of pants you disturb
the knee to waist ratio, as well as the length.

If you need to, you could carefully cut them in the center and piece them back
together at the knee. Many leather pants are constructed this way, and it would
look perfectly natural.

Even if you don't do this, though, look critically at the pants to see if they
need to be narrowed through the knee at all. Leather pants tend to be more
fitted than cloth ones, and you might not like the bagginess of the knees when
just chopping them off.

Good luck with the project; I hope you look smashing in your pants!

Karen Maslowski in Cincinnati