Short Pants alterations

The Mister isn't exactly what I would call a fan of capris, but I am.  So unfortunately for him, I wear them happily all summer.  I have a pair though, that I did not love.  They hit me in exactly the wrong spot.  Not long or short enough.  So, I am taking a deep breath and taking full body shots...for the second time THIS YEAR!  What in heaven's name has gotten into me.

The leg on the left has the hem where it originally was.  The leg on the right is where I decided I wanted the hem to be.  The problem was, they hit me at the widest spot of my calf.  This caused my legs to look larger and it made my body look squatter.  Bad.  Very bad.

So, I decided on making them into longish Bermuda Shorts.  Scissors and hem thingamabobber in hand, I went to work.

The original hem.  3 buttons right in the way.  I decided to leave the very top button.

When measuring, I found it helpful to line up the outside and inside seams and pin there.  This ensured that I wouldn't sew it wonky.

Pin every couple of inches or so.  Measuring and pin all the way around.  As you can see, in case I didn't like the results, I did not cut my pants before sewing them.

I did a double row of stitching using black thread to match.  Saddest thing ever, I was sewing using an extremely short stitch length due to some paper piecing I had been doing the day before...there is no way I am unpicking this now!!

Well, I like how they turned out and I used an extremely small stitch, we are sticking with what we've got!  I don't have a serger...time for the pinking shears!

Pink around the seam allowance, I left about an inch, and use a hem stitch to keep your hem from falling.

And ta-daaaa!  New pants and I like where they hit me much better than before.  Don't be afraid to take some initiative and alter your clothes.  If you're not happy, see what will make you happy...and if you completely ruin something....well, I guess you learned a valuable lesson on what not to do.

Thanks for reading!

Heather