How To Taper Pant Legs

taper-pants-tutorial-by-susan-tailorsDo you have a pair of pants laying around that needs to be tapered around the legs? Look no further!  In this tutorial, we’re going to show you how to get those legs looking fabulous in the pants you’ve been dying to wear. If you want to test the waters, we suggest buying a pair from the thrift store to practice on first.

Here are the materials you’ll need:

  • Scissors
  • Seam Ripper
  • Fabric Chalk (or regular chalk)
  • Sewing Pins
  • A basic sewing machine

 

Step One

Find a pair of slim-fit pants that fit you well.

Don’t have a pair that fits? No worries! Slip on the ones you want to alter (wear them inside out) and pin along the inseam, starting from the crotch to the hem, at a comfortable width. You can head to step five if you’ve done this. Note: You may want to get someone to help you pin the pants while you’re wearing them.

Step Two

Turn both pairs inside out and lay them on top of each other as pictured below (make sure your wide-leg pants is on the bottom).

Step Three

Start pinning along the sides. This helps you stay in line when you get to the sewing machine.

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Step Four

Using the pins as a guide, use the fabric chalk to draw a line that acts as an extra guide when you’re sewing.

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Step Five

Using your seam ripper (or a small pair of scissors as pictured), remove about 2-3 inches of the bottom hem. No need to undo the entire thing, as only part of the pants will need to sew.

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Step Six

Time to Sew! Place your garment under the machine and run a straight stitch along the lines you created.

susan-tailors-taper-pants-tutorial2017-11 Disclaimer:  You may find yourself going in inch by inch if they’re not slim enough on the first try. Don’t worry, it’s better to take them in slowly than rush and go in too much.

Step Seven

Close up the bottom hem once you’ve tried it on and satisfied with the fit. Cut away the extra fabric, and you’re good to go!

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Here’s what they looked like at the end. We hope yours turned out great as well!

If you made an attempt to do this yourself, let us know how it went! Feel free to ask questions, too. We’re still new to making tutorials, so we’d like to improve as we go along. Thanks for reading!

need more help than you thought? Book an appointment to have us taper them for you! we also offer pickup and delivery within Broward county! view our other services here.