Shortening Ankle Zip Pants

Ooh! I Can Wear That Now

Have you ever looked at a fashion style and had to dismiss it because you could not see how it would work for you?

I have walked straight past pants with ankle zips. If, like me, you find all pants are too long for you, this article is for you.

I found the solution to taking up pants with ankle zips from Judith Turner in Vol 21, No 7 in ‘Stitches’ magazine. You can either do-it-yourself or take the instructions to your alterations person.

I bought these cheap purple pants from K Mart to try it out. Judith gives professional alterations techniques. I chose the ‘let’s skip a few instructions’ easy way. My method works best on dark colours (one seam) whereas Judith’s version works on all colours as she makes a feature of the seam.

Find the point just below your knee and fold over until the bottom hem is where you want it. It takes a few attempts to get it to your satisfaction (be aware of where the seam will be when you sit down). Then I sewed up the seam twice for strength on the inside. I cut the folded bit smaller, turned under the edges and zigzag sewed the edges together (about ½” final length). To make the fold less obvious, I hand-sewed the fold edges upward to the side seams.

Voila! You and I can now wear ankle-zip pants. Walk confidently and no-one notices the seam.

PS – Judith unpicks the side seams and ends up with a top-stitched feature seam whereas I just tried to downplay the seam. See her website – http://www.geniecentre.com for more alteration tips and the link to her book ‘Clothing Alteration Secrets Revealed’.

PPS – If you want to try it and cannot find the instructions, click here to email me & I will send you a PDF of the 2-page instructions from Australian ‘Stitches’ magazine.

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Hem Adjuster Snaps

I have seen these mentioned in two places – once in an Avon catalogue and once in an Oprah magazine.

They are plastic tabs that stick on your clothes – one side on the hem and one side at the length you want to raise it to. The Avon catalogue used them to adjust your hem from below ankle length (for wearing high heels) to ¾ length (for wearing flatties). They show a simple 3 step process – peel, place and then snap them together.

Great for those who do not possess sewing skills and, at around $13 for 16 snaps, they are cheaper than paying for an alteration. Not sure how comfortable they would be when you leave your jeans at the long length.

The Oprah magazine credited Melissa George with inventing them. I asked at my local sewing shop and the assistant had never heard of such a product. Avon is the only place where I can find them at the moment.

If you want to take up hems permanently without sewing, try fusible iron-on hemming tape. The hem is stiffer but it saves you hand or machine sewing the hem.

(This Short Image Bite sent to subscribers of The Fashion Translator eZine’ on 20 December 2012. Don’t miss out on receiving weekly fashion advice for the modern Baby Boomer business and professional women. Click here to sign up for The Fashion Translator eZine.)