I guess I got a little ahead of myself, showing how to add a cuff to pants before I showed how to actually mark them. Never fear, this is the easy part!
First order of business, the test subject should ideally be wearing the shoes they will be wearing with the pants (or something similar). Dress shoes have a much lower profile than, say, skate shoes. They will affect the look of the hem, make it look longer than it will in dress shoes, and you will tend to mark the pants too short. If nothing else, have them go barefoot rather than mark the hem with the wrong shoe.
I like to start with the test subject in front of a mirror. They're always going to want to look at what you're doing, to see what the pants looks like, and having a mirror allows them to see everything while still standing straight and tall in order to get an accurate fit.
So, standing tall, have them turn so their right side is to the mirror, and sit on the floor behind them.
First order of business, the test subject should ideally be wearing the shoes they will be wearing with the pants (or something similar). Dress shoes have a much lower profile than, say, skate shoes. They will affect the look of the hem, make it look longer than it will in dress shoes, and you will tend to mark the pants too short. If nothing else, have them go barefoot rather than mark the hem with the wrong shoe.
I like to start with the test subject in front of a mirror. They're always going to want to look at what you're doing, to see what the pants looks like, and having a mirror allows them to see everything while still standing straight and tall in order to get an accurate fit.
So, standing tall, have them turn so their right side is to the mirror, and sit on the floor behind them.
Using the leg closest to the mirror (the right leg), fold the pant hem under. Fiddle with it until everyone is happy with the length. Take time to make sure you are folding the leg up evenly front to back. I like to stick my fingers up inside the end of the pant leg and just estimate by feeling how much is folded under.
What is the "correct" length to hem pants? Well, it depends. Wider pants will tend to look better longer, and slimmer pants tend to look better on the shorter side. As a general rule, with a conservative style pant, I like the back of the pant to hit right at the bottom of the shoe, right where the shoe meets the heel. Some people like less of a break (the bend in the front crease above where the pants sit on the shoe), which means you need to hem the front 1/2" shorter than the back. Of course, personal preference always wins.
One side note: if the test subject isn't wearing shoes, marking the pants right to the floor will result in them hitting the shoe right where it meets the heel.
These pants, while not super slim, are on the slimmer side. If I was to mark them where the shoe meets the heel, they would provide good sock coverage when sitting but have a pretty significant break both in the front and back when standing. We opted for a more streamlined (shorter) look this time.
What is the "correct" length to hem pants? Well, it depends. Wider pants will tend to look better longer, and slimmer pants tend to look better on the shorter side. As a general rule, with a conservative style pant, I like the back of the pant to hit right at the bottom of the shoe, right where the shoe meets the heel. Some people like less of a break (the bend in the front crease above where the pants sit on the shoe), which means you need to hem the front 1/2" shorter than the back. Of course, personal preference always wins.
One side note: if the test subject isn't wearing shoes, marking the pants right to the floor will result in them hitting the shoe right where it meets the heel.
These pants, while not super slim, are on the slimmer side. If I was to mark them where the shoe meets the heel, they would provide good sock coverage when sitting but have a pretty significant break both in the front and back when standing. We opted for a more streamlined (shorter) look this time.
When you find the length that everyone is happy with, it's time to mark it. You can just stick a pin in it, but make sure you get the pin in nice and secure so you don't lose it before you get to your work table.
If you happen to have tailor's chalk (if you're local and need some, stop on by and I'll share) you can use it to mark where you folded the pants. I give the edge of the fold a good pinch and rub the chalk back and forth to get a good sharp mark.
Like so...
Last step: mark the other leg to match. You can repeat all these steps on the left leg, or you can whip out your trusty ruler. Or book. Or whatever you have handy that will serve the purpose. Set it on the floor right behind the shoe, and make a chalk mark (or place a pin) where the top of the ruler meets the back of the pants. The actual height doesn't matter, what matters is that it's the same on both legs.
If you did it right, and the test subject's legs are the same length, the lines will match when you lay out the pants to mark. If they have one leg shorter than the other, if their hips are off, the marks will not line up, like this:
Line up the leg marks, and pin legs together so they don't shift as you're marking the new hem, if it's helpful.
One more thing to keep in mind: If you are marking both the waist and hem on a pair of pants, mark the waist first and pin it while marking the hem. If the pants are drooping on the hips, when they are taken in they will sit higher and make the hem end up too short.
One more thing to keep in mind: If you are marking both the waist and hem on a pair of pants, mark the waist first and pin it while marking the hem. If the pants are drooping on the hips, when they are taken in they will sit higher and make the hem end up too short.
Now you're ready to get to work! Check out this post on how to add cuffs, or stay tuned for a tute on plain hems.