How to Hem a T-shirt in 9 Steps

There are a few ways to shorten the hemline of a T-shirt, depending on your available tools and skills. Consider the following methods:

1. 1. Hand-sew your shirt. This method may take longer, but it’s a good sewing exercise for beginners. Turn your T-shirt inside out and mark it a half-inch below where you intend to cut. Mark this new hemline around the side of the shirt, and cut off the excess. Fold the hem upward and over, then press with an iron. Use a ball point hand needle, which is ideal for knit fabrics, and make straight stitches along the top edge of your new hemline.
2. 2. Use fusible hem tape. Hem tape may fray, but it’s an inexpensive and easy tool found at most fabric stores to quickly hem a shirt. Turn your shirt inside out and measure to the desired length, then mark a line a half inch below that length. Cut the excess, fold up the half inch, and iron it down. Measure the bottom half inch of the shirt, and cut a piece of hem tape precisely twice the width. Unfold the edge and place the hem tape inside. Fold the shirt over and press, ironing to secure it in place.
3. 3. Create a crop top. If you are looking for something a little more raw and frayed, a crop top is a fun way to turn any regular tee into a stylish new shirt. Mark where you want to cut, factoring in some seam allowance. Lay on a flat surface and cut with utility or fabric scissors. Pinch and pull at the edges of the shirt so the ends roll up for a naturally distressed look.

T-shirts that fit your body size may be too long. Novice sewers can learn how to sew with these straightforward steps to set a shirt’s new length:

1. 1. Find the new hemline. Turn your shirt inside out and put it on. Look at yourself in the mirror, and determine where you’d like the new hemline to be. You can mark this with sewing pins, a fabric marker, or chalk.
2. 2. Trim the shirt. Remove your shirt from your body, but keep it inside out. Use a pair of fabric scissors to cut off part of your shirt, trimming along a parallel line that is a half-inch farther down from your newly marked hemline. The excess will be folded over.
3. 3. Fold up your hem. Take this bottom hem and fold it up by half an inch—with this new hem, your shirt will represent the desired length.
4. 4. Serge the bottom edge if needed. Serge the raw edge (using a serger or the zigzag stitch with your sewing machine) to prevent fraying. Serging is necessary for woven fabrics, like linen or cotton twill.
5. 5. Press with an iron. Lay your shirt onto a flat surface, ideally an ironing board. With the bottom of the T-shirt now folded up, press down on the shirt, running the iron along the hem edge.
6. 6. Secure with pins. Secure the hemline with sewing pins. Loop the pins through the front and back of the fabric to secure your hem before sewing.
7. 7. Set up your sewing machine. Thread your sewing machine. You’ll want to use a thread color that matches your shirt, or you can go with a unique color for a bolder look.
8. 8. Sew your new hemline. Select a hemstitch on your machine—a zigzag or stretch stitch will create a hemline with some stretch. Sew as close to the raw edge as you can, removing each pin as you go. Work your way around the entire shirt, then snip off any frayed threads or fabric at the end.
9. 9. Wash and wear. Wash your shirt, and then it’s ready for wearing.

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