Yes to Cuffing

Whether men's pants require a cuff or not is open to debate. It's a style question and a matter of opinion. Some like them, some don't. Often it depends on whether or not the trousers are pleated. Many say that pleated pants require a cuff because the weight makes the pants leg hang properly.

So, having decided to cuff your trouser hem, the first thing to do is to mark the length. If there are existing cuffs, you'll want to take them out with a seam ripper and iron the fabric as flat as possible. If the pants are old enough to have worn edges, you won't be able to iron out those spots, but with luck you'll be taking in the pants enough to turn under the worn fabric.

To mark the length, have the owner of the pants stand on a stool or platform, wearing the shoes he will be wearing with the pants. Turn up the fabric along the bottom of one of the legs to the desired length. A proper length for men's trousers is just long enough to create a slight break in the front where the hem rests on the shoe. No break, and they're too short. A rumpled look, and they're too long. Once you've marked the desired length with a single straight pin on one leg, have the wearer remove the trousers, turn up the other leg to match the first and pin.

Depending on how much alteration you want of the previous hem, you may or may not need to trim excess fabric. The width of a cuff is a matter of personal taste, but you probably won't want it to be more than two inches or less than one. Trim your cuff to twice the desired width.

Remove the pin. Sew around the raw edge of the fabric. Turn up the cuff once to the desired width, then again. Press the cuff flat, then tack it in place at front, back and sides with a couple of stitches at the top edge.