I have a pair of black palazzo pants that are just a bit short on me.

My pants (on the left) are a touch short.

I wanted to let them down a but there was not much of a hem so I thought back to my grandmother’s sewing technique.

Black twill tape sewn to raw edge at the bottom of each leg.

She would have taken out the stitching of the original hem then sewn on a piece of hem tape with a very narrow seam.

Carefully press out the original hem crease before turning up the new hem tape.

The crease from the old hem is then pressed very well with a steam iron to smooth out the line.

Inside of new hem.

Outside of new hem.

Finally the new hem is turned up at the seam of the hem tape and sewn by hand to create a new narrow hem.  This technique added about an inch to the pant length.

No more visible ankles in flats.

Now the pants will work with a heeled shoe.

Much better.

Jo