Taking up clothes if you’re short?

[TheRedHen2]

What do you do if you need to alter clothes?

The fashion for skinny jeans and trousers has meant I haven’t had to alter them (just tucked them under) but I’ve bought a pair of loose trousers this week and just spent ages taking them up with “Wunderweb” with a result I’m not really happy with. I can ask a local dressmaker to do it but she takes over a week each time and it’s just hassle when you want to just wear something!

I’ve never used a sewing machine in my life. Could I master one if I bought a basic one just for re-hemming clothes?

I do my daughter’s basic alterations but have a much more skilled friend who will do special event wear like a bridesmaid’s dresses.

Jeans are the worst because the material is so thick and the seams are difficult to get neat.

You can easily teach yourself simple machine sewing though. Lighter weight trousers are easy. The other problem is that sometimes you need to do more than re-hem, to get a proper fit. Sometimes you need to shorten bodices or move darts and tucks too. Not difficult, but time consuming.