How to shorten your clothes without having to sew?

Are your pants too long and you need a quick fix? We give you a tip to quickly and easily shorten your pants, skirts or dresses without a sewing machine.

Are the legs of your favorite jeans a little too long or do you want to shorten a midi skirt you adore? Good thing, we have found a simple and effective little trick to shorten clothes without a sewing machine or needle! For this you will need an iron and iron-on tape.

Shorten clothes using iron-on tape

Iron-on tape is THE solution for all those who want to quickly and easily shorten pants or any other item without having to sew. Very easy to use, the iron-on adhesive tape is an adhesive tape which is ironed on the textile using an iron and which adheres to the fabric thanks to the heat of your iron.

Also read: The right steps to iron well

So every item of clothing – be it skirts, dresses, jeans or pants – can be shortened by a few centimeters and all without a sewing machine! In addition, the shortening is done in just a few minutes: ideal for those who do not have time to go to the designer.

Good to know : iron-on tapes can also be used to shorten curtains that are too long.

Very easy to use, we recommend this iron-on adhesive tape that you can buy directly on Amazon *.

Shorten your clothes step by step

  • Turn the piece to be shortened and lay it flat, preferably directly on an ironing board.
  • Fold the hem of the fabric back according to the width of the hem strip (eg 4 cm). The hem tape is available in different widths. First make sure the number of centimeters you want to shorten and then choose the iron-on tape accordingly.
  • Iron the edge of the hem to create a straight edge.
  • Then cut the hem strip to the desired length and place the strip in the folded fabric.
  • Now iron the fabric so that the folded edge of the fabric completely covers the iron-on tape. The temperature should be between 125 and 145 degrees.
  • For best results, iron the fabric several times and slowly (about 10 to 15 seconds). There should be no direct contact between the hem tape and the iron: the tape may stick and damage your iron.
  • Let the fabric cool down after ironing.


Advice : In order for the hem to last as long as possible on the garment, it should be washed as gently as possible, at a low temperature and should not be tumble dried.

* Affiliate link

A model urges us not to judge our bodies by jeans size

Passionate about writing and the Internet, I graduated in literature and have always worked in the field of communication and digital press. Feminist and shoes addicted to …