• Prerequisites: Hems: blind, topstitched and faced; Button plackets and side openings.
• Time: turn-ups 45 minutes; churidar ankles 45–60 minutes; growth hem 20 minutes.
• Difficulty: moderate.
• Tools: hem gauge, hooks and eyes, buttons and loop turner, hand needles.
• Planning: turn-ups and growth hems must be added to the pattern before cutting.

1. Measure round the foot at its widest (heel to instep) so the band slips on; add a little ease. Typical adult band 13–16 in (33–40 cm) round; teacher to check.
2. Cut a band twice the finished depth plus allowances; interface half if the cloth is soft.
3. Gather or pleat the salwar leg to the band’s length (Patiala salwars have pleats here).
4. Join the band into a loop; sew it to the leg, right sides together; fold over and stitch in the ditch.
5. Decorate with lace, piping or embroidery if wanted, before attaching.

Deliberate raw edge (denim and casual cotton):

1. Cut the leg exactly at the finished length, on a straight line.
2. Sew a row of straight stitching 1/2–3/4 in (1.2–2 cm) above the edge; it stops fraying going further.
3. Wash and dry to start the fray; brush gently with a stiff brush for more.

Growth hem (children):

1. Add an extra 2–3 in (5–8 cm) to the hem allowance on the pattern.
2. Fold it up as a deep hem; blind-hem or topstitch only at the top.
3. Press the fold lightly, so the crease will not show later.
4. To let down: unpick, press out the old fold (with a damp cloth), and re-hem. A trim, or a band of contrast cloth, can hide any old fold line.
5. Alternative: a growth tuck: a horizontal tuck sewn inside the leg above the hem, unpicked later. Common on children’s trousers; teacher to check.

• Mock turn-up: a separate band sewn on at the hem; uses less cloth.
• Elastic ankles: joggers, harem and children’s trousers; a casing or band like the elastic waist.
• Split hems: a slit at the side seam, faced and mitred; on cropped women’s trousers.
• Churidar with zip: a small invisible zip at the ankle instead of hooks; faster to wear.
• Roll-up tab: a button tab inside the leg that holds a rolled hem up (cargo and travel trousers, children’s).
• Left-handed: hand-sew loops and hooks from left to right; a left-handed wearer may want the churidar opening on the other side of each ankle. Ask.

• Turn-ups: mark length with shoes on, then cut; turn-ups cannot be sloped.
• Churidar: cut on the bias; leave the leg longer than the body by the amount of churis wanted, often 6–12 in (15–30 cm). Try on before finishing the ankle.
• Growth hems: record the let-down amount on the child’s order card.

• Women: turn-ups on straight and wide tailored trousers, ankle slits on cropped trousers, faced or narrow hems on palazzos, churidar ankles with kurtas, mohris on salwars.
• Men: turn-ups on formal and vintage trousers; plain blind hems on suits for weddings and office; raw or topstitched hems on jeans; mohri bands on Pathani salwars.
• Children: growth hems or tucks on every trouser, roll-up tabs, elastic ankles on joggers; no hooks at the ankles for young children.
• Festive: embroidered or lace-trimmed mohris; sew trims on while the band is flat.

1. Decide the extra length, often 1–1½ in (2.5–4 cm); add twice that to the leg pattern above the hem. Teacher to check.
2. Mark two lines across the leg, the tuck depth apart.
3. Fold the leg on the inside so the lines meet; stitch along them with a long stitch.
4. Press the tuck downward, inside the leg.
5. When the child grows, unpick the tuck and press out the fold.

1. Tack turn-ups at both seams so they do not fall in the wash.
2. Use thread loops, not metal eyes, at churidar ankles; they lie flatter and do not scratch.
3. Test the foot through the churidar opening before sewing hooks.
4. Interface the mohri lightly so it stays crisp.
5. Stitch above a raw edge to control fraying.
6. Press growth hems lightly, never sharply.
7. Use contrast bands to lengthen children’s trousers; they look intended.
8. Turn-ups add weight and help light wool trousers hang.
9. Plan hem decoration (lace, Kasuti borders) before the leg is closed.
10. Mark fold lines with thread tacks on wool turn-ups.
11. What professionals do differently: they leave enough cloth for turn-ups to be removed later, and tack them invisibly from inside.

The turn-up flips down

1. Tack firmly at both seams.
2. Press the folds with steam and a clapper.
3. Prevention: tack as standard.

The turn-up is uneven round the leg

1. Re-mark folds with a gauge and refold.
2. Check the hem line is straight.
3. Prevention: mark both folds with thread tacks.

The foot will not go through the churidar ankle

1. Lengthen the opening.
2. Add a zip.
3. Prevention: test the foot before finishing.

Churidar hooks open while walking

1. Add one more hook in the gap.
2. Change to buttons and loops.
3. Prevention: space hooks closely.

The mohri is too tight

1. Recut a longer band.
2. Add a small placket with a button.
3. Prevention: measure round the heel and instep.

The raw edge frays too far

1. Add a second row of stitching higher.
2. Trim the loose threads.
3. Prevention: stitch before the first wash.

The old fold line shows after letting down

1. Press with a damp cloth and a little white vinegar (cotton only, test first).
2. Cover with braid or a contrast band.
3. Prevention: press growth hems lightly.

• Myth: turn-ups are only for old-fashioned trousers. They come and go in fashion and suit many straight legs.
• Mistake: forgetting extra cloth for turn-ups or growth hems.
• Mistake: cutting a churidar on the straight grain.

1. Beginner: sew a growth hem on a child’s trouser.
2. Improver: sew a turn-up on one trouser leg.
3. Confident: finish a pair of churidar ankles with thread loops and hooks.

As a hobby: decorated mohris and churidar ankles are a lovely place for embroidery.

For earning: letting down children’s trousers and finishing churidar ankles are frequent requests before festivals and school terms.

For teaching: compare a turn-up and a plain hem on the same trouser; learners see how a hem changes the look.

• Brush dust out of turn-ups.
• Close churidar hooks before washing.
• Check growth hems each term.

• Can you work out the cloth needed for a turn-up?
• Can you finish a churidar ankle?
• Can you sew a mohri?
• Do you add growth room before cutting children’s trousers?

Quiz

1. Can a turned-up hem be sloped? Answer: no, turn-ups are straight.
2. Why is a churidar cut on the bias? Answer: so it stretches over the foot and forms soft folds.
3. What stops a raw hem fraying too far? Answer: a row of stitching above the edge.
4. How much extra goes into a growth hem? Answer: about 2–3 in (5–8 cm).

• Turn-up (cuff): a hem folded to the outside.
• Churis: the soft folds at a churidar’s ankle.
• Mohri: the ankle band or hem opening of a salwar (Hindi/Urdu; studio to confirm local use).
• Growth hem, growth tuck: extra cloth for letting down.
• Thread loop: a hand-sewn loop used in place of an eye.

• Main source: D&D’s own trousers ebook, chapter 45 (cuffed and raw-edge hems), with general, widely taught practice and Indian tailoring practice.
• Turn-up depths, mohri sizes and churidar extra length are starting points. Teacher to check.