If I'm forced to hem anything for myself, I opt for the Stitch Witchery (iron on hem fusible web). It works for me! Last summer my DH noticed that all his shorts were worn, torn and/or faded so he went out and bought I think 6 pairs when they were on sale. He's very picky about the length because if they hit the back of his knee a certain way they will mess up his golf swing. By the time I got the last pair hemmed (all by machine, of course) I was getting pretty proficient at it, but if it's for me, I'll still probably go for the Stitch Witchery. I have a lifetime supply of the stuff, some of it inherited from my mom in 1986, and luckily it keeps.
Edited to add that when I do hem pants, I have the person put them on inside out so that I can pin them to the outside. This makes it quite a bit simpler for me and they're less likely to get stuck with a pin. This does put the pant legs on the wrong leg, so if there's any possibility that the person's legs are not the same length, don't do it. This process easily illustrates why doing our own is a greater pain than doing someone else's. For mine, I'm forced to measure the inseam, pin and then try on before sewing, and might have to do that more than once because of the way different ones fit.
A lot of us quilters don't use free arm machines, and that's another reason not to hem pants.
Last edited by Rose_P; 03-20-2014 at 06:12 PM.