How to Hem Jeans With Embroidery

Adding embellishments to jeans can transform them from boring to beautiful with only a little imagination. Even a basic embroidery stitch such as the chain stitch can add color and texture to the denim, dressing up your jeans with style. Tackle this simple project and hem jeans with colorful embroidery. The finished result promises to draw everyone’s eyes down to your flirty and fun hemlines.

Things You'll Need

• Fabric marker
• Iron
• Thread
• Embroidery needle
• Embroidery floss

Instructions

1. Try the jeans on to determine where you want to hem them. Ask a helper to mark the length you want with the fabric marker while you stand straight. Remove the jeans.

2. Turn the bottom edge of the jeans under along the marks and press the folds carefully. Pin the folded edge of the jeans to hold the fold.

3. Cut an 18-inch length of thread that matches the denim of the jeans. Thread the needle and tie a knot in the end of the thread.

4. Stitch along the inside edge of the jeans to tack the hem in place. Take small stitches about every 1/2 inch to secure the hem of the jeans.

5. Cut a length of embroidery floss to embroider a design along the hem. Choose a floss color that will stand out from the denim color -- yellow, pink, lavender or green, perhaps. Thread the embroidery needle with the embroidery floss.

6. Insert the needle up from the underside of the jeans at one side of the hem. Hold the working thread up ahead in the direction you will be embroidering. Insert the needle back down again in almost the same spot where the needle came up. Take a 1/8-inch stitch in the direction you are stitching and bring the needle back up again. As you bring the needle up, catch the working thread behind it, pulling the thread tight to make a chain.

7. Stitch the chain stitch in a looping and curving line back and forth across the hemline of the jeans until you come back around again at the starting point. Insert the needle back down again to the underside of the denim and tie a knot.

8. Repeat the same process on the other jean leg hemline.

References

• “The Vintage Workshop Art-to-Wear”; Amy Barickman; 2006 p. 79
• “Button Girl: More Than 20 Cute-as-a-Button Projects”; Mikyla Bruder; 2005 p. 10