How to Sew Jeans

Sewing your own jeans allows you pick just the size, color and style you want. Fabric stores often carry various shades of blue, white and black denim, as well as denim prints. Although most sewing projects use thread that matches the fabric, many professionally made blue jeans are sewn with brown thread rather than blue. You can choose thread that matches your denim, or contrasts with it. Be sure to put a sturdy sewing needle, such as one especially designed for denim, in your machine before sewing jeans.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• soft measuring tape
• jeans pattern
• denim fabric
• thread
• jeans zipper
• scissors
• straight pins
• iron
• ironing board
• sewing machine

Sew Jeans

1. Measure the fullest part of your hips and waist (or the area where the waist of the pants will be, if you want low rise jeans).

2. Choose a jeans pattern that matches the style you want. Since patterns often use a different size system than store bought clothes, make sure to compare your measurements to the pattern’s size chart. Don’t be surprised if you need a larger size number for a pattern than you would for finished jeans.

3. Buy denim for the jeans, using the “with nap” chart on the pattern envelope to figure out how much you need.

4. Buy thread, a jeans zipper and any other notions you need. Many fabric stores sell zippers especially made for sewing jeans.

5. Cut out the pattern pieces for the jeans using the cutting line for the size you need. If your waist and hips are different sizes, you can cut the bottom of the pattern in one size and the waist in another, gradually tapering between the two sizes.

6. Adjust the patterns if needed to make the jeans taller or shorter. Most patterns have lines where you can cut or fold and tape them to make them smaller, or add paper to make them longer. Make sure to adjust all the jeans leg patterns by the same length, and leave enough extra length for hems.

7. Adjust the width of the leg openings and the waistband, if desired, to make them wider or narrower.

8. Follow the “with nap” cutting guide in the pattern directions to pin the jeans patterns to the denim and cut out the pieces. Make sure to place any patterns on the fold that need to be.

9. Sew the jeans together, following the pattern directions. Be sure to try on the jeans, especially before hemming them, so you can adjust them if needed.

Tips & Warnings

• To add a back pocket to the jeans, cut a piece of denim 1/2 inch bigger all the away around than you want the finished pocket. Turn the edges of the pocket under 1/2 inch toward the wrong side and press them flat. Stitch along the top edge only. Place the pocket on the jeans and topstitch it in place.
• Use caution when working with scissors, pins, irons and sewing machines.

Resources

• You can find free jeans patterns here.