Things You'll Need:
- Old jeans (to practice on)
- Your fancy jeans that need to be hemmed
- Sewing machine
- Thread to match jeans
- Pins
- Iron
- Needle
- Thread
-
Step 1
Wash and dry jeans at least once before hemming.
-
Step 2
Cut off the original hem ½” longer than the inseam you want it to be; cut straight across with a sharp scissors.
-
Step 3
Sew the cut inseam with a single stitch. Fold ¼” to 1/3.” Start sewing in the middle of the fold. (This will be hidden when you reattach the original hem.)
-
Step 4
Cut excess off the original hem. Trim it to almost the same width as the hem itself. Do a zig-zag quick machine stitch on the raw edge to prevent fraying.
-
Step 5
Pin the original hem back on the new inseam to make sure it is not too long. To shorten, undo stitching on one end to make a long strip instead of a continuous circle. Cut off the desired amount and then hand sew the two ends back together.
-
Step 6
Place the original hem on top of the new inseam. Cover the single stitch that was sewed earlier. The original hem should be flush with the inseam.
-
Step 7
Re-attach original hem permanently. Sew on the outside. One expert suggests invisible/clear type thread on the spool and jean blue for the bobbin.
-
Step 8
Sew a single stitch above the original hem’s thread. To match the original hem’s thread color, sew directly on top of the original threading; match the stitch length.
-
Step 9
Either iron the bulk down flat and then tack it with hand stitching ... or cut off the inner inseam to about 1/4" (or less) and then to a tight zig-zag stitch around the raw edge, either with a machine or by hand.
