How to Hem Jeans

Professional tailors often charge an arm and a leg for simple procedures that you could do yourself in the comfort of your own home. Are you tired of too-long jeans? Read on.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Jeans
• Thread that matches your jeans
• Fabric scissors
• Measuring tape
• Pins
• Iron
• Sewing machine
• 100/16 or 80/12 sewing-machine needle
• Fine-grain sand paper

1. Figure out how long you want your jeans to be. A good rule of thumb is to leave an inch between the hem and the ground when you are standing up straight. This step is a lot easier with a friend to mark or pin the jeans at the desired length while you are wearing them, but you can always use a measuring tape and basic math to figure out just where to pin. Always measure and make sure the length is even at all points around the leg before you proceed.
2. Trim the excess material. Leave about a 1-inch hem allowance, and cut an extra 1/2-inch from any existing seams. When you fold the material over, this extra cut will prevent the seams from seeming too thick.
3. Iron the jeans to allow for clean folding, then turn the jeans inside-out. Fold the future hem up 1/2-inch and pin it in place. Again, at this time it can be helpful to iron. Fold the hem over another 1/2-inch. The hem should still be 1/2-inch in length, but should have three layers of material. Always iron at this point—it will make the material nice and flat for sewing.
4. When you start sewing, start near a seam and hand-turn the machine over the rise of the seam to make sure you don't break your needle. Once on the seam, proceed around the leg of the jeans, keeping 1/8-inch from the top of the hem. For the best results, be sure to sew from the inside of the jeans. Once you have completed the circuit around both legs of the jeans, just cut away any excess thread and you're done.

Tips & Warnings

• Once the hem is complete, you may want to use fine-grain sand paper to sand the bottom and outside edges of the new hems. This will give them a worn look, and is useful especially if the rest of the jeans are made to look worn.
• Don't forget to keep a close eye on what you are doing at all times. Needles are much sharper than your fingers.