How to Reattach an Original Jeans Hem

An original hem is also be called a European hem or a tricky hem and maintains the jeans’ hem. Unless you're able to fork over big coin to have a tony jeans' designer custom make a pair of petite (or non-Amazon length) jeans, you'll have to have your jeans tailored. Or do you? Hemming really is likely the only way to get the fancy-pants jeans. For example Pine IV, which are made for women (translate: your tummy doesn't roll over the too-low band), have a wonderful amount of stretch and great fit but a ridiculously long original length. There are petite styled jeans of Liz Claiborne, Bill Blass, Gloria Vanderbilt, Duplex, Kikit, Lee and Levis, which are, let's face it, hardly fashion forward. Those of us who can't boast a 34" inseam (the standard for more jeans) and want a stylish jean, can either give up the $15 to $25 it costs to have a tailor use the original hem on your jeans or you can do it yourself.It can be a challenge, but if you don't rush through this project, you'll be pleased with the results and get better at it the more you do it.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• needle & thread
• or sewing machine
• tape measure
• iron

How to Reattach an Original Jeans Hem

1. Measure the original length and figure out exactly the length you want.

2. Subtract the length you want from the current length of the jeans (e.g. the jeans are 34 inches and you need them to be 32 inches) Divide the number you need cut off in half (in our example, the number you need cut off is 2 inches, so if you cut it in half, this would be 1 inch).

3. Cuff pant leg. Take the above number (half of what you actually want) from the original hem line. Pin the cuff where you want it. (In calculating, don’t include the hem to the end of the jean.)

4. Pin around the cuff, and measure with each pin.

5. Go slowly and carefully while pinning the side seams. The seam stitching should line up on either side.

6. Begin sewing. Sew right next to the original hem (this works with a sewing machine or for hand sewing). Stitch on the right side of the hem, or the side farthest from the bottom of the jean. Sew all the way around the cuff.

7. Cut the excess off. Leave approximately a half inch for fraying or iron the extra material.

8. Turn the leg right side out and iron the new seam flat, revealing the old hem. Voila! You've just saved yourself up to $25 and opened up your "jeans universe."

Tips & Warnings

• Although you may have a certain preference, based on, say, the shoes you always wear with jeans, in general, hems should fall just below the bottom of your ankle. Also, if you generally wear high heels, or a certain height of heel, you might want your hem a bit longer. It should fall an inch to one half inch above the floor at your heel.
• For flared legs: Cut off hem an inch above the stitched hemline. Measure the hem’s circumference. Measure the circumference of the jean and the desired length to be hemmed. Open the side seam of the jean several inches above where you want the jean to be hemmed. Take in the jean to the same circumference as the hem. Make the transformation gradual. Reattach the hem portion as above. If the jean leg is more than 1.5 inches larger than the circumference of the hem, it’s not recommended to use this method.
• Since jeans are a thick material, which is doubled over the seam, if machine sewing, use a larger needle. You can also machine stitch the hem, and leave the seam sides to be hand sewn.
• (Yes, Earnest Sewn in NYC reportedly will create a custom pair (embellished begin at $500), and Deisel will hem its not-inexpensive jeans for an additional $20. But ... really!)