How to Shorten Your Jeans AND Keep the Original Hem
If you just turn up a simple hem on jeans as you would do on a skirt, it never looks right.
Trying to copy the original hem using a domestic sewing machine doesn’t work either.
So here’s my quick and easy hack to hem your jeans and keep the original hem intact.
Tools and materials:
- Jeans to hem
- Ruler
- Fabric marker
- Scissors
- Sewing machine
- Serger (optional)
1. Mark the hem
Draw a line across the leg of your jeans on the right side, front and back, at the finished length you want.
2. Turn up
Turn up your jeans from the inside.
You want the stitching line of the original hem to cover the mark you drew.
3. Set up your sewing machine
Remove the main bed of your sewing machine so you can use the free arm.
Slide the leg of the jeans over the free arm, with the right side of the leg uppermost.
4. Stitch the hem
Sew around the leg of the jeans, just below the original stitching line and as close as you can get to it.
5. Trim the excess
Cut off the double layer of fabric below your stitching line.
You can also use a serger for this, so the edge is overlocked.
If I’m not using a serger, I leave about 1/8” (0.3 cm) of fabric below my stitches.
Flip the hem down and there you go!
How to hem jeans while keeping original hem
If I’d taken a bit more care to keep the inner seam lined up, it would have looked even better.
I hope you found this helpful. Why not drop me a comment below and let me know?
Next, learn How to Sew a Patch Pocket.
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