How to Sew a Euro Hem on Jeans

Lydia Naomi
by Lydia Naomi
8 Materials
$10
1 Hour
Medium

In my tutorial, I want to teach you how to do the Euro hem 2 ways. This is a super great tool to have so that when you want to re-hem a pair of old or new jeans they will look like they were bought that way.


How to do a euro hem

Tools and materials:

  • Pins 
  • Scissors
  • Seam ripper 
  • Needle and thread
  • Hammer 
  • Iron 
  • Ruler
  • Sewing machine 
Pin the new hem

Method 1: Cut, open and resew 

To begin, make sure you are standing in front of a mirror so that you can see what your new hem will look like. Fold up the bottom of your jeans until you reach your desired length. When you are happy with the new hem, pin to mark. 

Draw two lines


Next, take off your jeans and use chalk to mark your new hemline. It’s important to also mark a line half an inch up from the hem marking which will be the sewing line. 

DIY euro hem



Fold the bottom of the jeans and match up the bottom of the original hemstitching with the sewing line you just drew. Pin this vertically so that the pins will be a little easier to remove when sewing. 

Cut excess fabric


To make the new hem easier to sew, cut off the excess fabric. 

Sew along the edge of the hem


When sewing, I suggest using a zipper foot so that you get a really nice, seamless look for the original hem. 

Cut down the fabric


Once you’ve sewed, cut the excess fabric down to half an inch.

Open the original hem


Next, carefully open up the original hem. 

Cut the side seam


Then take a pair of scissors and cut out the thick side seam of the original hem. 

Trim the inner seam allowance


Next, you’ll want to cut the inner seam allowance down to a ¼ inch to help reduce the bulk, but leave the outer seam allowance at half an inch. 

Fold the seam allowance


Now, fold the seam allowance into the original hem to hide it. Use a hammer to pound on those thicker areas to help soften the fabric. This will do absolute wonders in making the thick denim sewable. 

Resew the hem


Head back to your sewing machine, and slowly and carefully resew the original hem. You’ll want to sew along the original stitch to have a neat hem. Pinning is a great way to ensure straight sewing. 

Euro hem jeans


There you have it! The first Euro hem method. 

Euro hem instructions

Method 2: Don’t cut, just sew

For the second method, start off by repeating what you did at the beginning of the first method. Draw the two lines, match up the hemstitch with the sewing line and then pin vertically.

Don’t cut off excess


For this Euro hem method, you don’t need to cut off the excess fabric before sewing. This method is great if you want to temporarily crop a pair of jeans. 

Press the fold


Once you have sewed, fold up the excess fabric and press it flat. 

Sew a blind stitch


To hold the fabric in place, you will need to sew a blind stitch. To do this, double thread your needle and then pull it through the side seam of the folded fabric to conceal the knot. Then pull the needle through two or three threads of the outer leg and then back through the fold of the excess fabric. There are machines that come with a blind stitch option, so if you have one of those it could save you a lot of time. 

How to sew a euro hem on jeans


There you have it, two ways to Euro hem jeans like a pro! Which method would you try first? Let me know in the comments! 

Suggested materials:
  • Pins
  • Scissors
  • Seam ripper
See all materials

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Comments
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2 of 13 comments
  • Gail Gail on May 26, 2021

    Fantastic. Thank you.

  • Pattyb Pattyb on May 27, 2021

    I don’t understand the second one. You only put in like 2 stitches total?

    The first one is great to know!

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