How to Downsize Jeans With & Without Sewing - 6 Different Ways
In this tutorial, I'll be showing you how to downsize jeans. If your jeans are too big, you may be wondering what you could do. So, here are 6 ways to DIY downsize jeans to make them fit your waist better.
Three involve sewing, and one of those techniques downsizes jeans with elastic. The other three teach you how to downsize jeans without sewing. How amazing is that? Let’s get started!
Tools and materials:
- Jeans
- Marking pen or pencil
- Needle and thread
- Scissors
- Elastic
- Safety pin
- Shoelace
- Scarf
1. Downsize jeans by sewing the sides
Mark the difference you need to reduce on either side of the waist. Mark the area in an inverted triangle or V shape right by the outer seam by the waist.
Thread a needle and start hand-sewing from the inside, hiding the knot in the inside of the jeans waistband. I'm using pink thread so you can easily see the stitches, but this would be less noticeable with a blue or white stitch.
Sew in a straight horizontal line from the inside towards the other side.
Pull the needle through the front of the jeans, rather than going back with the needle into the wrong side. Then, go back to the other side, parallel to the waistband.
Continue across, following the lines of the inverted triangle, so it looks like a ladder.
When you get to the end, pull the thread tightly to close the seams and hide the stitches inside. This will automatically shrink the jeans!
Knot the thread on the inside.
Do to both sides of the waistband. This is what it will look like on the inside.
This is how it looks on the outside.
2. Downsize jeans by sewing the center
Sometimes you need to take in the jeans at the back, rather than at the sides of the waistband. Here, use the back center loop to serve as your boundary.
Mark the amount you need to reduce the jeans by on either side of the loop with a pencil. Make small inverted triangles on either side of the loop.
Use the same ladder sewing method but in the back on either side of the back belt loop, leaving the belt loop in the same place. See how clean this looks?
3. Downsize jeans with elastic
Sometimes you may just need elastic in the back.
On the inner waistband at the back, mark the new measurement for reducing with the pencil.
Use scissors to cut on the two marks only in the inner layer.
Take the small piece of elastic and hand sew to the hole on the right with about 5 to 6 stitches to secure it. Attach the safety pin or paper clip to the other end of the elastic. Thread through the waistband area to the second hole.
Pull the elastic out, remove the safety pin, and secure with another 5-6 stitches.
This is the easiest sewing method to downsize your jeans.
4. Tying jeans with shoelaces at the back
This method of downsizing jeans is temporary - it could be a quick fix for when you're in a rush.
Take a long shoelace and start from the waist loop, threading it through the back only to the other waist loop.
Tie the shoelace together only in the back, securing it tightly. Then, tuck the bulky back inside.
The front of the jeans will look great! Place a longer jacket on top to hide your quick trick!
5. Downsizing jeans with a scarf
This is another quick-fix DIY hack. Take a silky scarf and roll it in a long roll. Insert it through 2 loops at either side of the waist. Pull the scarf ends tightly together and make a bow or knot to pull the jeans tight.
Then, you can just wear as is - the scarf is a statement accessory! I even tied the scarf onto the knot in my t-shirt to make the look even more unique.
6. Pull the button through a belt loop
If you haven’t got a jacket, shoelace, or scarf, and your shirt is long enough to cover your jean adjustment, this hack is for you!
Pull the jeans button to the first loop and pull the button through the loop. Then pull the buttonhole and place the button into it.
This is how it looks.
You can wear something loose-fitting over it to hide the tie.
How to downsize jeans tutorial
I hope you try these techniques on how to downsize jeans in 6 different ways to help your jeans fit you better! Let me know in the comments which one you tried and which worked best for you!
The author may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.
Comments
Join the conversation
I sew so the dart method I have used many times.
For a non-sewer your methods are quick, cute and very clever!
How about...............wait for it...............
A BELT!!!