How to hem jeans and save on trips to the atelier
Miscellaneous / / April 03, 2023
With these detailed instructions with photos and videos, you will definitely succeed.
What will you need
- Sewing pins with tips or ordinary needles to secure the fabric;
- crayon or bar of soap;
- ruler;
- iron;
- threads in the color of jeans;
- scissors;
- a strong sewing needle or sewing machine.
How to determine the right length of jeans
This method is suitable if you want to get a length that will look good with any low heel shoe.
put on jeans and fold the leg ends so that they cover the heel and lightly touch the floor. So the length will turn out to be optimal and sloppy accordions will not be assembled. You can take measurements alone, but it is more convenient to do this with someone's help.
Secure the fabric with sewing pins or ordinary needles. If there is nothing at hand, make notes with chalk or a bar of soap.
After these manipulations, take off your jeans, fold cut them in half and place them on a table or other flat surface. Straighten the fabric so that there are no wrinkles or creases. On the right leg, draw a solid line with a ruler along the previously marked mark parallel to the factory seam.
Align the legs at all reference points: along the stitching line of the front pockets, the waist line and the edges of the legs. When everything matches, draw a line-mark on the left leg so that it exactly matches the right.
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On folded jeans, the lines of the stitching of the pockets should match. Frame: 101 ideas / YouTube
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On folded jeans, the stitching lines of the belt should match. Frame: 101 ideas / YouTube
Approximately the same can be done and a fashionable shortened version. If you plan to wear your jeans with a particular pair of shoes, such as heels or wedges, wear them to try them on and fix the length you want.
How to hem jeans with the factory seam in a simple way
This way you can shorten your jeans, even if you are new to cutting and sewing. In addition, using this method, you can always open the firmware and cut the legs to a different length. This trick will be especially relevant for children's jeans, which are often bought for growth.
Turn the bottom of the legs so that the factory seam matches the marked line. Fasten the fabric with needles, and for convenience, you can iron the entire lapel.
You need to sew the fabric right under the edge of the factory seam, as shown in the picture. Sew with the simplest seam “needle forward”, trying to make the same stitches of 0.2‑0.5 mm. That is, puncture the fabric needle and thread at the same distance. Keep the thread tight as you go so that the seam is tight, not loose.
Sew around the entire leg. Then go over the same seam again, this time filling in the gaps between the first stitches. Thus, a neat continuous seam, similar to a machine one, will turn out.
If you are friends with a sewing machine, it will be even faster to hem jeans. In the same way as in the manual method, sew the fabric under the factory seam in the "straight stitch" mode. In this case, one circle is enough.
Sew the second trouser leg by hand or on a typewriter, then turn it inside out and iron it.
How to hem jeans with the factory edge
The process will take more timethan when using the previous method, but the jeans will look neater.
Pull 1 cm up from the factory seam and draw a line parallel to it with chalk. Cut off the bottom of the jeans along this line. Save a piece of fabric with a factory seam, it will come in handy later.
Step back 1 cm from the line of the initial markup (the one on which you need to shorten the jeans), make the line shallow and cut off the excess along it.
Take a piece of fabric with a factory seam, unzip and straighten it.
Fold the bottom of the leg and the bottom of the factory hem with the right sides, make a basting with threads and a needle, retreating 1 cm from the edge, and then sew the jeans along this line on a typewriter. Cut off excess corners at the closure of the side seams so that the future hem does not turn out to be too thick. Also trim the fringe at the edge.
Tuck in the seam allowances the way it was done at the factory (easy to navigate by the folds and color of the fabric). Baste again with thread and needle by hand. And then sew the jeans on a typewriter along the line where the holes from the factory seam are visible.
How to hem jeans without saving the factory edge
For this method, you will need a sewing machine and some skill. The seam will be the same as the one made at the factory. True, keep in mind that you will have to cut off the excess length, which means that the method is not suitable if in the future you plan to let go of the length of jeans, for example, as you grow child.
From the previously drawn marking line on the jeans, retreat 3 cm towards the factory seam and draw another parallel line.
On it, cut off the unnecessary bottom of the jeans. Do the same with the left leg. These 3 cm from the new edge line to the marking line are needed to hem the jeans.
Fold the hem in half inside the leg and iron hot iron. Then fold the hem again so that the marking line is exactly on the edge, and go through the iron again.
You can also manually baste the hem line: this way the fabric will hold securely and the machine seam will turn out neater. Do the same with the second leg.
Now sew along the edge of the jeans. You need to make a line from the inside out. Adjust the average stitch length. Start stitching from the inside seam of your jeans and work your way around.
After that, cut the edge of the thread with scissors, and also carefully pull the basting elements out of the fabric.
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