I'm fairly certain going this route wouldn't turn out as nice and neat if it was done by hand. Thank you! It's been a nightmare when i've needed to wear a suit. I usually do an odd color so it can be seen better when removing. unlike before. You may want to try hemming the jeans like normal and then re-distressing the new hemline with sandpaper. I hemmed my maternity jeans finally tonight and they look super! I’ve heard of this method, but had never quite pictured it. Call me. You’re golden. Most of us, not! So i kind of taught myself how to sew by hand when i was around 15. I can’t wait to try it out. Thanks!Melissa from Colorado :-). The thought of unpicking all that sewing is not appealing. Wow, I just shortened a pair of my jeans that I have been rolling up. Thanks for sharing that, I have about 10 prs of pants to hem for my very petite Mom! Thanks… Great site! I found your post today and bet my husband I could hem my new jeans in 15 minutes and still have them look good. 2. Participated in the Makerspace Contest 2017. My point is, your instructions were so great that even a dummy like myself could understand your tutorial! Measuring Tape Size 16 denim needle (I like to use these needles (affiliate link) for stitching through the multiple layers of denim) Thread. Note: If you had to hem a large amount from your jeans (I’d say greater than 2 inches or so), you may prefer to trim the folded edge and serge or zig zag the edges to reduce bulk. Using a seam ripper, unpick the original hem. When they don't keep the original hem & just turn up the hem to shorten the jean, all that original stitching, wear, etc, is lost. These jeans needed 2 1/4 inches hemmed. Thank for the info, great Blog,,, it really helps. I am 5ft tall and not one single pair of pants fit me right. What can I do? Example: I folded my jeans up 2 inches in step 1, and divided that 2 inch measurement by 2 to get 1 inch. Going to try this tomorrow. Wear the jeans and stand straight. Continue pinning each pant leg as in step 3, until both hems are completely pinned. Even managed to do the job without a zipper foot (my machine is ancient!) Thanks for the easy-to-follow guide! Wow! The idea is to preserve the original hem so that it doesn’t look like you hemmed it at all, so the new hem will be just next to it. But if you want them to look professional and skip a couple steps, you'll want to learn how to use original hem. This is my FIRST project with my sewing machine…and it turned out great!! I’ve had two pairs of jeans that I always have to roll up to wear, and I always felt weird about how unpolished it looked. It worked. But i never thought of hemming my pants using your method. Thanks for posting. it was so easy and I wore my year old-brand-new jeans today! Are you making your jeans into shorts? Kendall – I’m sure you could do it by hand, I would just make sure to double up your thread so it’s a little more sturdy! Measure how much you cuffed. Wow -so easy thanks, I just paid ( feeling very guilty)to have a pair hemmed like this – no excuse next time. This was the information I required. Whenever I hem my jeans the new hem never looks worn and faded like the original hem. Also ironing really well might make it look more seamless. 2 years ago. Question: I want to take about ten inches off the length off an 80’s Gatsby-style cocktail dress to make it a mini for my daughter, but it has about three inches of fringe attached to a velvet ribbon at the hem. I have a pair of slacks that I picked up at a yard sale that this trick might work for, too. Thanks!!!!!!! I just felt goofy, especially going to work at a clothing store, not having jeans that properly fit. So, I ended up hemming too little and they’re still too long. I have one leg that is .5 inch shorter than the other and I even accommodated for the shorter leg. B) The other way to hem the jeans is to do so and keep the original hem. Found two great pairs of very long jeans at a thrift store, so this was my chance to do this for the first time. THIS IS GREAT! You can also learn the European method and avoid the extra fold inside the bottom of the leg. Thanks for sharing this idea. And, I’m your newest follower! If you like to wear wedges, go with those. This is an absolutely fabulous idea…..this technique however will only work with straight leg jeans. If your jeans have some stretch to the denim, you may be able to ease the difference in circumference without it being noticeable. Don't get me wrong. You are my go to site for all things sewing. as long as you iron good and tack the folded edge up, they never come flopping out. Cut away the excess fabric from the folded cuff you sewed earlier down to 1/4". Thanks again! Awesome! As a tiny (in height) person I alway need to hem. I totally found this, and I bought some cute grey pants yesterday that are too long! I’ve saved this comment from my blog and I’m going to attempt to do it tomorrow! If the length is 5", then you want to fold and repin the cuffs about 2.5" up the pant leg. There can be a small groove, but if you sew right on the old hemline you can probably avoid it. I would love to know what sewing machine you use? Keeping the original look of jeans, including the original hem, is important. Any ideas for lengthening jeans? I have been just cutting the hem off and letting it fray when they’re too long. the circumference of the original hem is shorter than the one of the new cut? Thanks! You can hem your jeans ensuring that them is retained. This easy method of how to hem jeans is both fast and easy, and even allows you to keep the original hem. Great tutorial! Thanks for sharing this one. Using our example, it means that there should be a 1-inch line above and below the original hem of the jeans. thanks for sharing! You will be saving us money- now that I can hem my own jeans. 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