How do I shorten my jeans?
What do I need?
You will need a sewing machine, an iron and ironing board, pins, and scissors to finish the hem. I recommend a denim needle, preferably size 90, for your sewing machine.
You will also need a thread. I would get one thread in the colour of jeans, say dark navy or whatever colour you have. I also will have a thread in the colour of the stitching. Usually, it’s a brass or yellow colour. On jeans, the decorative seams are often done in a thick thread. You may be able to buy that, but it can be hard to get sometimes. I have often used regular but double thread at the top. I thread the machine just as if I had only one thread. I take the threads through the machine and the needle with double thread. If you have one thread roll, you can wind a bit on a bobbin for the 2nd top thread.
How do i work out how much to shorten?
Do you never get the length right on your jeans in the shop? No, me neither. And I will let you into a secret, which is not very minimalist: I have jeans in each colour in lengths for heels and lengths for flats. Yes, I know! Not very minimalist at all. But I defend myself by saying that I have kept my clothes for many years, and I have no jeans that are less than 10 years old.
Most jeans these days have some wash done as a design feature before they are set up for sale. The hem part is part of this detail with the slightly worn detail. If the jeans don’t have this, it is pretty simple to roll the hem. By that, I mean check how much you need to shorten the jeans and cut them off. I cut 3 cm and then i go to the iron and turn it up 1 cm and then i turn up 1.5 cm. That miracle makes it 3 cm, the “roll” takes up about a half centimetre,
If the jeans have some washed details, we must do it differently.
How to retain washed hem detail
I start by putting on my jeans. Then, I put on the shoes I want to wear with the trousers. Then, I could just turn them up at the hem to see the length. But I never do that; I always pull them up on the middle leg. The reason is that I find it hard to relate to the length of this “roll” of an unfinished hem. I find it much easier to see how i want the trousers to sit when i have the hem intact. I can see exactly where it sits on my shoes.
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At this stage, it’s obviously easier if you have a family member or partner who can pin it up for you. I do that for clients all the time, but never for myself. I just bend down and pin a fold on the middle leg. I try to make the fold sit as horizontally as possible and lift the hem the same amount all the way around. It is a bit fickle, and it will take you a bit of going back and forth.
If your jeans are brand new and have never been on before, I recommend reducing the amount you take them up by 0.5 cm. As soon as you wear them, they will “sit on you” differently and make little folds on the back of the knee and on the front of your hip. This equates to 0.5 cm.
Once you feel it’s right, check the length with your correct shoes. Then, check in the mirror from the front side and back. Is it exactly where you would like it?
I like to have the hem just about 5 mm off the floor.
Check the length
Try on your jeans with a few different shoes to check the correct length before cutting. Sometimes, it’s not just the height of the heel and sole that makes a difference, but also the shoe style. A walking-style boot with shoelaces on the front will make the trouser leg sit differently because it’s fuller than a narrow bootleg. Differences like that make a difference to the length of the trouser leg.
Mark the jeans
Once you are happy with that, you can take the jeans off. Measure the depth to the fold round. You might have a slight difference between the different pins, but I would take an average. When I open the trousers, my fold is 3 cm, and now I want to create a fold to stitch. I make it 1.5 cm. I fold that on the ironing board, right next to where the original hem is turned up.
Once I have established how much we are shortening the jeans, I go to the ironing board and measure exactly 1.5 cm (I want to shorten the total by 3 cm).
Once that is measured out and pinned all the way around, I go to the sewing machine and change the foot to the zipper foot. That way, I can sew completely next to the original fold.
Sew the jeans
I sew all the way around on both legs. Double-check the depth of the fold again. Be careful when reviewing all the seam allowance on the leg seams.
I now go to the ironing board and press the fold.
I now take my scissors or unpicker if I have one. I unpick the decorative seam of the original hem. I open the original hem up and press down the fold I have stitched. I press that into the original hem.
Once you have ironed that down, you will trim the folded fabric.
You can then fold the original hem over the fold and pin it all around. It might be thick on the two-leg seams. Sometimes, if you have a mullet or something rounded you can hammer it down with, it can be helpful.
Decorative stitching
You can then go to the sewing machine and stitch around with your decorative thread. You must stitch from the right side to get the decorative thread (or double thread) on the right side.
You should always do each step on both trouser legs simultaneously, so you work in pairs. Otherwise, it’s really easy to make small discrepancies.
I have made a video about this; you can watch it here.
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How else can we help?
I hope this tutorial is helpful. My name is Mette. I am a multi-award-winning couture designer. I have designed and made dresses for many years. I have set up an online course where you can learn dressmaking.https://www.freja-fashion.co.uk/online-course-sign-up/ Every month we tackle another garment, you will get a paper pattern in the post, video tutorial on how to do the garment. Zoom call and Facebook, where you can ask questions. Each month you also get a bonus project.
I also offer some free resources. One is my Facebook group. It’s free to join, and it’s a fun community where I share little tutorials on how to do different dressmaking and alteration tasks.https://www.facebook.com/groups/learntodressmakewithfrejadesignerdressmaking
