Hemming jeans

[via_ostiense]

Yesterday, I hemmed my first pair of pants! I followed this tutorial on keeping the original hem on jeans to hem a pair of C's jeans that were too long, and it went perfectly. They were straight leg and I took 2 1/8" off so now they fall in a smooth line down the back of his legs and break neatly on his shoes instead of puddling and rucking up around the calves. This fit of craftiness was precipitated by an afternoon of shopping in which neither of us found anything that fit, and I decided that well, if we couldn't find anything new, then at least I could make existing clothes fit better. I can't believe I once sent my jeans to the seamstress for hemming; now, I'll do it myself!





The hem isn't noticeable if you're not staring at the cuffs to determine whether the legs are the same length or not (they are). Copious ironing helps settle them down so that the seam recedes from the eye.

Comments

[all_adream]

I think it's great to be able to do your own hemming and details that otherwise cost way too much and often don't turn out the way you want--good for you.

[via_ostiense]

I agree--this time it took an hour and a half because I underestimated how much fabric needed to be taken off, and ripping the stitches out was tedious, and the portions with the side and inseams needed to be hand-stitched (poor sewing machine couldn't handle it). Next time, though, it'll be much faster, and it doesn't take much more time than having to make two trips to the seamstress.

[aerialmelodies]

Very nice! I've been teaching myself to sew for about a year now but haven't gotten into hemming yet. That may be something I need to learn as a 5 foot gal! Nice work! :)

[via_ostiense]

Thank you! I felt good when I finished and C was able to wear pants that fit properly. There's still a happy glow of accomplishment in my chest. Hemming jeans was much easier than I thought it'd be. This tutorial has the same instructions as the one linked in the post, but in the comments (#49, 213, 424) there are instructions for hemming flared jeans if you're removing a significant amount of material. Thought I'd mention that in case those are part of your wardrobe. Using a zipper foot definitely makes hemming easier.

[aerialmelodies]

The zipper foot is a godsend. I'm not sure I could have survived this long without it. It's great for so many things!

Thanks for the link! I'll have to bookmark it for whenever I am up to the task of hemming. :)

[redsnake05]

With the slightly frayed hem, you would never notice a tiny extra seam in there, right above the original. Even without the fraying, I doubt you'd see it; very neat work indeed.