How to Hem Jeans {And Keep The Original Hem} Tutorial
Tell me you don’t have at least one pair of jeans sitting in your closet, waiting to be hemmed. You don’t want to pay someone to hem the jeans for you, but aren’t quite confident in your hemming skills. Hence, the jeans continue to sit… Sound familiar?! It’s time to learn how to hem jeans, my favorite way!
No more excuses! Give your wardrobe and your confidence a boost by hemming them yourself! This easy method of how to hem jeans is both fast and easy, and even allows you to keep the original hem. Once you learn how to hem jeans and keep the original hem, you’ll never turn back!
Before you know it, you may even find yourself altering your jeans from bootcut to skinny or straight!
Got 15 minutes? You’re golden.
Why Hem your Own Jeans?
Out of all the benefits of learning to sew, being able to shorten your own jeans is one of the most handy benefits! Rather than taking your jeans to a tailor every time you need to have them shortened, you can easily learn to alter them yourself, saving both time and money.
Once you learn how easy it is, you’ll be able to have your jeans shortened in less time than it would take you to drive to and from the tailor shop.
Why Hem Jeans with the Original Hem?
The reason I love this method is that you’ll be able to learn how to hem jeans without losing the original look of the factory hem. Jeans often come with a slightly distressed hem, and this is created through a process that is tricky to replicate at home (although not impossible, which I’ll save for another post ;)).
You’ll also be able to keep the original stitching look, and no one will notice that they were altered at all! Perfect inseam lengths rejoice!
If you’re not up for the “chop them off and let the raw edge fray” kind of hemming, this method is for you. It leaves you with a new hem that looks just like the original, and is a fun DIY project that you’ll be proud of.
Is it Difficult to Hem Jeans?
It likely won’t surprise you that I’m going to answer this question with a big NO! All it takes to hem jeans is a pair of too-long jeans, a sewing machine that can sew a straight stitch (spoiler alert, that’s any home machine!), a heavy duty needle (using a needle smaller than a 14/16 will likely give you grief and can turn this easy process into a frustrating one), and basic sewing supplies like a measuring tape or ruler, pins, and scissors.
You can learn to hem jeans even if you’re a beginner. The trickiest part is being comfortable sewing through the bulky layers, but a little patience and sewing slowly will go a long way. Just follow these instructions closely and you’ll see just how easy it is!
Get your confidence with hemming jeans, and you’ll be sewing your own blanket hoodie before you know it.
What Style of Jeans are Best to Shorten while Keeping the Original Hem?
While this is my favorite go-to method for hemming jeans, because it involves creating a fold using the excess fabric at the hem, it works best on jeans that don’t have a large difference in circumference between the hem and where you’d like them shortened to, such as straight legged jeans.
Skinny jeans and bootcut jeans can still often be hemmed this way, especially if the denim has a bit of stretch, but you may want to consider altering the width of the legs first to be more straight if there’s a large taper on the leg one way or the other.
You can see that the jeans pictured in this tutorial were bootcut and because there was some stretch to the fabric, the excess width was easily eased in while sewing which worked well.
How To Hem Jeans
Materials:
Your favorite pair of too-long jeans!
Measuring Tape or ruler
Size 16 denim needle (I like to use these needles
(affiliate link) for stitching through the multiple layers of denim)
Sewing machine – I always recommend this one for beginners – check out all the great reviews!
Thread – match the color to the denim fabric, not the original hem color as we want it to blend right into the fabric
Zipper foot (optional but ideal!)
Basic sewing supplies – pins, fabric scissors
Instructions:
1. Ready to learn how to hem jeans? First, try on your jeans and fold the hem up (right sides together) to the length that you’d like your finished hem. Remember to wear a pair of shoes that you would normally wear with the jeans. If you wear sneakers most often, throw on a pair. If you like to wear wedges, go with those.
2. Take off your jeans and use a measuring tape or ruler to measure from the bottom fold to the bottom of the original hem (Measurement A). Also measure the height of the original hem, from the original hem edge to the folded edge near the stitching. In this case it’s 1/2″ (Measurement B).
3. Divide Measurement A from step 2 by 2. Example: I folded my jeans up 2 inches in step 1, and divided that 2 inch measurement by 2 to get 1 inch.
Divide Measurement B from step 2 from by 2. Example: 1/2″ / 2 = 1/4″
Add these two numbers together (1 1/4″ in my case) and, measuring from the inside edge of the original hem, create a fold at that measurement. Pin in place.
Note: Many online tutorials will simply tell you to divide measurement A in half and fold up that amount, but that doesn’t account for the original hem that will be turned down once the hem is finished, and your pants will always be approximately 1/2″ (or the width of the original hem) longer than you were trying to achieve. The math above will result in your pants being the intended length, I promise!
4. Continue pinning each pant leg at same measurement as in step 3, until both hems are completely pinned.
6. Turn folded seam allowance to inside of jean legs and try your jeans on to make sure you’re happy with the new length! If they seem a little long or short, it’s not too late to grab the seam ripper and make adjustments.
7. Press the folded edges upward toward the inside of each jean leg. If you had to hem a large amount from your jeans (I’d say greater than an inch or so), you may prefer to trim the inside cuff/folded edge and use a serger or zig zag stitching on the raw edges to reduce bulk.
You can also sew a couple of hand stitches at each side seam on the inside of each leg to tack the folded edges in place if you’d like.
Make sure to press each jean leg from the outside with steam as well to give a nice clean hemline.
Thanks for the tutorial! I just did this to a pair of jeans last week, but was afraid to hem too much. So, I ended up hemming too little and they’re still too long. The thought of unpicking all that sewing is not appealing. I’ll probably leave them. Grr.
Always best, when sewing (found this out myself) to start out with largest basting option, then when you try on and see you need more or less length, you can remove thread easily. I usually do an odd color so it can be seen better when removing. Then if it’s perfect just use the color that matches and use the tighter sewing option!
Where’s the like button!
Brilliant thanks!
What a great idea! Whenever I hem my jeans the new hem never looks worn and faded like the original hem. Thanks for sharing! I am off to try it!
Thanks for sharing this idea. I’ve been sewing for 35 years, and I never once thought of doing it this way. Excellent!
too funny, I have a post half written on this exact trick! Mine isn’t as pretty as yours, love the shot of the hem/shoes, so looks like I’ll put off posting this!
http://itssewforyou.blogspot.com
Awesome!
awesome! I have actually done this one, too! I am not short by any means, but sometimes I find nice namebrand jeans sold for dirt cheap on ebay that are ‘tall’… no problemo, I can fix that! :D I actually did this and another trick to turn tall bootcut London Jeans I bought for .99 on ebay(win) into white skinnies to go with the current trend. (and my fav thing is that I am gonna dye those suckers so hard once the trend passes. win/win/win.)
It’s funny that something so simple is so exciting! I am really excited to try this. My jeans are always to long and I never knew a great way to hem them. Thank you so much for sharing.
Wow! so simple but so brilliant! thanks for sharing!
Neat idea, even a bachelor could do this! Thanks for sharing on Show-Me-How.
What a great idea! I’ve always just made a new hem, but it’s never the same. Thanks for sharing!
OMG –brilliant!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! I have a pair of jeans that I LOVE but I’m afraid I’m going to ruin because I keep stepping on them. This seriously makes me so happy :)
Super cool! Thank you for this useful bit of info and the great pics too. I had a friend ask me a couple of weeks ago to hem a pair of jeans and I had to say no :( I have jeans that I can’t wear because they’re too long, so excuse me while I go dig them out!
that is awesome!! My girls are so short and they are always wanting their jeans hemmed. This is the way it’s going to happen next time.
I sew all sorts of things… but hemming jeans always makes me nervous. So like you said, they sit in a neat pile awaiting my confidence level boost. This was a great post – thanks for sharing!
Clever idea–wish I could put it to use, but I don’t ever have this problem! Any ideas for lengthening jeans? It’s a much harder nut to crack. ;)
When my daughter was younger she only grew up,not around. I took several pairs of her jeans and added lace to the bottom.
Thanks for the tutorial. You make it look so easy. I may just bite the bullet and try it. :-)
Just a quick note to let you know that a link to this post will be placed on CraftCrave today [21 Jun 01:00am GMT]. Thanks, Maria
Wow -so easy thanks, I just paid ( feeling very guilty)to have a pair hemmed like this – no excuse next time. The pair I had done were very dark denim and the shop also stitched in matching dark blue thread above the original hem to keep the pressed bit to stay put which looks good too.
love this! thank you for sharing!!!
I have some jeans that need this and now i know how!!1
This is great for kids’ jeans, I always buy a size or 2 up for my daughter, I can just rip the hem out when she pops up an inch!
This is brilliant! Thanks for sharing in easy step-by-step photos and instructions!1
I just wanted to tell you that I love your red chair! Random comment..I know. :)
–SaraLyn
Just a quick note to let you know that a link to this post will be placed on CraftCrave today [22 Jun 01:00am GMT]. Thanks, Maria
Very cool! Thanks for sharing that, I have about 10 prs of pants to hem for my very petite Mom!
I’ve seen this before and I love it. I taught my mom to do it! Fortunately & unfortunately, I don’t have this problem b/c my pants are usually too short, but I do pass along the tip to anyone who mentions that they need to do it!
THANK YOU! As a tiny (in height) person I alway need to hem. You will be saving us money- now that I can hem my own jeans.
I’m so short I need to hem all of my pants, including my jeans. The photos really helped in your tute. I’ve read others but really needed the visual to get it. Thanks!
Great tip! Have you had trouble with the hem peeking out?
As a matter of fact I do have a pair of jeans in my closet that I was going to hem today. Thanks such a timely tutorial. I LIKE!
Love this idea and I’m only 5’4″ so I’m constantly needing my jeans hemmed! I would also LOVE if you would link up your project to our {{What I Made Wednesday}} linky party…it’s going on now! And, I’m your newest follower! =)
~Briana
sweetpeasandbb.blogspot.com
I’m in the minority here, but why would you hem jeans this way? There’s a lot of extra bulk and stiffness with that extra fabric there. If you don’t trim off the extra tucked fabric, you end up with an internal cuff. Unless the pants are absolutely straight at the bottom, it can’t possibly lay flat inside the pants leg because it will either have a larger or smaller circumference. It will affect the way the hem hangs. It’s more noticeable than a neat, compact normal jeans hem. It’s ok for a quick fix but I’d never consider leaving it this way.
I agree with the bulk…other website show this done the same exact way EXCEPT you can cut off that excess. It’s much smoother that way.
This way is great for kids who are growing taller. Seems every month or two some children sprout so high, their jeans are now short. This is the easy way to not have to buy new pants every few months. I know I can’t afford that. as long as you iron good and tack the folded edge up, they never come flopping out. I guess for those rich people, new jeans all the time work for their kids. Most of us, not! If they get too short, they become shorts capris or shorts. The way shown in this tutorial works great on everything but wide flared pants, or skinny jeans. Neither of which our daughter isn’t allowed to wear. :)
Mrs. Tommie – Hemming jeans this way does add bulk, but for me personally, nothing that makes the jeans sit differently at the hem or changes the way they appear or feel when wearing. As I mentioned in the tutorial, you can always trim the folded edge and serge or zigzag it to reduce some bulk. And as long as the jeans aren’t super flared, the difference in circumference shouldn’t be enough to cause any problems, especially with the bit of stretch that most jeans have now. I encourage you to give this method a try, you just might surprise yourself and love it :)!
Wish I knew tip years ago. I can’t wait to try it out.
Thanks so much.
Diane
Hello—
Popped over from Just A Girl.
Clever idea. A keeper!
Melinda
I’ve been frustrated with too-long jeans for years – I always leave them in the store rather than pay someone to hem them. This is an amazing new trick. Thanks for sharing at Paisley Passions. I “followed” your blog while here :)
This is great Abby!
Thanks for the tutorial!! I am so short and I can never find jeans on sale because they are too long. Just got a sewing machine and this will help!
Thank you! I had a pair of jeans I bought a YEAR ago, and I hadn’t hemmed. it was so easy and I wore my year old-brand-new jeans today!
I love the way you have hemmed your geans, you have made a difficult job easy. Thanks for posting.
Nicely done!!!
Unfortunitly, I have the opposite problem! I have a hard time finding jeans long enough for me!
Ashley
http://www.simplydesigning.blogspot.com
I truly wish I ever had the problem of my jeans being too long :) but your method is so very creative! Maybe I can create some floods or capris from some of my too short jeans instead :)
Thanks for this great post. I’ve heard of this method, but had never quite pictured it. Now I know how I’ll hem up all my daughters new school pants (she’s a shorty, poor girl.)
My friend just tried this and loves this!
I found your post today and bet my husband I could hem my new jeans in 15 minutes and still have them look good. He gladly took the bet because he knew there was no way. Boy, was he shocked when I did it. This post made my whole day and since I am 5’2″ probably changed my life! Thanks!!!!!!!
I’d never heard of this method before. Great idea!! Thanks for sharing.
Can’t believe I have been paying a tailor all these years when it could be done this simply! No more waiting a week to wear new jeans!!!
My son is a dwarf, or “little person.” He will only be 4’6″ when he’s done growing. I forsee many years of hemming jeans in my future. :) Thanks so much for this tutorial, and all the wonderful photographs you included. I will be turning to it many times in the years to come!
Thank you for sharing this. I hem jeans for my husband all the time. But I always cut the original seam. Now I won’t need to.
Do you have any info about the super-cute brown flats in the picture? I have been thinking about them for DAYS .
Thanks for adding this section! I now have 2 pairs of jeans that look great and I wont trip over. :)
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Oh my holy cheesecake! I totally found this, and I bought some cute grey pants yesterday that are too long! Thanks so much for the tutorial!! ♥
My friend sent me this link a few weeks ago so as soon as I got my zipper foot in the mail I tried it. OMG so easy!!!!! I am 5ft tall and not one single pair of pants fit me right. This is a lifesaver! I am waiting to trim the leftovers until I understand my serger but plan to trim some (I had to go up 3″ before folding in half!!)
I scored a way too long pair of $70 pants on clearance for $9. Planned to have them hemmed professionally but saw this and gave it a shot. This method works GREAT. It literally took me less than 10 minutes to do both legs, and there is no weird visible bulk or bulge. Now my clearance pants are even MORE of a bargain! Thank you! Will be featuring this on my blog.
This is absolutely wonderful. I have this great – but too long – pair of jeans since summer and I dreaded hemming them. Now I know how to do it – thank you!
Thank you so very much! Going to try this tomorrow.
THANK YOU!THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I have been just cutting the hem off and letting it fray when they’re too long. This is genius!! Thanks again!
Hi, Just wanted to say a huge thanks for this tutorial. I just hemmed two pairs of jeans and it worked a treat! I’ve always hated how ‘altered’ jeans look with a new hemline, so I’ve actually got better results by doing it myself than I used to get by taking them to the tailor and paying! Thanks so much.
I love you! I just hemmed my first pair of jeans, I always used the sticky iron tape, well no more thanks to you!
Can you put up a picture of how to trim off the bulk from the inside. My jeans need about 6 inches or more cut off. Thanks… Great site!
what u do when the inside is too large do u cut it off
I love you. :) I just used your very easy-to-follow instructions and whipped out a hem job on some jeans that have been driving me crazy. Thank you so much!
I’ve saved this comment from my blog and I’m going to attempt to do it tomorrow! Cross your fingers for me!
Thank you so much for this! I’m 5’0″ and always have to hem even short length jeans. I bought myself some expensive Silver jeans, and the shop where I bought them told me about hemming this way. They send stuff out to be hemmed like this, but I didn’t want to pay someone to do it. Your tutorial is perfect! I always hate cutting off the real hem of jeans because it takes way some of the style. I posted a link to this on my Facebook page.
I did it!! http://www.desireesdaydreams.com/2012/03/vera-wang-in-hizzouse.html
Great idea! I have a pair of slacks that I picked up at a yard sale that this trick might work for, too. :)
This is awesome – thanks so much for sharing your tutorial. I hemmed my maternity jeans finally tonight and they look super! Thought I’d better get them done while I can still wear them, lol.
I am hemming a pair for my grand daughter and need to take quite a bit off. Because they were a boot cut I have a large amount of extra from old hem to new. Any suggestions for this. On one pair I opened the side seem and took of the excess.
Anon – With your case, I’d do it just how you did the other pair – open up the side seam and take it in so there’s not so much taper in the leg. Good luck!
I would love to know what sewing machine you use? I am currently looking to buy a new machine that will stand up to denim as hemming my jeans is what I will mainly be using it for.
Laura – I have a Janome Decor Excel. I’ve had it for 8 years now, and it has been great! It does a great job through thick layers :).
You’re a star! I just hemmed my first ever pair of jeans, despite being 27 years old & owning a sewing machine, I have always got Mum to do it or paid someone else. This time my $15 jeans remained $15 total! They look fab. Thank you from a very happy Kiwi :)
Wow! I’m a beginning sewer but was able to follow your tutorial and hemmed my jeans in about ten minutes. Thanks so much for the clear instructions and great pictures.
This is great! I just have to ask if there’s a specific feature of sewing machine that can alter/hem jeans. I do not own one and was thinking of buying since I have lots of jeans who needs adjustment.thanks again.
It worked. Very happy with the results! Even managed to do the job without a zipper foot (my machine is ancient!) and I didn’t break a thing!
Thanks for the excellent tutorial Abby.
From Abi! (UK)
can dress pants be hemmed this way. if not, do u have a simple method to hem them.
I’ve been hemming pants for years, and this was by far the easiest way to do it. It was also nice that you could undo it instead of hoping you didn’t cut off too much fabric. Thanks for the great tutorial!
Do you have ANY idea how many pairs of jeans I’ve hemmed in my life?? For sure every pair my son ever purchased! Thank you SO MUCH for this tutorial!! :)
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!! I just hemmed a pair of jeans this afternoon, and they look a million times better than the rubbish job I did before. The hem is hardly visible, and the line of the bootleg style is maintained …. unlike before. Thank you SOOOOO much!!
I printed this out and got my grandmother to hemm my jeans this way for me! I don’t have a sewing machine :/ could I do this by hand?
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!
just used this method to hem up my hubby’s pants. LOVE it! thanks for the great tute! he will be so impressed!! ;)
Thank you for this tutorial! I’m only 5′ tall, and finding jeans that fit is near impossible.
I really like you shorties! Call me. We’ll talk jeans and stuff.
Thank you, amazing job! This was the information I required.
Oh my goodness! I cannot thank you enough! I read your post, ran and got the sewing machine and tada! My jeans are wearable for Thanksgiving weekend! And they look amazing!!! Tons of hugs going your way!!! BY
My first sewing project and it turned out great! Only problem I had was accidentally sewing the leg closed on my first try (easily remedied). My point is, your instructions were so great that even a dummy like myself could understand your tutorial! Thanks so much! lOl!
Thank you!!! Read this a while ago, but did it twice today! I am tall and always envied short girls who can find pants to fit and only have to 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. Perfect! My son could not even see the seam – he could not understand what I had done until I showed him the inside.
Thank you for sharing! You are a genius!
Thanks for the tip! It worked great! I bought a pair of $80 herring bone pants for $20 but they were too long. You can’t even tell that they are hemmed. Great tutorial! The pics really helped.
Such a great post!! Does this method also work for hemming skinny jeans?
My daughter needed her jeans shortened. She said her stepmom did her daughters some way it did not show & still had the orginal seam I googled it & found yours to be the easiest way. Took me about 20 min of my time Very easy. THANKS!!!!
Thanks so much! Saved me a $15 trip to the tailors, which would have cost just as much as my jeans.
If you ever have the time, could you post a follow up tutorial on how to cut out the extra part of the jeans if it’s too long? I know in this tutorial you mentioned it but it would help immensely if you included some pictures on how to sew/cut it.
Either way, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the easy-to-follow guide! I usually have the opposite problem, jeans which are too short, but I just found a pair on the cheap that were perfect besides being way too long. I took them up to where they needed to be and they look great :)
This comment has been removed by the author.
I really love your blog. You are a wonderful teacher. Thanks for making seemingly hard sewing tasks simple. I have learned so much from you. You are my go to site for all things sewing.
Thanks!
Melissa from Colorado :-)
What do I do if the hem of the jeans is smaller in circumference than the jean fabric around the thigh (where I cut the fabric)? The fabric is bunching up “inside” the hem (I just have them pinned right now). What can I do?
Liz – If you’re getting a lot of bunching, this technique may not be the best for your pair of jeans. Are you making your jeans into shorts? To compensate for the difference, you would need to take in the side seam (outer would be best as you won’t have to unpick topstitching)so that it’s closer in circumference to the hem.
I just picked up a couple pairs of amazing Levi’s at the local thrift. My usual problem of too long jeans. Def trying this. Any tips for those of us who have no sewing machine?
I have a pair of jeans that were hemmed this way professionally. Unfortunately, within six months the hemmed up fabric left a white line at the top of the hem. Any way to avoid that happening, now that I’ve returned to sewing and hem my own pants and jeans?
This is an absolutely fabulous idea…..this technique however will only work with straight leg jeans. If you bring up a part of the pant leg that is flared, the inside hidden hem won’t lie flat and can look bulky. Love the idea though! :-)
This is my FIRST project with my sewing machine…and it turned out great!! Great tutorial!! Thank you!
Thank you, thank you, thank you
Thanks Much!!!! This is saving me lots of money
Thank for the info, great Blog,,, it really helps. great job!
http://jandkretailer.webs.com/
After reviewing several “how to” hem jeans tutorials, yours has proven to be the clearest and simplest to follow! Thanks for the help! The jeans (which have been in my sewing pile for months due to fear of messing them up)are now hemmed beautifully!
Merci beaucoup pour ce tuto !!! Grâce à vous, je fais des ourlets à tous nos pantalons pour le plus grand plaisir de tout ma famille ! J’adore tout ce que vous faites, votre blog est un bonheur à lire !
Thanks for sharing this tutorial. I am short and almost never find a pair of jeans that fit properly. Now I do!!
Have used this tutorial to hem my jeans/jog pants many times All been OK, now my daughters/grandchildren have found me out, looks like an going part of my D.I.Y Jobs
No problem great tutorial
Cheers
DaveM
THIS IS GREAT! Just did this on a new pair of jeans and I can’t believe it was so easy! Start to finish was less than 30 minutes too! Thank you!!!
Yay! Great job!
Wow, I just shortened a pair of my jeans that I have been rolling up. They turned out wonderful!!! I have one leg that is .5 inch shorter than the other and I even accommodated for the shorter leg. Thanks so much for posting this tutorial. Blessings.
I just started sewing and this is a great tutorial and one of the first things I’m going to try! I do have one question…why are you taking the measurement and dividing it by 2? I mean, why did you only sew 1″ hem when you first rolled up your pants 2″? I don’t quite understand how that works out. Thanks for your help, keep posting.
I know it’s a little hard to imagine how it will work out, but it will! Since you’ll be sewing a “flap” with two sides, you have to divide the measurement by two. I promise it will work out!
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. The fabric is a thin burnout velvet, and the lining is only attached at two places at the bottom. Do you think this original hem method would work for my project? I would just cut the lining and hem it in the traditional way, and I know I would need to cut out the five inches of ‘flap’ inside. Is this the best way to undertake this shortening?
Awesome! I have seen this done, but your instructions make it so much more clear to me. Thank you for posting this. I’ve always hemmed the old fashioned way, and paid for tailors to hem my designer jeans when I want to keep the original hem. Duh!! Sharing on Pinterest, Facebook etc… You rock!
Thank you! Worked like a charm!
This is a very good tutorial! Thank you. You are brilliant!
Thank you so much for the tutorial! I tried other technique, the onewhere you cut hem with some fabric and then sew it at desired length. But it was so hard to match side seams! And this one is so easy, just finished hemming my Tory Burch jeans. I took hem length into account though. Thanks again for the wonderful tutorial, it’s always not only about the idea how to do stuff, but also about the way it’s presented. Pictures and instructions are done perfectly!
Just tried this out – LOVE it. 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. I just felt goofy, especially going to work at a clothing store, not having jeans that properly fit.
Now they do! ^_^
Thanks for sharing this. Tried it on my new boot cut jean and it worked like magic. Easier than cutting and stitching new hem and also retains the funky edge of original hem. Can’t thank you enough :)
You can also learn the European method and avoid the extra fold inside the bottom of the leg.
Love this! Have hated to hem and the look of cut/hem jeans for years. Just tried this one with a need to shorten by 2.5″, folded to 1.25″ and followed the instructions. Looks really good, have not worn to eee how the fold under feels yet but so far so good. I may tack the fold up to the seams since it is 1.25″. Thanks for sharing this one.
wow..thanks so much! never done a hem before…luv that u can leave original hem…they don’t look at all like they’ve been hemmed. I didn’t want to cut them in case son gets taller, but not wider…unskilled and no machine so took me forever, but still proud….I don’t totally get step #7. picture might help cause kids foot did get stuck on the 2″ upfold when trying on…
I can’t believe Inever thought of this.iI buy short or petite jeans and still have to hem a lot of them. I have several that need hemming right now. Can’t wait to try this. Thank you so much
This is especially helpful having kids that could grow into some jeans bought a little longer for them to grow into. I used to do that for my children – and guess what – they are doing it now for my grandkids
I’ve never hemmed jeans before, and now I feel like a freakin’ rock star! Thank you!!
This method worked GREAT! Thanks for the tutorial! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures
How do you shorten the skinny jeans? the circumference of the original hem is shorter than the one of the new cut? I have to shorten about 4″ .
Hi! If you need to shorten your jeans 4″, as you mentioned there will likely be a difference in circumference. If your jeans have some stretch to the denim, you may be able to ease the difference in circumference without it being noticeable. If you feel like there may be ripples or it won’t nicely stretch to fit the larger/smaller circumference, you might prefer a more traditional hemming method. Hope that helps!
I used this tutorial to hem a pair of jeans about four years ago. I’m so glad I saved it in my bookmarks. I’m going to use it to hem another pair I just bought today. Thanks!
How does this work with articles of clothing, such as t-shirts?
It would produce a different result on a t-shirt due to the knit fabric vs denim – I would recommend a regular hem for best results on a t-shirt :).
This is amazing! I liked your tutorial. But can I apply these methods in skinny jeans? Thank you for sharing this.
Cool! Thank you!
Laura