This method for taking up jeans keeps the original hem intact, so the “look” stays the same — no obvious re-hem line. It’s a handy trick if you’re dealing with family members of varying leg lengths and jeans that arrive in bulk (someone in this house hates shopping, so when it happens, it happens all at once).

Using this method, three pairs of jeans took about 10 minutes to take up.

HOW TO TAKE UP JEANS

What You’ll Need

  • Jeans to shorten
  • Pins
  • Sewing machine
  • Matching thread
  • Overlocker (optional)

Method

  1. Put the jeans on inside out and pin so the hem sits where you want the finished length to fall.
    Put on jeans inside out and pin so the hem sits where you want the finished length to be.
  2. Turn the jeans right way out, adjust the pins so the side seams line up, and stitch very close to the turn line.
    Turn the jeans in the right way, adjust the pins so the side seams line up and stitch very close to the turn line
  3. Deal with the excess fabric using one of two methods (see Notes): either cut it off and edge the seam, or fold it up and stitch through the side seams.
    Either cut off the excess material and edge
    OR fold up the excess fabric and stitch through the side seams
  4. Press the finished hem — it’s barely noticeable once ironed.
    This is un-ironed but it shows what the finished hem looks like. When pressed it is barely noticeable.

Notes

For the excess fabric, you’ve got two options. Cutting it off and zig-zagging the raw edge (or overlocking, if you can be bothered getting the machine out) is the quicker route. Alternatively, folding the excess up and stitching it through the side seams keeps a bit more structure — good for boot-cut jeans, but it can be too bulky for skinny styles.

Tags: sewing, mending, jeans, crafts, make and do