I wanted to shorten my jeans for a long time, but I didn’t want to just cut them off and lose that original hem look. You know, that nice finished edge that comes with them? I like how it looks and didn’t want to mess it up.
So, I did some digging around and found out it’s totally possible to keep that original hem while still getting the length I wanted. It’s a bit more work than just chopping them off, but totally worth it in my opinion.
Here’s what I did:
- First, I put on the jeans and figured out exactly how much shorter I wanted them. I folded the bottom up until I got the right length, and then I used a bunch of safety pins to hold the fold in place all the way around. It took a bit of adjusting to make sure the length was even on both legs, but it’s important to get it right.
- Next, I had my roommate help me out here. I carefully took the pants off, and on a flat surface, measured the new length that I wanted. And used a pencil to mark the new length around the legs.
- Then, I took a deep breath and cut the jeans about an inch below the original hemline. This extra fabric is what I needed to keep the original hem. I know, cutting your jeans can be scary, but trust me, it’s going to be okay!
- After that, I used a seam ripper to carefully remove the original hem from the fabric I just cut off. I took my time with this part because I didn’t want to damage the hem. It’s a bit fiddly, but with a little patience, it’s not too bad.
- Once I had the original hem free, I pinned it to the new raw edge of my jeans, making sure the right sides were facing each other. Then, using my sewing machine, I stitched the hem back onto the jeans, right along the original stitch line.
And that’s it! I now have jeans that are the perfect length for me, and they still have that cool original hem. It’s like magic! I’m so happy with how they turned out, and I’m definitely going to do this again with other jeans.
