How To Hem Jeans And Keep Original Bottom
The importance of having Jeans fabrics with the right amount of length cannot overemphasized. The need to fold an excess part of your jeans, so it’s fit is quite clumsy and old-fashioned.
This aspect of our pants might seem trivial, but they tend to be of importance, especially when talking about well-fitted clothes. For someone who doesn’t like the fact that his/her jeans are too long, there are DIY techniques you can use to reduce them to the appropriate length without tampering with the original hem.
How To Hem Jeans And Keep Original Bottom
Contents
You should first try to figure out the amount of leg length you want to remove. You can do this by putting on the jeans and pin the excess length up. Next thing is measure half the excess and fold, then with the aid of a sewing machine stitch close the original hem. After sewing, cut off the excess fabric from the hemmed jeans.
Steps to Hem Jeans With the Original Hem
Most jeans fabric companies have a standard for hemming jeans in terms of the thread thickness and the stitch style they adopt. It is advisable to keep the original hem of your jeans as it key in achieving a professional look. It can be quite tricky to get the right length of jeans at stores, and as such, you might end up having to fold up the excess end. This need not be the case as the next few paragraphs will highlight steps in hemming your jeans while keeping the original bottom right at the comfort of your home.
To carry out this activity, you need some items which should be at your disposal;
- Sewing pins or safety pins.
- Measuring tape.
- Sewing machine.
- Heavy-duty thread matched to pant color.
- Heavy-duty/ Denim needle.
- Iron.
To get started with hemming your excess jeans, try on the jeans, and find out how much of the legs you need to cut off, let someone help you pin the cuffs where you want them. Take off the pants and then measure the length of the pants. If the length is 6″, then you want to fold the cuffs around 3″ up the pant leg. Repeat for the second leg. Try your pants and make sure the cuff line is where you want it to be.
Step 1
Take the jeans off and turn the inside out. Measure from the top of your original hem to your fold. Take this calculation and split it in half.
Step 2
Take out all your pins and switch the jeans to the right side. Adjust your hem to your new measurement and pin in place. Ensure that the size is taken at every pin location to ensure that the hem is even and consistent.
Step 3
Sew a straight stitch similar to the current hem using your heavy-duty needle and matching thread. If your device can change the angle of the sewing needle to ensure that you get close to the original hem, that would be better. Check your manual to see if your machine can do that. Remove the pins while you bind them. Overlap stitching around 1⁄2 inch as you finish your hem.
Step 4
When you’re done, you’ll note how much excess of fabric you have. Cut it all off below the stitch you just made or you could leave it if the jeans are for your kids. This way, you ensure that even if the outgrow it, you can unhem and resize.
If you have a Serger sewing machine, use it to give the raw edge an excellent finish that prevents it from fraying or better still a zig-zag stitch will preserve the edges.
Step 5
The final step is to straighten out the surface with the aid of an iron. Now your jeans is fully hemmed without any alteration to the original hem.
If you want to sew by hand, then it is preferable to use a backstitch. It is straightforward and cost-effective too. You can also use a hemming tape but make sure it’s heavy-duty. The Heat N Bond Super Strength Hem Tape for pant hems is highly recommended for this purpose. Use the manufacturer’s manual to get the direction of use and press with the iron.
How to Hem Your Jeans By Hand
If you don’t have access to a sewing machine, then you can also try the hand stitching method, which is quite easy. If you are conversant with the standard hand stitching techniques, then it is even more suitable than using a sewing machine.
All the items you need have been highlighted in the last subheading, excluding a sewing machine.
- When wearing your jeans, make a mark with a fabric marker or use a safety pin to stretch one leg to the appropriate length and then secure.
- Take off the jeans while ensuring that the pins are not removed. Now measure the pinned amount with tape and mark out with a fabric marker.
- Turn the jeans inside out and ensure to leave excess fabrics that can be folded twice. This is to leave room for allowance.
- Turn the excess fabric to the inside of the leg, fold over the marked lines, and pin the fold to the spot. Then thread your needle with appropriate matching color and knot the end.
- Begin stitching around the folded region, for a strong backstitch, move the needle to the fabric layer at the point where you want to start.
- Continue to stitch around the cuff in a line. Seek to maintain the same distance from the edge, but the line doesn’t have to be completely straight. Holding true to the initial seam ensures that the new hem would be less visible.
- You can either cut off the excess fabric or leave it. Iron-press and your denim is all ready.
This stitch technique is easily reversible and requires a little above one-hour of work. Remember to do a double stitch around the area where the stitching started to reinforce it.
How to Use A Hem Tape For Your Jeans
Just like iron-on fabrics, the hem tape ensures that you can attach to pieces of cloth together firmly without the hassle of using a needle and thread.
Place the double-sided adhesive strip between two pieces of fabric and apply high heat to the hem pants easily and securely. Depending on the form of adhesive used, the glue may or may not come off easily, and this method of hemming is ideally suited to garments that do not shrink or need modifications later on. The Heat N Bond Super Strength Hem Tape was initially recommended because of its high adhesion property.
If you need to re-modify your jeans, then this method might not be the most suitable. Although they can be removed, the effect could be damaging on your fabric.
If you need to remove the hem tape from your jeans, then you can do the following;
- You need a Terry cloth towel, Electric iron, Acetone nail polish remover, and cotton balls.
- Use the steam iron to press the hem-tape area of your fabric in small sections to heat it evenly.
- Separate the seam to expose the hem tape and immediately pull off the seam tape before it cools off and do this for all parts where the hem tape could be present.
- Remove any stuck hem tape with the terry cloth towel by placing the sheet above the area, and steam heating, the texture of the towel will attract the stuck hem tape.
- You can remove the glue by rubbing a cotton ball soaked in nail polish remover over the glue. Try the remover on the part of the fabric to ensure that it won’t damage the fabric of your jeans.
The residue left by the tape shows up more on darker fabrics. Unless the area where hem tape was removed can be concealed within the material, you do not need to remove the residual adhesive after the tape has been removed.
In all, you are finally able to hem that excess fabric from your jeans without tampering with the original bottom.
Related Questions
What stitch is used to hem jeans?
The best stitch to hem jeans is with a regular zig-zag stitch sewing machine, or with a serger on the bottom. You’ll need to tie the jeans with a 1⁄2 inch seam allowance around on both sides.
Can you hem jeans waist?
Yes, it is possible to hem the waist of jeans. An experienced tailor can nip the waistband while ensuring not to take the jeans more than 1-1.5″ of the abdomen.
Crafting has always been a deep-seated passion of mine, one that has flourished and evolved over the years.
I've dedicated considerable time to both studying and practicing in the realm of fashion and sewing, amassing a wealth of experience and skills.
It brings me great joy to share these insights and experiences with you all, hoping to inspire and foster a similar passion for the art of sewing.
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