I am an avid "seamstress" when it comes to DIY projects. I may not be an expert, nor am I at the level of "I made this entire dress", but I'm slowly gaining new skills. That being said, I'm also short. This means that 9 out of 10 times I'm struggling with the idea of jeans. First off, jeans are an evil in this world and I've come to fully accept that. They are either:
- too tight in the thigh region but fit my waist
- perfect fitting in my thighs but too big in the waist
- a combination of being a perfect thigh fit and big in the waist, while being incredibly long
They aren't the most comfortable things in the entire world, they drive me bonkers, I'm constantly having to wear a belt, and they're expensive. And you wonder why I'm a "sweats and leggings" kind of girl.
That isn't to say I don't like jeans. They can be form fitting, compliment a nice outfit, and lead you to looking presentable - sweats aren't necessarily "good fashion" at church or a nice dinner. My big rule when it comes to jeans though - besides trying to find a fit that isn't too off - is the price. I refuse to pay full price for any pair of jeans, when Goodwill has hundreds I can feel guilt-free about altering.
A while back I wrote a post about some thrift jeans I had scored on (see that post HERE). They were a huge hit for me - normally over $100 brand new - so I immediately scooped them up. For the most part they fit, but I was left with the latter of my dilemma's: too long.
I struggled for a while trying to decide weather or not I'd just keep them as "roll up the ends" pants or truly attempt to hem them. I knew immediately I wouldn't be paying ANYONE to hem them, but I wasn't completely confident in doing it myself. Well after a few months of talking myself up and coming to the conclusion that I could always rip out the seams (so long as I didn't cut any fabric) and return them to their natural state without much harm at all. Can you guess what I tackled today?
That's right, I hemmed my own gosh darn jeans and guess what?! It turned out fantabulous and I couldn't be any prouder of myself!
Seeing how incredibly easy it was to make this transformation, I knew I had to share this quick and easy tip for you guys! So here it is: how to hem your pants quick, easy, and painless.
First you'll need:
- a sewing machine (you could do this by hand, but it's a tad easier with a machine)
- thread
- needle
- stitch ripper
- pins or clips (something to hold the fabric in place)
- measuring tape
- scissors
- iron
- jeans
Directions:
1. Put your pants on and fold your pants upwards to make a big cuff (don't fold it multiple times, only once) and measure how much you're wanting to "remove". Make sure you add about 1/4 inch more than what you think, to give yourself enough wiggle room. TRUST ME.
2. Clip the cuff - or pin carefully - all the way around, holding the pant leg in place while you remove the culprits.
3. Making sure that the seams are aligned and your machine - or needle and thread - is ready to go, put your jeans underneath your needle - if using a machine - and begin sewing AS CLOSE TO THE ORIGINAL SEAM AS POSSIBLE. This will hide the new seam with the original
Now, if you look closely at the pictures, you'll see that it looks like I'm pretty much just sewing the cuff in place. That's exactly what I'm doing. Just go with it and you'll see why in a second.
4. Once you got your first "cuff" sewn in place, try on the pants and push the cuff portion inside. Well look at that, you can't even tell now can you?!
5. When you're happy with your new hem - and it's length - repeat steps 1 through 4 for the other side.
6. With both hems complete, go ahead and CAREFULLY cut off the cuff. I repeat, be careful! You want to cut close to the new seam you've just sewn, but be aware that if you cut the actual seam it can all fall apart.
7. With the fabric disposed of, fold your new seam outwards - how it should look normally - and iron them down flat. This will help the seam to fold over, "seamlessly". See what I did there?
With my new found beauties and new found skill, I'm way more confident and feel like a whole new world has just opened up for me. I'm now able to extend my jean journey and if they're too long, I know how to whip those bad boys into shape. And now you can too!
It's amazing how a little time, patience, and "pinteresting" (I found this trick on Pinterest, but had to try it out for myself) can lead to great success!
All I can say now is, get out there and fix those once frustratingly long jeans Jedis! May the force - and needle - be with you all.
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