Hemming Jeans made easy|Hem by saving the original hem

Do you find a great pair of jeans, but realize they have a fancy hem? and you are too short? This is a huge frustration when you are short. I can show you how to save that beautiful hem and make your jeans look like they have never been shortened.

How to measure the length you want your jeans

Try on your jeans, wearing the shoe heel you wear most of the time. Have someone help you mark the length of where you would like the bottom to be. Make sure to allow a 1/2 inch of shrinkage—don’t mark them too short.

• Measure–after your friend has turned the fabric up and pinned the length for you, measure from the fold to the bottom of the original hem. You will take the measurement and divide it in two. For example: if the jeans are 3 inches too long, your answer is1 1/2 inches *** 3 inches divided by 2 = 1 1/2 inches
• Fold –-the jeans up, right sides together, and measure from the fold to the original hem stitching, 1 1/2 inches. DO NOT measure from the fold to the bottom of the hem. Again, it is from the fold to the stitching (the light colored wrong side of the denim). I do teach this in Beginner Basics sewing class.
• Place pins to prepare to sew. Make sure to change your sewing machine needle to a Top Stitch needle (size 14). Using a matching thread, like medium gray (for lighter denim colors) or black (for dark denim), you will stitch right next to the original hem on the wrong side.
• Trim the fold, leaving a 3/8 inch (approximately) above the sewing line you just created. If your hemming fold is already 3/8 inch or 1/2inch to the fold, you will skip this step.
• Choose an overlock stitch or zigzag stitch on your sewing machine to overcast the raw edge. Check your sewing machine manual for basic stitches for your machine.
• Turn the jeans to the right side. Make sure if your denim is dark to use a dark navy or black for this step. If your denim is lighter or faded, use a medium gray. Press the raw edge up towards the jeans and away from the hemline.
• Topstitch–On the right side, topstitch close to the sewing line you created. Make sure to stitch close to the original stitching of the jeans, but NOT on top of the original stitching, so your new topstitch is barely noticeable. On the side seams, make sure to take a few stitches vertically, to hold the bulk of this hem.

Finishing

You should be proud of yourself! If you made it through the steps, you have tackled a tough job. Now you can shop with confidence when buying jeans .

Happy shopping!