How To Shorten Jeans And Keep The Original Hem

The Best Way To Hem Jeans That Are Too Long

I have thrifted many pairs of denim jeans for both myself and my kids over the years. Back when it felt like my kids had orchestrated a never-ending chain reaction of growth spurts, those thrifted jeans kept them clothed during a time when we could rarely afford to “splurge” on new clothes.

But while our thrifted jeans were affordable and got the job done, they rarely fit as well as we would have liked them to. For me, it was always an issue with the length. (Standard-length jeans are always too short for me, but long-length jeans are often a bit too long. Curse these slightly too-long legs!)

Related: Hack For Finding Jeans That Fit

Even though I’ve always been a fairly competent seamstress, I never bothered trying to hem jeans. Because let’s face it, even if you can find that signature gold thread, a newly constructed hem is never going to look as neat or professional as the original one.

It wasn’t until a few years ago that I learned about a way to hem jeans while preserving the original hem. While I can’t go back in time and save myself and my kids from our needlessly ill-fitting jeans, what I can do is pass this brilliant trick onto all of you. :-) I know you’ll find it just as useful as I have!

How To Hem Jeans (While Preserving The Original Hem)

You’ll need:

• Jeans
• Sewing machine
• Sewing pins
• Fabric marker*
• Clothes iron
• Scissors (optional)
• Fabric adhesive (optional)

*If you don’t have a special fabric marker or pencil, use chalk or a sliver of soap — it will wash right out!

Related: How To Make The Perfect Cut-Offs From An Old Pair of Jeans

Step 1 – Measuring & Pinning The Pants

Start by putting the jeans on so you can figure out where you want the new hem to be. (If you envision wearing a certain pair of shoes with this particular pair of jeans, wearing those can be helpful too!)

When you’ve decided where you want the new hemline to fall, fold the bottoms of your jeans up so that the existing hem lines up with where you want the new hem to go. Keep in mind that you’re going to sew right alongside the existing hemline, so it’s important to line it up correctly. Use chalk or soap to mark the fold so you don’t lose track of it when you take the pants off.

Once the bottoms are folded, take the jeans off. Make sure to line up the side seams of the jeans, then use sewing pins to pin the hem in place.

Step 2 – Sewing The Hem

Next, it’s time to sew! Thread your sewing machine with any thread you have on hand, since it won’t actually show when you’re done.

Carefully sew a straight line directly below the original hem. (I found that if I removed the front piece of my sewing machine, I could actually slip the pant leg around the sewing area and make the process much easier!)

Hem Jeans By Hand: You can also stitch this by hand with a sturdy needle and a double thread. In this case, use a dark thread close to the jeans color as hand stitching is more likely to show a tiny bit. Just stitch about an 1/8-inch away from the hem (see the photo above) to give the fabric room to fold.

Step 3 (Optional) – Remove Excess Fabric From The Hem

After you’ve sewn the new hemline, you have two options for the excess fabric. You can leave it alone, tuck it up into the pant leg, and proceed right on to Step 4.

The other option is to remove the excess fabric by cutting it off with scissors. If you choose to cut the excess fabric off, either use fabric adhesive or a zigzag stitch along the cut edge to prevent fraying.

Step 4 – Finish Up With A Press

Lastly, unfold the bottoms of your jeans and iron the hem down and the folded part up. (Don’t skip this step—it makes a huge difference!) Your jeans are now hemmed to perfection, and nobody will be any the wiser. :-)

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Have you ever tried hemming jeans before?