I am short. There is no other way to put it. I’m barely 5′ tall. I think I’ve only bought two pairs of used jeans in my life that were already hemmed to my length…ever…in my life!
My mom always hemmed my pants, even as I got older. Then, I started taking them in to a shop for alterations to keep the original hem which cost me $20/pair. I love how the original hem looks so I paid it. Well, recently I’ve tried a few different techniques and I’ve found one I really like. This is the tutorial I followed How to hem jeans
I started with a pair of new (used) jeans that fit great everywhere but in length.
I measured and pinned the jeans to the length I wanted them.
I needed to take off 4″ from the hem so I measured just over 2″ and pinned, measuring before pinning each time. Do not include the original hem when measuring. You’ll need to decide how much you want to take off then divide it in half and pin all the way around.
Now, sew very closely to the original hem, sewing to the right side of the hem. I reinforced this stitch and sewed around the hem twice because I wear jeans every day and need them durable.
Next, I cut off the excess. You can choose to keep it, especially if you’re hemming children’s jeans who may later need the length. I haven’t grown since 7th grade so I opted to cut off the excess material.
.
After, I ironed the hem to help it lay smoothly.
And now i have a great pair of jeans that aren’t drowning my ankles in fabric.
Optional: I prefer to do a top stitch right above the original hem to keep the bottom from rolling up after washing. This really does the trick (I’m way too busy/lazy to iron them each time) and this extra step keeps them flat. Make sure that you use thread that matches your jeans. I bought some jean thread that is heavy duty and matches really well; however, you do not actually need specialty thread, just make sure it matches and blends in.
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this is a VERY excellent tip! Thanks for sharing!! I will definitely need to try this!
Thank you, Amanda…let me know how it turns out!
Wow, very smart! Thank you for saving me alteration expense. Looks great and I can’t wait to try this.
Heather, I use to pay $20/pair to keep the original hem. Now, I do this with all of my jeans and I love the outcome! They look just as great and it gives me an excuse to keep shopping
This is a great how-to. I added it to my pinterest boards.
Thank you, Kendra! Please feel free to follow me on Pinterest @ Sofie Love or on Twitter @Sajsc. I hope you’re able to hem your jeans this way
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oh my god, so easy!
ive never even tried to look for a DIY tutorial before since i thought it would involve something complicated.
thanks for this!
Jess, I hope you give it a try and let me know how it works for you
. I seriously hem pants at least once/week and this technique is awesome. No one can tell its a DIY job and the original hem always looks great!
Thanks so much for the idea
Rita, thank you for the comment. Please let me know when you try it. Also, feel free to follow me on Pinterest @Sofie Love or Twitter @Sajsc.
Going to have to try this! Love it! Thanks for sharing.
Liz, glad you found my blog. Please let know how it goes when you try this. I have hemmed all of my own jeans as well as my kids pants this way. Also, please feel free to follow me on Pinterest @Sofie Love or Twitter @Sajsc.
sorry…I don’t sew and am a little slow! Tell me why you divide the overall length in half. Aren’t you just cutting 2″ off (in your example) instead of 4″? (It takes me a little while to ‘see’ things–maybe why I don’t really sew). THANKS.
Hi Sherry, thanks for the question. Since the fabric is folded, you are cutting off 4″ total when you measure the 2″ to take off (you will see this after you hem and cut the fabric if you lay it out flat). If you were to actually cut the entire 4″ of folded fabric, you would be taking off 8″. I actually did this the other day when I was rushing trying to hem a pair of pants http://refashionmama.wordpress.com/2012/01/22/redo-adding-length-back-onto-pants-after-cutting/.
Once folded, there are 2 inches of material on the under-side of the fold and 2 inches on the top-side of the fold, giving you four inches of fabric that will be cut off.
Genius!! I can’t wait to try this!
I have at least 3 brand new pairs of jeans that I bought for the new school year that I haven’t gotten to wear because of this problem. (I don’t own heels high enough to cover it either).
Can’t wait!
Kaitlyn, I’m glad you found my blog then! You’re going to love this technique as it really is simple and doesn’t take much time to do. I’ve done this alteration at least a dozen times now and it only gets easier and quicker with each time. Please feel free to follow me on Pinterest @Sofie Love or Twitter @Sajsc.
Why do u only fold up half the length u want to remove?
Sara, you only fold half of the length you want to remove because it’s folded in half. If you were to remove the full 4″ (or whatever measurement you need), you would end up with high waters…see my other post where I was rushing a pair of pants and did this http://refashionmama.wordpress.com/2012/01/22/redo-adding-length-back-onto-pants-after-cutting/. This is the only time I’ve screwed a pair up and they were really short! I was just so excited because I had taken in the waist of these pants successfully that I wanted to wear them right away and forgot to divide the length in half…ended up taking too many inches off :/
I always have to shorten my husbands jeans and I dread it. I have seen this method before but didn’t understand it. Your version was very clear and simple. Thank you!
Thank you!
Cleone, I’m glad you found my blog then and that it’s clear to you. Please let me know how it turns out
I’m So glad I seen this! I just bought 2 pair of jeans @ a resale shop the other day. They are really nice but way too long. I knew i could fix them so I went ahead & bought them. This sounds so much easier & much better results than I usually get. I will try this tomorrow. Sure hope mine turn out as good as yours!!!
Sheila, I buy all of my jeans used and this little trick has saved me a ton! G’luck, let me know how they turn out!
Wish I would have seen this years ago!!!
What a great idea!
Really love this I have 3 kids and need to hem all the time but never really liked the way it looked without the original hem so i wouldnt do it gonna definetly try this with my girls pants from last year to make the capris or shorts they still fit in the waist but to short
Thank you so much gonna save me so much money 
Kara, I do this with my daughters clothes. Last summer, I made her 0-3 mos jeans into shorts because she’s thin but has really long legs
Thank you for sharing this. I don’t sew much. I understood most of it except the “top stitch” step. What did you mean by that? Whatever it is it makes sense because I would assume the hem would roll. But I don’t know what top stitching means. Thanks so much.
Tara, thank you for visiting my blog. By top stitch, I mean sewing on the right side of the fabric (see the last picture in my post). This stitch is just a straight stitch and is not really seen unless inspecting up-close. It really does prevent the hem from rolling up though. Hope this helps!
Thank you, I was wondering the same thing!
I have a question about hemming this way. If the bottom hem is wider than the leg further up, that you are attatching the hem to, how do you deal with that?
Cheri, this is somethig I learned along the way so thanks for asking
. I should probably add a blurb on this in my post.
The best way to solve this problem is to just resize the original hem. I demonstrate this in another post http://refashionmama.wordpress.com/2011/12/24/alteration-resizing-jeans-the-easy-way-from-a-29-down-to-a-2627/ so please refer there for pictures.
First, you’ll want to fold your jeans up to measure how much to take off. Next, add a straight stitch right down one side of the hem. Once you make sure it’s the right width, cut off the excess and now follow my tutorial to keep the original hem
Absolutely fantastic, I have just bought a pair of jeans I am so going to try this, it is an amazing idea like you say to keep the original look of the jeans. Thank you, thank you
Thank you, Lizzie! Please let me know how they turn out
Brilliant! I have been sewing for 40 years, but have never seen that. You can teach an old dog new tricks!
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Do you ever have jeans that fold at the bottom & no matter how many times you iron them they still flip back? I’m curious if this will do the same thing???
Bailey, thanks for the question. This is the reason I do the top stitch once I’m done hemming. This prevents the hem from rolling back up.
Im sewing illiterate… What is a top stitch and how do u do it?
Is theresomething special about the machine you used? Is there a size needle you would recommend and thread type? Last time I tried to hem jeans on a machine, I broke the machine. . .very challenged when it comes to sewing machines.
Thanks!
Krissy, I have a Brother sewing machine but have done this using 3 different machines so it’s not the machine. However, I do recommend buying denim needles because they are more durable and will not break as easily as a universal sized needle. I also recommend denim thread but have done this more times without than with the specialty thread. I hope this helps.
This is awesome! I just fall short, lol just short, of petite, so all of my pants are too long on me and I too paid $20 or more to have them hemmed. I would never try to hem jeans, I just thought it was too difficult, but this I am definitely going to try. Thanks so much for the awesome tutorial!
Love this! My husband and his 28″ inseam thank you.
~Dana
We bought our daughter a sewing machine for Christmas and since she is a short little thing I just KNOW this will be her favorite hemming trick! Thanks for the great “how to” guide!
If you are doing this for kids jeans and need to save the excess material to attach later, how would you attach the old material you cut off previously??? I have a very skinny daughter with LONG legs-needs a 9 month waist but a 3T in length and even if you buy adjustable waist pants I usually can’t pull the elastic in tight enough to make them fit! ARGH! If you can tell me how to do this I might can make it work for the future.
Jennifer, when hemming jeans for children, I suggest leaving the excess fabric, folding and ironing it to keep it in place. You may also do a quick stitch to keep this excess fabric in place. This way, when your child grows, you can remove the hem and bring down the extra fabric.
I do understand your situation because my daughter is very long and lean. Her waist fits 9-12 mos yet she needs larger pants because of length.
THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR SHAREING THIS WITH ALL OF US SHORTIES!
WE APRECIATE YOUR SHOWING US THIS.
Will this work with pants besides jeans? Like kahkis?
Tiffany, it’ll work on any pants with an original hem. I have done this on corduroys and khakis. Thank you for asking…happy hemming!
im a little lost. do you measure 4″ then pin, and then measure 2″ then pin again? why wouldnt you just measure the 2″ and pin. i understand you need to measure the 2 so that you are not cuttin goff 8 inches wen folded, but do you pin both at 2 and 4. im so confused. i hope you can understand what i mean.
Nikki, I’m sorry if this got confusing. You only need to pin when you measure the second time since this is where you’ll be hemming. The first time you measure, you are just determining how many inches you need to take off. Does that make more sense?
great, thank you so much! my daughter is a lil chunky monkey but when i buy her size pants they are super long. so this will help so much!! i love your stuff
You are awesome!! Thanks for putting thornier there for other shorties.. I am short and have been looking for a easy way to hem jeans myself for many years. And finally!! Thank you
I want to be added to pinterest, I’ve had a lot of people try to add me but it didn’t work…please add me
Shawna, I will try to send you an invite with the email address you provided. Pinterest is AMAZING! May I ask how you found my blog?
Hi! When you iron the hem flat, you flip it over and press with an iron? THX
Roxann, yes that is how I ironed them flat. However, if you’re doing the top stitch, I have found that I do not necessarily need to iron.
Thank you so much for this trick ! I have always avoided hemming my jeans (I am only 5’3″) and always end up folding them! Way cool. Cheers.
I just saw this and it is 1:37am here in Jacksonvillle, Alabama……needless to say….I just called and woke my mom up because I was soooo excited about this! She has ALWAYS had to hem my jeans unless I was buying them specifically to wear with heels!!
She sounded excited also…..LOL
Haha, Jenny…thanks for sharing! Tell your mom I said sorry…jk. I’m glad you found my blog though. I hope you’re able to use this technique!
Excellent idea and great site. Thanks for your creativity
This is a great idea!!! I just wish I knew how to sew to begin with. I am new to pinterest and in LOVE!!!! I can’t seem to get an invite though to join, I’ve just been browsing and your blog was one of my first to visit. Awesome!!! Thanks!
Been sewing for um decades and have never seen this tip. Outstanding, thanks so much for sharing. My shorty Mum will be so excited lol.
Lori, glad you found my tutorial then! Good luck!
This is excellent! OMG, I hate hemming blue jeans as I used to cut and make a whole new hem..and my need always broke, because of the thickness! Thanks so much for sharing this!!
Anna, I do suggest using a specialty denim needle especially over the really thick part to prevent breaking your needle.
I’m a beginner sewer. I’m hesitant to try because I don’t want to ruin a pair of pants. Would you say this is simple enough for a beginner?
Jenny, I’m pretty self taught and just started sewing again last year so I think it’s fairly easy. The most important thing to remember is to use a denim needle and not to cut until after you hem and try them on. Let me know how your jeans turn out!
and I don’t quite understand the top-stitch…
Jenny, a top stitch is merely a stitch on the outside/right side of the fabric. Take a look at my last picture in the post – there’s a straight stitch just above the original hem. This isn’t crucial to the hem, however, it does make the hem stay down instead of rolling up in the wash.
Simply brilliant! Thank you!
I have been sewing for years and have never seen this technique. Perfect for jeans. So time saving and basically all machine work. Wonderful!
How do you keep the excess you cut off from fraying?
Melinda, you can cut it fairly close and when you do the top stitch, you are helping the loose ends lay flat. It may fray a little but if cut short enough, you will not be able to see this.
I just tried it!! Thanks for the tutorial!
Awesome, Season! I hope you love your new hemmed jeans!
I too love the original hem and have wondered what it takes to hem this way. Thanks soooo much… it’s soooo easy!!! I appreciate your post very much! I will surely be saving money by hemming my own jeans from now on!
standing tall at 5’3″,
J
I’m 4′ 8″ so I can understand never purchasing pants that didn’t need to be hemmed. Except for Capri that usually just looked like high waters on me. So thank U thank u thank u! I can’t wait to try this!
I love this tip! And the little one in your first picture is an absolute doll!
Cassandra, thank you…that’s my mini me! She’s almost 16 months old now
I am so excited to know that now I don’t have to spend as much to have my jeans hemmed as the jeans cost. I would imagine this is how the alterations people have been doing it. If not they should consider using your technique
OMG, best idea ever!! I have to get ALL my s and pant s and jeans hemmed because I am 5’2 and it’s very difficult to find short. Even then it’s still too long. Thanks sooo much for sharing the idea, can’t wait to try.
Thanks,
Kim
Thank you! I am 4’11″ and I haven’t grown since 8th grade! I can’t believe I have never thought to hem my jeans like this before! You are a genius!
I have been doing jeans like this for years. I use clear thread which works great on any color denim. My question is how do you accomodate for a flair leg? I have to take off several inches and the original hem at the bottom is always wider than where I need the length to fall. I have tried several different techniques but nothing ever looks right. If you have any advice on this, that would be awesome!
Josie, I have altered the original hem by just doing a straight stitch to shorten the width (after measuring it against the leg where it will be hemmed). I demonstrate this on another post http://refashionmama.wordpress.com/2011/12/24/alteration-resizing-jeans-the-easy-way-from-a-29-down-to-a-2627/. After resizing the original hem, I then redid the hem just as I also do (shown in this tutorial).
Thanks! I looked at the other blog on resizing jeans and I think I have it figured out. I think im going to resize some old Citizens of Humanity jeans that I have that are way big.
Josie, will you resize by taking in from the inner or outer leg? I’ve done it both ways but just wondering
. Let me know how they turn out!
This is the greatest idea! Saves so much time not having to pin, cut off and make your hem, iron and all that stuff. You don’t even have to turn the pants wrong side out! LOVE IT! I shortened 4 pairs of pants in about 45 minutes. Thank you for this wonderful new tip!
Wendy, that’s awesome! It really doesn’t take long at all after you get the hang of it.
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Um, I feel kind of dumb but I’m kind of a hack sewer…what do you mean you top stitch around the hem to keep it from rolling up? Can you elaborate?
Kris, a top stitch is just simply a straight stitch all along the right side of the fabric. For this, you stitch the fabric just above the original hem. This little trick will help the fabric to lay flat and not roll when washed.
Great idea! After you turn it back over, do you find that the original hem looks too thick since it is sort of “on top” of the jeans or is it not noticeable?
Lindsay, it honestly doesn’t seem any thicker than a normal original hem. No one has ever asked why my hem looks different so I’m pretty sure it looks as great as I think it does.
LOVE your idea!! I’m only 5’2″ so all my jeans need hemming too!
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YOU ARE AWESOME!!! i never could come up with a way to do that!!!
YOU ARE A GENIOUS! I found this on Pinterest and will be trying it soon!
Awesome! I will be putting this to good use!
Wow!!! This is fabulous!! I have to hem jeans for my son all the time and I just haven’t found a the right technique to get a professional looking hem….until now!!! Thank you so much for sharing this with all of us!
Tracy, I’m glad this will help with hemming your sons pants! Now, no one will be able to tell they’ve been hemmed.
GREAT method and demo! Two things to add: a few hits with a hammer (I keep a small one) on the thick inseam helps the needle go through easier and a zipper foot will allow you to follow the the edge of the original hem without having the foot on top of it. I lost count on the number of hemmings for my girls and my own 5’2″ self =)
Linda, good point! A hammer would help flatten the thickest parts. I do use a denim needle so that it goes through easier and wont break.
OH MY GOODNESS! I’m 5’4 and I’m in between regular and petite sizes. Petite are about 1-2 inches too short and regular are always a good 2.5 inches too long.
I just used this technique to hem my new jeans and they are PERFECT for flats now! I’m so pumped! Thanks for the suggestion!!
I am also 5 ft nothing and my mom has always hemmed my jeans. But her eyesight isn’t what it used to be and she lives an hour away, so I took my last pair to someone local and was not happy with the results. Man, I wish I could sew! Will you hem MY jeans? Would be easy, since we’re the same size and all…
LOL
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This is a great idea for dress pants with a decorative hem, too. I have a pair pinned up and ready to sew, but was nervous about making it happen. Reading your tutorial made me feel more confident about it. Thanks!
I understand the 2″/4″ deal, but why did you bother pinning at 4″ at all when you really only needed to pin at 2″? What am I missing here?
Ha – I thought you were talking about me when you said barely 5′ tall and haven’t grown since 7th grade….
thanks for the tutorial!
Holy Cow! You are a Genious! This is AWESOME!
OMG I LOVE THIS IDEA! I’m definitely doing this with my jeans and my kids jeans from now on! THanks for sharing this wonderful tip!
I’m in the same (short)boat with you. I love this…. definitely going to use this
Thank you so much for this much needed information!!! I am 5’1 & 3/4″. You know I have to add that 3/4 inch! So I feel your pain sista!
Can’t wait to make all of my jeans look 100%better!
Great idea!!!! Thank u for sharing! Much easier in your sewing machine too
I did this to all my jeans today and I feel like I have a new wardrobe! Thank you thank you for sharing! I love how they turned out.
I have looked this up before, and found the same kind of technique but somehow your post makes it easier to understand, Thank You!
Thank you ! Thank You ! I feel your pain I am barley 5 feet tall also I always have to cut off so much fabric when I hem up my pants.
So Smart! I will be doing this TODAY! I always have a problem with jeans. They just do not come in the length I need. Tooooo long or just a tad too short. Thank you for sharing. After I do this I will reference you on my blog, and I already repinned you on Pinterest. Thanks Thanks Thanks.
great post. I’m 5’4″ and have been using this approach for years. one thing I learned though is to flatten (pound) the ends of the inner and outer seams with a hammer. This makes it easier for the feed dog to pass over the seam. Depending on the material (e.g. thick denim) this can increase the density of the fabric making it hard for less robust thread to pass through. Wetting the fabric will help alleviate this problem. btw – this hemming approach can also be used with dress shirt sleeves.
Will try this too! Thanks!
awesome idea!!!! thank you for sharing!! <3
awesome idea!!! thank you for sharing!! : )
What an excellent idea! Very impressive. I use to do alterations for a living and never thought of this. I never liked hemming jeans because the hem you replace looks…….like a new hem! I feel like going out and buying some long jeans just so I can try this! Thanks!
This was so easy to do! My daughter has moved into adult sizes but doesn’t quite have the height to go with it yet. So this morning (before school no less) I took 4″ off her new jeans. But left the fabric in case she hits a growth spurt.
Thanks for taking the time to post this!
I love this!!!
omg! I have been sewing since I 4th grade (I’m 56 now) I too am short (5ft) always had same problem w/jeans. I just bought a pair of jeans and like the hem so much but knew I would have to cut it off. Now I but have to. Thank you so much. Love It!
this is amazing but I’m confused on the part about top stitch right above the original hem to keep the bottom from rolling up after washing. Where do you put this? on top of the original hem would be a part of the jean that was not touched no?
Brilliant!
I have done something similar to this for a long time, but I cut first, zigzag all the edges to keep it from fraying, then sew it back on from the top. It works great, but you method seems easier. I would still recommend that you zigzag the edges so you don’t get fraying from underneath.
Thank you for sharing. This would be an easier way for hemming pants into shorts. My kids grow in length before width. So they can usually wear the same waist size from winter through summer, but their jeans become too short and worn at the knee. I am looking forward to trying your technique soon.
Very nice tutorial. I am a professional dressmaker & tailor and I’ve used this technique for customers with the very expensive designer jeans that have distressed hemlines. A few tips.
This technique only works if the amount taken up is 3″ or less with a slight flare leg (6″ total initial measurement by your way). Carefully line up your seams and pound with a hammer. Use sharp denim needle. Adjust stitch length to 4 and slightly adjust tension for thickness of denim. Coats & Clark makes a great top stitching thread that is denim colored that works great and blends beautifully.
Last trick for the ultimate professional look, I use wide bias binding to enclose the raw edges on the inside. One extra step, but no raveling. I found the denim too thick to serge but one could zigzag the edges like someone suggested.
what settings do you use on the machine?? i havent used one in forever…and what exactly is top stitch?? are you just simply sowing the outside of the pant leg just above the hem line?? its not being sowed to anything?? sorry for the questions i just want to get it right i too hate ironing
Thank you for posting this! I was able to hem jeans for my daughter so she could have “normal” looking jeans with the “correct” hem! She is so happy! Thank you Thank you Thank you!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Like you, I can never buy jeans the right length and most of the time I just wore them to long because hemming them made them look bad. I just tried your way and it is wonderful!
Wonderful Idea. Thanks for sharing. I will use this when I hem my grandson’s jeans.
Sew much easier than what I was doing.
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Great idea! I’m going to have to remember this tip!
Thank you, Sara
Does the cut part fray when washed that is at all visible?
Genius! I have an entire bin of “need to be hemmed” jeans & slacks. I can handle this technique.
5’0″ … Stopped growing in the 8th grade
Connie
That’s AWESOME! I’m always having to hem as well! Thanks!
I just got a new pair of jeans at Kohls. . . they were super awesome. . BELL BOTTOMS!!! (I’m so sick of skinny jeans fyi) So I get them home and something is wrong. . . the right leg of the jeans is longer than the left!! I wiggle, push and pull. . . try on different shoes. . . raise my arms up and down. . . take the jeans off and on aagain. . . . STILL the one leg looks longer. . . I lay them down flat on the table and my suspicions are indeed confirmed. . . It’s exactly 1 inch longer on the right leg than the left leg. I immediatley though of your tutorial I found on pinterest. Thank you so much. . this truly is genius!!!! I would hate to lose the beautiful wide cuff on these jeans. .
Just wanted to tell you how awesome I thought you were because of this!!!!!!!!