How to Hem Jeans Without Looking Like a Dork

   

    I've always been the short girl. It's never bothered me. Not once. BUT...there are some disadvantages that after all these years I've been able to find ways to manage. Can't reach what's on the top shelf? No problem, get something to stand on or use kitchen tongs to grab it. Can't wear that fabulous dress/pants/skirt? No problem, hem it. BUT...hem jeans? Yuck! I can't help but be reminded of my---also vertically challenged---senior English teacher. Bless her heart, she was a dork. The day after she went to a George Strait concert, she wore the t-shirt to school...over a silky red blouse with a floppy bow at the neck and a pair of black slacks :( And, worst of all, she hemmed her jeans. On the rare event she wore jeans they always sported a telltale two inch wide hem with navy blue thread. I vowed I'd do without jeans before I'd ever hem.
     Skip ahead about two decades. I can't wear girls sizes anymore. Juniors sizes don't fit in the hips and the styles make me look like a pathetic lady who can't come to terms with aging. I have trouble finding petites that don't look matronly. Old Navy makes my favorite fit of jeans (Sweetheart) and when you get them on sale you can't beat the price. The only problem is they're about an inch or two too long. An inch or two is just enough to get wet in puddles and get filthy in parking lots. It's just enough to start looking raggedy when they start to fray from being stepped on. Sure, I could get them tailored at a drycleaner. It would cost about as much to have my jeans tailored as they cost to begin with, which seems pretty stupid. The best alternative is hemming them myself with the original hem left intact so as not to look dorky.

Here's how I do it, step by step.

Step 1: Mark the length you want and cut.
First of all, until now I'd been wearing them folded up one turn in the back, so I didn't need to mark the length. I unrolled them and cut them straight across at the old fold. Then I did a zigzag stitch across the raw edge of the leg.
*You don't have to cut them off. If you're hesitant about cutting your jeans (especially for the first time, or if they're expensive), you can just fold and pin and start at step 2.

Step 2: Sew back on the old hem.
Get as close as you can to the edge. Make sure you've got the correct hem on each leg and line up your seams so they match exactly. I like to start at the seam. That way if the fabric stretches I can make up for it elsewhere and still get my seams to line up.
*If you chose not to cut, just fold it back so it looks like the pictures below.

Here it is after you finish this step.

Step 3: Trim and Finish Edges.

Trim off as much excess as you feel comfortable. Serge or do a tight zigzag stitch around raw edge.

I did a zigzag along the seams because the fabric was too heavy for my machine.

Step 4: Iron in place.
Fold down the original hem on the right side and iron down. This step is very necessary!

Final Result: Non-dorky jeans that fit!

*One last thing, if you're worried about them flipping wrong side out and exposing the Frankenhem, you can tack down the raw edge on the inside in a few places with navy blue thread. A simple stitch in about 4 places will do and nobody will ever notice it!

*Related post: Turn Bootcut Jeans Into Straight Leg Jeans