How to hem jeans by hand without a machine

Immediately after purchase, you may need to change the length of your jeans. For example, there was a desire to wear different shoes under these clothes.

You can remove excess fabric yourself, and it is not necessary to purchase a sewing machine. There are methods that allow you to shorten such a product manually using auxiliary means: adhesive tape, iron, special stitching techniques, etc.

The thing should remain attractive after all the manipulations. To this end, they are considering ways to hem jeans while maintaining the seam.

Recommendations for choosing threads and marking

When you need to cut excess fabric to length, it is recommended to visualize this process, because... understanding all the actions makes the work easier. It includes the initial stages:

search for threads: consider durable varieties, but the thickness of the selected threads should not be thinner or, conversely, thicker than on the product itself; they should also match the color of the pants;
Marking the material: draw chalk from the wrong side - the line should be smooth and continuous.

To make markings, use more pins/needles. First, you should put on the pants, and for this purpose, select the shoes with which you plan to wear jeans. Then you need to bend the bottom edge, for which pins or needles are used. This will allow you to determine the length of the finished product, and the inner part, which is fixed on the outside, must be cut off.

Operating rules

In order for the jeans to look beautiful and neat after hemming, it is important to carry out the entire process carefully and in accordance with all the step-by-step recommendations.

Threads for hemming jeans

How to choose threads

Before you start hemming, you need to purchase the appropriate threads. To do this, their thickness should be normal. The most important thing is that they completely coincide with the factory ones.

The threads need to be wound onto a bobbin, it is better if there are two threads at once. The needle thread can be left alone and its color does not matter. When purchasing threads, it is best to have a sample of the cut parts with you.

Features of marking lines for hemming denim trousers

How to mark a hem line for jeans

It is necessary to hem jeans after they are hemmed. If the trousers are wrinkled, they must be ironed first. After this, you can begin to determine the shortening line and hem width.

At home, you can draw a line while standing in front of a mirror. You must definitely do this in the shoes you plan to wear while wearing these trousers. Having decided on the length, you need to tuck the excess inward and pin it with pins. You can also mark the hem line with chalk in one or several places along the back side; there is no need to mark it on the front side.

How to outline and trim jeans

Subsequently, the lapel is marked according to the marks with a solid line in a circle. To do everything accurately, you need to use a ruler. Below the drawn line you need to set aside 3 cm and draw another line. This is where the trouser leg should be shortened. All the above actions are performed on the second side.

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Preparation before cutting

When you plan to hem jeans, you immediately determine the type of shoes with which they will be worn.

Shoes, ballet flats, sneakers - all options require the use of pants of different lengths. Moreover, a few centimeters play an important role, since too short, as well as too long trousers, can ruin the whole image.

Before hemming the product, check whether the legs are the same length. This must be done during fitting. You should not take old, worn things for this purpose. In some people, due to the physiological characteristics of the formation of the bone skeleton, limbs are of different lengths. For this reason, it is important to properly trim the excess fabric from each pant leg. In this case, a difference of 1-2 cm can be significant.

Shorten pants without cutting

There are several ways that allow you to change the length of your pants without the intervention of scissors. Let's consider the main ones:

Classic hand hemming. It is convenient because this option does not require special devices. All you need is a thread and a needle.
On a sewing machine. This option differs significantly from the first in execution speed. For reliability, it is possible to use a double seam even on trousers with thick fabric.
Using adhesive tape. This method can be used in cases where the length needs to be changed slightly and in a short time. Moreover, you can reduce the length to the original one.

Materials and tools

To hem your trousers yourself, you will need:

sewing machine;
needle;
threads (it is important that they match the color of the fabric);
the trousers themselves;
a piece of soap or chalk;
scissors;
ruler, maybe a measuring tape;
trouser braid;
pins.

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Preparing the trousers

First you need to figure out the size of the hem. Wear the trousers and shoes with which you plan to wear this item. Fold the bottom of the product so that approximately 1 - 1.5 centimeters remain to the floor. Secure with needles. Try walking around the room, sitting on a chair several times so that the clothes rise to their usual height.

Ideally, the trousers should reach the middle of the heel. Highlight with chalk. Do the same steps with the second pant leg.

Hem trousers without cutting them by hand

First option:

After you have placed the very bottom of the trousers, you need to hem 4 millimeters with a straight stitch. Make a fold on the trouser leg so that the length is exactly at the level of the mark.

IMPORTANT! Make sure that the end of the fabric does not protrude below two millimeters of the fold.

It doesn't have to be ironed. It's better to just pin it with pins. Next, follow the same procedure with the second leg. If you hemmed for growth, then you can easily undo the stitches. If dust accumulates in the folds, you should wash the trousers in warm water or clean them with a brush. Following this, iron the bottom. There won't be a trace left!

Second option:

If you need to tuck a small amount of fabric , you can rip open the factory seam and steam this area. All kinds of creases should be removed using an iron and high temperature.

Set aside 4 cm from the line you created. Based on the first mark, repeat with the second leg. Transfer the line that was drawn with chalk to the next side using pins. Along this straight line, fold the fabric inward and pin. Make sure that the side seams are aligned. A small and thin needle is suitable for sewing. Hem over the edge of the cut using any blind stitch. Use a needle to grab one thread at a time.

You can secure a small hem with adhesive tape by inserting it and applying it with a hot iron.

Correctly hem long trousers without cutting them using a sewing machine

Classic (school) trousers with braid

To begin with, you should apply the top side of the tape so that it is exactly at the level of the line marked with chalk.
Then conditionally divide it in half and secure with pins.
Back off one millimeter.
Sew the side that matches the chalk line. And only then can you proceed to the bottom.
You should turn the seam allowance so that it is inside out.
Don't forget the braid. It should not be visible from the front side.
Sew the bottom edge yourself or use pins.
All that remains is to attach the hem to the bottom of the trousers using hidden seams, which will avoid trimming.
We remove all the basting.
Finally, we again steam the fabric for a decent appearance.

Required tools and materials

When choosing a way to hem jeans by hand, you need to immediately prepare everything you need for this:

scissors: choose the sharpest ones so as not to spoil the fabric;
different types of pins: tailor's, special needles for dense materials;
Marking tools: chalk, a piece of soap or a disappearing marker;
threads;
bobbin (if you plan to hem the edges of the product on a machine);
ruler.

How to hem jeans without a machine

You can correct the length of your trouser legs yourself.

To manually change the crotch seam parameters without a machine, you must follow the instructions:

When hemming jeans, you need to draw an additional line when marking. It should deviate from the first one, which was applied during fitting of the product, by 1.5-2 cm. This will allow you to properly hem the jeans and process the edges.
The product must be cut along the bottom drawn line. If you shorten the jeans at the top band, the finished pants will be shorter.
A fold is made, and the fabric is folded inward. The trouser legs are fixed with needles in this position - with a turn up.
The product should also look beautiful on the reverse side. To do this, the cut edge is folded again 0.5 cm inward.
The next stage: the needle and thread are passed from the wrong side to the front side, step back 1 cm along the edge, make a stitch, then count 1 cm forward, pass the needle again, but from the front to the wrong side. Then the steps are repeated, with each next stitch covering the gap that remains behind the needle.

Video sample of hemming jeans

In this way, you can hem jeans either by machine or by hand.

On a sewing machine

To get a beautiful seam, it is advisable to choose thicker threads of the appropriate shade. How to hem jeans using a machine:

Determine the length of the hem and leave an allowance of 2 cm.
Iron the seams and secure everything with pins.
Open the reverse stitch from the wrong side of the fabric.
Pull out the decorative seam.
From the wrong side, sew a new seam.

If the trouser fabric is thin and the hem is small, you can shorten the jeans without cutting the fabric. You just need to fold the excess inward and make a seam.

If the fabric is dense or has decorative abrasions, the work should be done differently. First you need to bend and shorten the trouser legs with an allowance of 3.5 cm. After this, you need to smooth the allowances in different directions and overcast them by hand. The factory hem needs to be folded, basted and sewn on a typewriter.

To better understand how to sew jeans on a sewing machine, watch this video.

How to Hem Jeans Without Cutting Them

You can shorten the product in this way manually or using a machine.

To hem jeans without errors, you should follow the instructions:

Trying on the product. The edge is folded to the desired level (outward). These areas of material are fixed with needles.
Hemming jeans this way is easy: make a hidden stitch under the factory seam.
The lower part of the pants is turned inside out.
The resulting fold must be ironed from the front side. This will give the desired shape to the product.

Step-by-step video on how to hem jeans without losing length

When you need to quickly shorten jeans, choose this option. It has the disadvantage that the inner crease appears when tight pants are hemmed.

This means that if you are choosing a way to shorten skinny jeans or another tight-fitting model, consider other of the options under consideration (with trimming the bottom edge).

Methods for shortening jeans with and without a machine, step-by-step instructions

Today, in both men's and women's models, it is fashionable not to seam the bottom of the trousers, but to leave it with a decorative fringe. Due to the dense structure of the fabric, the threads at the bottom of the leg form a beautiful fringe. But if you need to change the length of the jeans, you can create an internal seam above the fringe, which will take away the excess fabric.

Shortening jeans while maintaining the frayed edge

Before starting work, you need to determine the amount by which you want to shorten the trousers and create a fold on the wrong side. You need to baste it by hand and check its readiness by fitting. If the length of the jeans suits you, you need to stitch the seam using a sewing machine and iron the fold upward. This way, the fringe at the bottom of the leg will remain unchanged.

Instructions for hemming while maintaining the factory seam

You can shorten the length of denim trousers by keeping the factory seam at the bottom of the leg. It is performed at the factory on special sewing machines and often the studio’s clients ask to keep it.

The craftsmen have developed a way to avoid cutting off the factory stitching and shorten the length of jeans:

It is necessary to lay out the trousers with length markings on the table (the length of each trouser leg may be different). You need to straighten the bottom of the trousers and measure the length from the bottom of the product to the hem line with a ruler.
The trousers need to be turned inside out and half of the previously measured length of the fold should be marked from the edge of the decorative seam.
The bottom of the product must be folded along the new hem line and basted over the decorative seam.
Jeans need to be turned inside out and tried on. If the length suits you, sew the seam from the inside out using a sewing machine.
Turning the trousers right side out, you need to carefully iron the bottom of the product, while ironing the hem upwards.

The secret of the method is that the extra length of the trousers is removed using a hidden seam, which is laid above the decorative edge processing and is almost invisible. With this method of shortening jeans, it is necessary to ensure that the side seams match when hemming.

Hemming trousers using adhesive tape

You can shorten jeans without cutting the bottom using a modern sewing invention - adhesive tape. This is a kind of double-sided tape that melts during heat treatment into glue and connects 2 fabrics. To create the required temperature, an iron with a steaming effect is sufficient.

To do this, you need to purchase thermal adhesive tape at a sewing store (it is sold by the meter):

After marking the length, the tape is laid between layers of fabric and ironed with steam. You can use a damp cloth (iron iron).
The location of the tape should not just be ironed, but steamed with strong pressure on the sole of the iron. The temperature and pressure of the hot metal will melt the tape.
After ironing, the product should be allowed to cool completely and then check the strength of the hem. It depends on the density of the adhesive tape and its quality.

How to shorten jeans - this can be done using a special tape.
Ready.

How to hem the bottom using a zipper

Using this method will strengthen the edge of the trousers and prevent them from abrasion. However, it also has disadvantages - it weighs down the edge of summer jeans with a large amount of elastin in the fabric and can damage women's nylon tights.

Technology for hemming the bottom of jeans using a zipper:

It is necessary to measure the width of the leg at the bottom and double it, or immediately use a measuring tape to measure the bottom of the leg of the jeans around the circumference.
You need to purchase a zipper with a length that is equal to the length of the bottom of the trousers.
You need to divide the zipper into two parts (cut with scissors and remove the lock), only the parts with teeth are needed for work.
Before work, you need to baste the hem of the jeans or pin it with pins and iron the new hem line.
Part of the zipper (teeth down) must be placed on the hem so that the teeth protrude beyond the edge of the bottom of the product. The zipper must be basted by hand in a circle. It is better to start sewing from the inner side seam of the trouser leg. Then the zipper joint will not be noticeable.
After sewing, the trousers need to be turned right side out and the quality of work checked. If the zipper is sewn smoothly, then you can stitch it on a sewing machine. The seam should be laid as close as possible to the teeth of the zipper. For this type of work, you can use a special foot for sewing in zippers.

This method allows you to save the edge of the denim from abrasion and strengthen the bottom of the product, acting as a weighting agent.

Double hem

Fashion trends allow for double hems with cuff fixation on denim. However, when constructing a cuff, you need to take into account the cut of the trouser leg and the density of the fabric of the product. For this method of length adjustment, straight-fit jeans made of light, soft denim are suitable. When designing a cuff for its width, you should measure 4 - 6 cm. To be able to design cuffs on jeans, their length must exceed the required by 6 - 8 cm.

Technique for constructing a cuff on jeans:

Before starting work, you need to put on trousers and use chalk to outline the length of the product along the front side of the fabric.
From the marked line down, you need to set aside 2 times the width of the cuff and another 2 cm. For example, if you are planning a cuff with a width of 4 cm, then you need to set down 2+4+4=10 cm.
Draw a chalk line at a distance of 4 cm - this is the fold line of the cuff.
Along the fold line, you need to bend the fabric to the wrong side and iron it with a steam iron (you can pin it with pins).
Along the marked line of the bottom of the product, you need to lay the cuff, turning the fabric over to the front side of the trousers. After formation, it must be smoothed well with an iron.
Now, on the wrong side of the leg, you need to fix the free edge with adhesive tape and secure the cuff with a stitch in the groove of the inner side seam (it is done along the entire width of the cuff).

In this way, you can shorten jeans if their length significantly exceeds the required size. Then you can rationally use the entire length of the loose fabric to create a stylish jeans design. The method is not suitable for tapered and flared trouser models.

How to shorten the bottom of your pants with an elastic band?

This option for changing the length of trousers is an express method when you urgently need to shorten a product without sewing supplies. This life hack can be successfully used on vacation or on business trips.

Technique for turning up jeans using an elastic band:

It is necessary to put a hair tie on the leg of the trouser, so that it is on the wrong side of the trousers.
You need to tuck the fabric under it so that the elastic is located between 2 layers of fabric at the bottom of the product. This manipulation must be performed when the person is wearing trousers and using an elastic band, adjust the desired length of the jeans.
The upper part of the lapel (from the wrong side) needs to be rolled down and tucked under the elastic band.

In this way you can adjust the length of jeans made of light and medium weight fabric. However, the trousers will be gathered at the bottom into random folds. When putting on jeans again, all steps must be repeated for each leg.

Hem the bottom using trouser tape

The classic version of processing the bottom of trousers made of any fabric is done using a special silk braid. This method makes the jeans turn up beautifully and allows it to keep its shape when walking.

Technique for processing jeans using trouser braid:

Before starting work, you need to mark the lapel line with chalk or pins. To do this, you need to wear trousers with shoes and pin the required length on your figure.
You need to lay out the trousers on the table and, using chalk (soap) and a ruler, clearly draw a line for the bottom of the product, aligning it between the two side seams. This must be done when using pins in order to see the smooth edge of the future product.
When turning up the bottom of jeans, you need to take into account the density of the fabric and put at least 4 cm on the lapel.
On the front side of the jeans around the leg, you need to pin or baste the tape so that its edge protrudes beyond the edge of the bottom of the trousers (marked with chalk) by 0.1 - 0.2 cm. The tape is located below the bottom line of the product so that when the fabric is turned up, it disappears onto the wrong side side.
It is better to lay the tape from the side of the inner side seam; in this place, the ends of the tape overlap each other by 1 cm.
Then the braid needs to be sewn on a sewing machine using 2 seams. One is to lay 0.2 cm along the edge of the braid and the second is to fix the free edge of the braid. At this stage, we have an attached braid at the bottom of the trouser leg along the front side.
You need to turn the bottom of the product inside out, so that the edge of the braid protrudes slightly, and it is hidden inside the leg. The hem must be carried out along a pre-designated chalk line (based on which the braid was sewn). The bottom of the product must be ironed with a steam iron.
On the wrong side you need to make a double flap and secure it with a decorative stitch on a sewing machine. It is recommended to choose contrasting threads for the seam.

This method protects the edge of the jeans from damage and fraying when worn.

How to hem jeans while maintaining the factory seam

When the task is formulated this way, it does not mean that nothing will have to be cut off. On the contrary, in this case you can hem the jeans by first removing the factory seam.

To do this, you first need to make markings. It is enough to deviate from the factory seam by 2 cm.

Further actions:

cut off excess fabric;
to hem jeans while maintaining the factory seam, you need to connect individual sections (the leg and hem with the factory hem);
make a line;
Using an iron, the seam is given the desired shape; it must be smoothed so that protruding bumps are not visible from the front side.

Step-by-step master class

You can also make the stitching yourself. For this, the same technique is used as in the case discussed above. The seam is called a “back needle”, and each subsequent stitch is made with an indentation of 1 cm back, it covers the resulting gap.

When it is necessary to shorten pants while maintaining the factory edge, 2 parameters are taken into account: accuracy of execution, strength of the item in this area. According to these criteria, stitching done by hand is inferior to machine stitching. It is difficult for beginners and amateurs without sufficient experience to connect a pre-cut pant leg with a factory hem without defects.

How to fix the problem

If you have a sewing machine at home and have the skills to use it, then the process of hemming jeans will not cause problems. If it is not there, and there is also no experience in sewing, then you should carefully follow all instructions and recommendations. In this case, you can hem your jeans yourself without a machine and don’t have to go to an expensive tailor.

Preparing for cutting