How to sew in jeans at the waist: how to reduce it at home without a machine

Even if jeans generally fit perfectly, if they are too big in the waist, they will be uncomfortable to wear. It's no secret that denim pants are made according to clearly established standards. This means that even if your figure deviates slightly from the generally accepted parameters, choosing jeans will be problematic. But the problem is easy to solve if there is a sewing machine in the house and you have an understanding of how to use it. However, even in the absence of a sewing mechanism, you can reduce your waist manually using simple tools such as a needle and thread.

How much can you reduce

Even the best quality jeans lose their shape and stretch as they wear them. This is absolutely no reason to rush to turn them into lounge pants. Any denim item in your wardrobe can be made smaller by a size or even two without any problems. All that is required for this is to prepare the necessary tools and stock up on time and patience.

You can reduce your jeans size yourself

How to sew in at the waist

The process of sewing jeans on your own is not particularly difficult. This can be done in different ways: in the waistband along the back seam, using darts, using a zipper at the back or using an elastic band. To work in all of the above cases, you will need the following materials and tools:

thread;
needle;
scissors;
pattern;
ruler;
chalk;
pins;
sewing machine;
overlock;
elastic/zipper.

You can sew in a couple of sizes of jeans along the back seam

How to sew in a waistband along the back seam

The correct way to sew jeans in at the waist along the back seam is something like this:

Try on jeans.
Pin (with someone's help) along the middle seam, removing excess fabric that will need to be sewn.
Use chalk to mark the places where the pins are attached.
Carefully rip off the belt and make a cut in the center.
Open the middle seam of the jeans.
Using the control marks drawn earlier with chalk from the inside, draw a new middle seam using a pattern and a ruler.
Add a seam allowance of approximately 1.5 cm.
Cut off excess fabric and pin everything with pins.
Baste the new middle seam.
Try on jeans.
If everything is fine, sew the seams using a machine.
Sew the edges using an overlocker.
Iron the seam carefully.
On the front side, if necessary, add finishing stitches using contrasting threads for sewing jeans.
Trim excess from waistband, leaving seam allowances.
Sew the parts together and sew in the belt, not forgetting to sew the belt loop.

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Sewing along the back seam should be done as carefully as possible.
This is one of the answers to the question of how to sew in jeans. Despite the fact that suturing is done from the back, the pants or shorts will also fit tighter on the sides.

How to properly sew in the sides of men's and women's jeans?

However, if you think that your sewing machine should not just gather dust, but work, you can try it.
Just don’t forget, this is the same case when they say “Measure twice, cut once!” How to sew jeans yourself

To work you will need:

Sewing machine
Scissors
Tailor's pins
Threads
Overlock
Steamer
Chalk or bar of soap
Iron

First, try on your jeans to decide where you need to sew the product. If you need to remove excess tissue only on the sides, this is one way, but if you need, for example, to sew in the hips, there will be a different technique.

Let's discuss all the options one by one. Let us immediately note that women's and men's jeans are sewn in the same way.

You can often find extremely simple tips on how to quickly sew in the sides of jeans. The idea comes down to this: place a model that fits your size on top of your old jeans, cut off the excess and stitch. Of course, this should never be done.

If your jeans fit perfectly at your waist and you need to remove some fabric from the sides, you can do this:

Put your jeans on with the wrong side facing out.
Using tailor's pins, mark the places where you need to sew, first on one leg.
Do this with the inner seam and the outer seam.
Without ripping or cutting anything, remove the jeans.
Use chalk or soap to mark a line for the stitching.
Sweep the product by hand.
Try on the jeans again, sit down, walk around.
Make sure your jeans fit properly.
Only after this can you cut off the excess 1 cm further from the future seam.
Now it’s time to machine stitch the jeans with threads that match the color.
Sew a finishing stitch along the outer edge of the jeans using double thread.
Iron your jeans thoroughly.
Finish the cut edges with an overlocker.

Sewing jeans: step 1

Sewing jeans: step 2

Sewing jeans: step 3

Sewing jeans: step 4

Sewing jeans: step 5

How to narrow your jeans at home yourself

If you do take the risk, be prepared to completely reshape your jeans.

To downsize your jeans, put them on and look closely at where exactly they fit unflatteringly.

Try to choose the simplest method of remodeling, with minimal investment of labor and the best possible result.

There are several ways to change jeans to a size smaller:

Cutting off the excess on the sides and inside seam.
Sew the product along the back seam.
Remove a little in the hips only on the sides.

A few simple rules for successfully sewing jeans:

Jeans, both women's and men's, are altered according to the same principle.
Before starting work, wash the product and iron it.
It is advisable to find an assistant (-tsu) to help you make correct and even outlines.
Do not rush to cut off the excess; it is better to finally make sure that you are doing everything correctly.
Remember, there are some models that cannot be recut.

How to sew jeans to size

Let's look at the reasons why we most often want to change an item in our wardrobe, for example:

Purchased clothes do not fit the figure as desired; they are not sewn according to certain standards, but are made as if they had been cut with an axe;
If the trousers are a little big, then you need to sew them down a size so that they fit perfectly;
Your figure has changed and your clothes have become too big, then you can change them down to a size smaller.

How to reduce with darts

Darts will help you change the size of denim trousers to a smaller one. This is the easiest way to adjust your pants to your figure so that both the hip and waist fit like a glove.

Properly made darts can work wonders

The step-by-step principle of sewing involves performing the following steps in a clear sequence:

Give an initial fitting to understand the actual size of the trousers and how much they will need to be sewn.
Using pins (with someone's help), mark the places where the darts will be least noticeable. As a rule, the most inconspicuous area is in the buttocks area.
Measure how many centimeters should be removed.
Open the belt in the place where the darts will be, making small cuts.
Baste darts.
Try on a wardrobe item.
Make a neat seam using a machine or by hand.
Trim off excess fabric from the waistband.
Finish the edges of the fabric.
Sew the sections together.

Important! The smaller the grooves, the better. Otherwise, over time, a not very aesthetic fold may form in the buttock area.

Neat darts do not spoil the appearance of the product

It would be an exaggeration to say that even a child can cope with the work described, but if you have minimal sewing experience, performing the described manipulations will not be difficult.

How to sew in the sides of pants

How to sew in the sides of trousers so that they fit your figure, you will agree that sagging fabric in the hip area spoils the appearance, so proceed as follows:

Put your jeans on inside out, mark with pins how many centimeters you want to remove on the sides;
Draw narrowing lines with chalk;
Rip the waistband over the side seams;
Open the side seams themselves;
Baste the product along the lines marked in the preliminary fitting;
Try on the item, evaluate its appearance;
If you are satisfied with the result, then start sewing;
Sew overcast seams on a machine;
Reduce the waistband by cutting off excess fabric and sew it to the jeans.

You can’t keep up with fashion, jeans styles change every year from flared, to skinny, from long to short with turn-ups, so don’t be afraid to experiment and take matters into your own hands. Create masterpieces with your own hands, and we will help you with this.

How to sew using a zipper at the back

Another interesting way to reduce the waist of jeans is by using a zipper. This is not the fastest process and requires some experience.

In this case, the following tools and materials will come to the rescue:

ripper or blade;
threads;
needle;
zipper of suitable length;
chalk;
pins;
sewing machine.

You can make jeans smaller by sewing a zipper in the back.
The sewing itself is done as follows:

Try on jeans and measure how many centimeters need to be removed.
Carefully secure the fold with pins.
Take off the jeans and draw lines along which the zipper will then be sewn.
Carefully open the back seam.
Cut the belt.
Tuck the edges of the back.
Sew with contrasting thread.
Attach and sew in the zipper.
Try on the product.
Remove the zipper and stitch the folded edges, simultaneously grabbing parts of the belt.
Baste the zipper again and sew it on.

Jeans with a zipper at the back look very stylish

How to sew jeans in the hips?

You can try sewing jeans only at the hips. This is appropriate in the case when the hips are narrow, and only in the hips are the jeans too big, but on the legs they fit normally.

You can sew in jeans by a few centimeters

You can remove excess tissue on the hips in this way:

Open the side seams.
Open the middle seam in the buttock area.
Sew taking into account the necessary preliminary measurements.
It is necessary to sew the edges strictly in the same style as the old seams, otherwise it will look ridiculous.

How to make jeans smaller with an elastic band

If the belt at the waist is not too large, you can solve the problem with the help of an ordinary wide elastic band. To sew it in, you need to do the following:

Undercut the waistband of the jeans from the wrong side at the back.
Cut off the elastic.
Attach the elastic band to the waistband using pins.
Try it on and, if necessary, reduce the length of the elastic.
Sew it to the belt.
Sew on the belt itself.

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It doesn't take much experience to sew in elastic.

As a result of these actions, only a small ruffle will be visible on the back of the jeans, and the trousers themselves will fit perfectly at the waist.

How to sew sweatpants to size?

Sweatpants differ from classic trousers in that they are usually sewn without a belt, with an elastic band. To reduce a leotard by one size, you need to do the following:

Try on the product, turning it inside out, and mark the lines of the new seams with pins.
Pull out the elastic and undo the drawstring.
Open the bottom cuffs, if the model has them, and rip the seams on the outside of the leg.
Make a side stitch along the chalk line.
Try on the pants and make sure that the seams do not pull or restrict movement.
Trim off excess material and finish the edges with an overcast stitch.
Fold the top of the pants, insert an elastic band or lace.

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To complete the work, you need to return the cuffs to their place or make a hem. At this stage of work, you can at the same time adjust the length and, if necessary, make the pants a little shorter.

To work with knitwear, it would be correct to take a special needle with a round end. She carefully moves the threads apart and does not tear the fabric.

Stitching in the hips

Another home-made way to sew in jeans at the waist without resorting to the services of professionals is to reduce them at the sides.

Before starting work, the product must be thoroughly washed and ironed, regardless of whether the item of clothing is being remade, old or new.

The algorithm of actions should be approximately as follows:

When sewing jeans, you must try them on inside out.

Turn your pants inside out.
Try them on like this.
Use pins to mark the places where the side of the product should be reduced in volume.
Take off your jeans and carefully lay them out on any horizontal surface.
Using chalk, draw a line along the pins where the seam will run.
Hand sew the jeans along the marked lines.
Turn the pants right side out and try them on. An important condition: you must try to sit down.
If no discomfort is felt, you can continue working.
Open the waistband at the bottom and the side waistband.
Trim off excess fabric, leaving 1.5 cm for seam allowance.
Sew jeans.
Finish the edge (overlock or zigzag).
Use a steamer to smooth the side edges.
Finish along the side seam using contrasting threads.
Remove extra centimeters from the waistband.
Sew the previously opened area.
Iron the product completely.
Carry out similar actions on the other side.
Finally try on the product.

How to make jeans narrower at the bottom

To update your wardrobe and narrow your jeans into fashionable leggings or stylish skinnies, you will have to be perseverant and remember your handicraft lessons.

Before you begin, prepare the following materials and tools:

Sewing machine with threads matching the color of the jeans;
Pins;
Needle and thread (any color);
Overlock or overlock foot for machine;
Tailor's scissors;
Chalk or a piece of soap;
Ruler or measuring tape;
Iron.

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Methods for solving the problem are described in detail below, choose the one that suits you - the main thing is to do everything carefully, take your time, be careful in your movements so as not to spoil the thing, remember measure seven times, cut once.

Jeans should be sewn along the inner seams of the trousers, since finishing stitches go along the outer side seams.

Follow these step by step instructions:

Since the new model of jeans is also tapered at the bottom, open the bottom of the trousers;
Iron the seam allowances of the bottom of the trousers with an iron so that no creases are visible;
Turn your jeans inside out;
Put the product on yourself and measure the places where you need to sew it. Take pins and pin the trouser legs along the line of the future inseam;
Take a closer look at whether the length and width suit you, whether it is comfortable to walk and sit with such a narrowness. If everything suits you, then take off your jeans;
Lay the jeans out on a flat surface and straighten out any wrinkles or folds;
Using sewing chalk or soap, draw lines along the marks marked with pins, baste the line along the line using an overlock stitch or a needle-first stitch;

Try the product on again if you need to make changes or correct defects. If the trousers are longer than you need, you should first shorten them and then sew them in;
Remove the trousers and mark new lines with chalk, leaving an allowance of 1.5 cm from the stitching line;
Trim off excess fabric with scissors;
Using a serger, overcast the seam allowances on the side of the front halves of the trouser legs. The threads must match the color of the fabric;
Iron the finished seams onto the back halves of the legs. To do this, use a special sleeve block that comes with the ironing board. If you don’t have one, sew a homemade pillow;
Now sew the jeans along the marked lines, while trying to connect the old and new seams smoothly, without a noticeable transition between them;
Align the bottom cuts on the trouser legs, mark with chalk allowances along the bottom of 3-4 cm;
Use thread to sew the bottom of the trousers in the color of the finishing stitch;
Fit them along the chalk line, sew them on the front side with finishing threads on a machine (stitch width 0.4 cm);
After finishing the bottom of the trousers, iron the finishing stitch using an iron using a block;
Remove any excess thread you used to baste the stitching. Turn the jeans inside out and try them on. If you are pleased with the result and the trousers fit perfectly, then congratulations, you succeeded;

This method is almost the same as method 1, the difference is that old skinny ones are placed on top of wide jeans, which fit perfectly to the figure. Then you mark new seams on the relatively narrow model. After this, the lines are swept away and the jeans are tried on. If you are satisfied with the result, then start sewing by cutting off the excess fabric and processing the allowances on the overlocker.

This method is the most difficult; you will have to rip wide jeans and skinny ones that fit in size into patterns. The advantage of this method is that you can achieve perfectly high-quality results. The essence of the method: the pattern of skinny jeans is completely transferred to the fabric of wide trousers, then the pattern is marked with chalk on the fabric and additional seam allowances are made. Then you need to cut off the excess fabric and stitch the pattern.

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How to reduce by washing

In the absence of sewing machines, overlockers and other equipment, you can try to reduce the size of your jeans using an old proven tool. Home and home conditions are also quite suitable for its use. We're talking about laundry.

Properly hand washed jeans fit perfectly.

If old jeans were durable and did not stretch when worn, the use of new technologies has led to the fact that the rough fabric has become more elastic. And since each leg bends at the knee when walking, and when bending over, the waist part of the product is extended, there was a need to find a way to return jeans to their original appearance.

Many people do not see the need and do not have the desire to take out sewing tools and sew up excess fabric using a blind stitch. There is an easy-to-follow life hack that allows you to quickly and effectively reduce jeans by at least a size. We're talking about laundry. Washing can be done either by hand or by machine.

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Handwash

Hand washing is a great way to reduce a jeans size. To do this, they should arrange a contrast shower, switching from hot water to cold water and back while rinsing. The fabric will shrink even more by soaking the product for a couple of hours, first in cold and then in hot water. When the washing process is completed, the trousers should be squeezed very hard and for a long time until the hand gets tired. To dry the product, it is better to place it in the dryer and set it to hot drying.

When washing jeans to shrink, do not pay attention to the manufacturer's recommendations.

This is interesting! If you don’t hang the jeans after drying, but carefully lay them out on natural fabric, they will shrink a little.

Machine washable

Machine washing in solving the problem of reducing the size of jeans will be no less effective. As in the previous case, shrinkage occurs due to the use of hot water. When exposed to heat, the fibers shrink and the product becomes slightly smaller. It is recommended to machine wash the product as follows:

Throw the pants into the drum of the washing machine.
Set the washing machine to the highest temperature setting and high spin speed.
Add any detergent and rinse aid.
After washing, leave the product in the dryer, also at maximum temperature.
Repeat the procedure until the desired result is obtained.

At a temperature of 90 degrees in the car, jeans are guaranteed to fit.
Important! If you iron your jeans after machine washing, this will shrink the fabric a little more.

Features of work

Working with denim requires knowing some secrets and nuances.

You need to know how to work with denim

We are talking primarily about the following points:

Before cutting, the jeans product must be washed. Washing will soften the fabric and make it much easier to work with.
Scissors should only be used that are well sharpened. And you need to be prepared for the fact that after cutting they will most likely become dull.
You need to install special thick needles in your sewing machine that will not become dull or break.
It is recommended to use heavy-duty threads. If you can’t find special threads for denim, you can replace them with polyester or durable cotton ones.
On particularly thick areas, do not sew using the machine pedal. It will be easier and safer to stitch such thickened areas by slowly turning the wheel by hand.
Seam allowances must be ironed.
It will be easier to sew jeans with a stitch with an increased length.

Properly fitted jeans are comfortable to wear.
Sewing jeans, although not the most difficult process, does require certain skills. If someone has minimal or no sewing experience, it is strongly recommended not to experiment. It would be much more prudent to seek help from specialists who will quickly and efficiently adjust any item of denim clothing to the desired size.