The Easiest Way To Hem Your Jeans [0:00:00]
Gents, has this ever happened to you, you buy a new pair of jeans and within weeks,
the heel starts to fray and wear out? Guys, the truth here is that your jeans are
too long. Now, you can get a tailor to hem them for you, but this can get expensive if
you need multiple pairs that need to be hemmed, and I think men should be self-sufficient.
So, in today’s video, I’m going to make it simple for you. I’m going to show you
how to easily hem your own jeans at home. Now, for this DIY project, you’re going
to need a sewing machine, sewing pins, a fabric pencil, a ruler, scissors, and an iron.
The first step is to figure out the right length for your jeans. Put on your jeans and
a pair of shoes. Then, fold the hem until they’re the perfect length for you. Now,
be careful doing this without shoes on, otherwise you can get the wrong length.
Seriously, you’re going to end up with a hem that’s too short which is pretty much
impossible to fix or too long and then you’ll have to go through this process again. Remember,
gents, the old rule, measure twice, cut once. Now, how long should your jeans be? Now, this
is m personal preference, but I think jeans look best with at a least a quarter break.
And, me, personally, I prefer a full break. Now, to ensure that fold stays where you want
it, make sure to pin the fold and then take the jeans off.
Now, at this point, you’ve got a decision to make. Do you want to go with the classic
hem or do you want to go with the easy hem? Both have their advantages and disadvantages.
And in today’s video, I’m going to show you both.
Now, this first method preserves the original hem. A lot of people really like this look,
but, no, it can look sloppy if not sewn perfectly. So, what you want to do is measure your original
hem. Let’s say it’s a half inch hem. Take your fabric pencil and draw a horizontal line
on the outside of the jeans a half inch above your pin.
Now, you want to go through and fold your jeans, so the edge of the original hem sits
perfectly on top of the line you just drew. Next, pin the fabric in place starting at
the side seams first as you need them to line up perfectly.
[Sound effect] Now, make sure the pins will be pointed away
from you while sewing, so you can easily remove them.
Now, it’s time to start sewing. So, find the thread color that closely matches the
fabric of your jeans. We want the stitch to be as invisible as possible. You’ll use
a straight stitch for this hem. Your sewing machine default stitch length will work out
fine. Now, I do advice switching out your universal
sewing needle for one specifically designed for denim. Now, the universal needle is great,
it can work in a pinch, but understand it’s more like to break when sewing tough fabrics.
Now, depending on how your sewing machine is configured, you may need to remove the
side piece, so your jeans can be positioned properly. Set the jeans, so the needle will
be as close as possible to the edge of the hem.
After the first couple of stitches, make a backstitch and this will lock the thread and
prevent your stitch from coming undone. Stitch around the length of the jeans, removing the
pins as you go. Make sure to sew in an even straight line. Don’t zigzag back and forth.
And, note, most sewing machines include guide marks on the right side to help keep a straight
line. Now, you may run into an issue when you reached
the side hem as your machine may have trouble sewing over the multiple layers of fabric.
Now, if your machine gets stuck, a great work around is to release the presser foot and
use the manual knob on the side of the sewing machine to slowly feed it through. Once you
reach the end, do a couple more backstitches and you are set.
Now, you’ll probably have a little bit of excess fabric left over, which you can fold
back up inside the jeans. Another option is to just simply cut it off, make sure though
to use a zigzag stitch to prevent that end from fraying.
Now, at this point, go ahead and iron the new seam edge until it’s flat and tight.
If done properly, the final result looks great and it preserves the original look of the
jeans. Now, the second hemming method is easier and
more forgiving especially for beginners, but you will lose the original hem.
To start with, turn the jeans inside out and use the fabric pencil and ruler to draw a
straight line where you placed your initial pin. Then, draw a second line an inch below
the first one, then cut the fabric along this new line.
Take the bottom edge and fold it twice. This will prevent the fabric from fraying. Use
your iron to flatten this folded edge and then pin it in place.
Now, since you’re going to be creating a new hem that will be visible, try to find
thread that closely matches the color of the original hem thread. Now, select a 3.5 mm
stitch length on your sewing machine to match the look of the original hem. Start sewing
keeping your needle one-eighth of an inch from the folded edge.
Now, notice we’re following similar steps as to the last method where we’re doing
a couple of backstitches after we start sewing. Keep sewing in a straight line removing the
pins as you go. And remember to be careful about the side hems. Once at the end, sew
a couple of backstitches and you are done. Now, the end result is going to look a little
bit different than the original hem, but it gets the job done. And to be honest, after
a few wears and washes, it will develop a character of its own.
[Music] Now, if this is way too much work, what are
your other options? Well, gentlemen, how about discover the five ways to roll your cuffs
and look amazing? I’ve got you covered with this video right here.
[0:05:26] End of audio