Hemming

Shorten Jeans and Keep the Original Hem

Shorten jeans by moving the original hem up the leg, so the heavy stitching and the faded edge are preserved.

Confident Beginner1 hrMachine

What you will learn

Sewing thick layers
Stitching beside an existing hem
Hiding a tuck inside the leg

Before you start

Wash and dry the jeans the way you normally do. Wear them with your usual shoes and mark the finished length with pins.

Step by step

Put on the jeans and shoes. Fold the hems up and pin them at the length you want. The jeans should clear the floor by about 1/2 in (12 mm) at the back. Measure how much you must remove. This amount is called E.
Take the jeans off and keep them right side out. Measure E on both legs. Both legs should be equal. If not, mark each leg individually.
Fold the bottom of the leg up to the outside, like a cuff, so the right sides touch. Measure from the fold up to the nearest edge of the original hem, the edge with the stitching. Do not include the hem itself. Set this distance to half of E all the way around, match the side seams, and pin. Half is correct because the fold doubles the fabric.
Do not cut. Baste around each leg with long hand stitches right beside that hem edge, through the cuff and the leg. Turn the hem down, push the tuck of fabric up inside the leg, and try the jeans on with your shoes. Check the length on both legs.
When the length is confirmed, fold the cuff up again. Sew all the way around right beside the original hem, on the side nearer the fold, as close to the hem edge as you can get without stitching on it. Use a denim needle, thread matched to the denim and a 3.0 mm stitch length. A zipper foot, if you have one, lets the needle run closer. Sew slowly and turn the hand wheel by hand over thick seam crossings.
Remove the basting. Turn the hem down and push the tuck up inside the leg. Press the join from the right side at a heat that suits the care label, pulling the hem down gently so the new seam sits tight against the original hem.
If the tuck inside is 1/2 in (12 mm) deep or less, leave it and tack it to the leg seams with a few hand stitches so it stays up. If it is deeper, try the jeans on once more, then trim it to 1/2 in (12 mm) and zigzag the two cut edges together. Trimming cannot be undone.
Try the jeans on. Check both legs for a level hem.

Tips for a neat result

Hammer the thick side-seam crossings flat with a hammer, with the jeans on a hard surface, before sewing. The needle will not break as easily.
Sew thick spots slowly and by turning the hand wheel.
Practise on a scrap of the same denim first.

Common mistakes and fixes

The needle breaks at the side seam.

The layers are too thick. Flatten the seam with a hammer, use a 110/18 denim needle and turn the hand wheel slowly.

The folded-up cuff will not lie flat against the leg.

The leg is tapered or flared, so it is a different width where the hem lands. Use a plain machine hem instead, or take the jeans to a tailor.

A band of plain denim shows between the new seam and the original hem.

The stitching sat too far from the hem edge. Unpick it and sew again closer to the hem, with a zipper foot if you have one.

Safety and fabric care

Hold the fabric away from the needle. Denim needles break under strain and may fly, so wear glasses if the machine is struggling.

Check your result

The original hem sits at the new length, with its faded edge visible.
Both legs are the same length.
The new seam sits tight against the original hem and is hard to see from a normal distance. A slight ridge up close is normal.

When to use a professionalTake the jeans to a tailor if the legs taper or flare, if the hem has chain stitching or heavy distressing, or if you do not have a machine that handles thick denim.