are you short? i am! 5'3" to be exact. growing up i hated having to have my jeans hemmed. my mom is an excellent seamstress but her hemming jobs were always obvious. for years i just wore jeans that were too long. i am too tall to wear petites and too short for regular length. it's as if the fashion designers think all women wear stilettos each day. news flash, i am a mom not a super model. i generally wear flats not heels. anyhow, a couple of years ago my friend Shanda taught me this method. from what i understand this is how the professionals do it.
jeans that are WAY too long.
jeans that are WAY too long.
pin jeans to the desired length. now take your jeans off and put on other pants or you can sew in your undies like me while hoping that no one comes to the door.
sew close to the bottom hem. if you arent' taking off much length you can now fold down the original hem and iron. 
because i took off so much length i surged close to (but not on) the seam.
close up you can see the seam but in action you'd never know.
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36 comments:
That is so perfect! I am only 5' so I really need to hem my jeans, but it always looks so dorky. Now I will look a little less frumpy. Thanks!
I had to laugh when I came across your post tonight, I just did this to my daughter's hand-me-down jeans just minutes ago! Wish I knew this trick last year, my jeans needed it but now the hem is ruined! I took am 5'3" so I feel your pain! a lthoughI was never taller than any date!
good reminder julie. there are some benefits to being short! :)
I had some jeans hemmed last year and my seamstress recommended that...I was unsure of what she meant but it looks great! I should have left her do it that way...I'll know next time. Thanks!
Thank you so much! I have always hated the way hemmed jeans look! I'm 5'2" and rarely find pants that are short enough.
I am 5'9" and never have that problem - they're too short and you can't do anything about that!
This is so simple, and yet I never thought of it! From one shorty to another, thank you!
I just found your blog from thecreativecrate and I loved this post. I am 5'3" and right in between petites and regular lengths too! Thanks for the info!
boo hoo all you short ladies, no sympathy (just kidding)! It's WAY easier to find pants that are too long and simply hem them to the perfect length than to find pants that are long enough when you are tall. Try making pants longer...never an easy task! :) Though, now that most places are making a "tall" category just like they make a petite category, I'm a much happier shopper. And hey, maybe I can use this since the talls are too long and the regulars are too short! Good tip!
I am loving this post and your blog look!The jeans look great. My Moonbeam is actually wearing jeans this morning too long this morning and I was thinking I needed to hem them and hoped they wouldn't look dorky. Thanks!!
I just saw that trick somewhere online. I LOVE it!
LOVE it!! I'm 5' 1" so I always have a dorky hem. Thanks for the tip!
That is such a great tip!
OMG that is so smart. I'm going to do all of my jeans tonight. I'm only 5"2 so it's tough. Thanks for the tip!
I'm 5'2" and you just made my day!!! :) Thanks!!
Thanks for the great tip!
Skilful . Me too want to do this. Since i am short i was searching for better one. But after seeing this i need not work. I can choose my own jeans with any size and can hem. Thanks for you blog
Isn't that so great! I learned how to do this a few years ago and it is actually easier I think and looks tons better.
Is this considered "an original hem"? I know I pay the tailor for an original hem so the jeans don't look dorky. For some reason I thought they cut off the hem and sewed it back on. This looks way easier.
Thanks for the great tip!
kim- yes, i think that is what it is called. it really is so easy! try it.
I too am a 5'3" in betweener! I saw this one other time and as soon as my good jeans fit me again, in about 5 lbs, I will for sure be using this technique!
Okay, I have to ask. I need a serger and I want to know what you suggest - do you like yours? Is there some secret to buying a good-quality serger cheaply? Thanks for your advice. Your blog has such great posts and I really needed this one!
lol.. I'm 4'11.. I learned to sew.. so I could actully WEAR jeans.. lol
I NEVER thought of heming them this way! But of course.. I usually have to cut off enough to make my kids pairs of jeans.. lol
Thanks so much!
I would have never thought to just take up the excess instead of making a whole new seam! I am filing this away at thecraftersfilebox.blogspot.com.
Thanks so much for sharing!
5'2" here...thanks for sharing this, i've broken so many needles trying to hem and the iron on stuff only lasts til you wash them.
i actually found you while searching for wallets and totes!
kudzu
once again i am jealous of your mad sewing skills. i always have to pay to have my jeans hemmed.
you really make sewing look easy. maybe i should look into learning how to sew soon. did you teach yourself or did you have someone show you a few things?
What a helpful post! My friend Liz just sent me this link after I posted about getting my toe caught in my too long jeans (I'm also 5'3), tripping, and cracking my jaw. You might be saving lives with this post! :)
This is awesome! I totally needed this !
Finally! I really needed to know how to do this - either I run around in jeans that are too long or I suck it up and pay $25 to a seamstress to hem my jeans that I paid too much for anyway!
nice!! another 5'3"-er here. :) i always feel like i get mine uneven when i cut and hem, and it's so permanent...this one looks like it leaves more room for mistakes. thank you so much!
jndfn
Just found this. (Thanks goodness for LinkWithin!) This is so great! My way would have been much more complicated. Thanks!
Can't wait to try this - I'm 5'5" and my jeans are too long (regulars) or too short (petites.) Thanks so much!!
I"m 4'11 and petites are to long :) I've been hemming my pants for as long as I can remember :)
Just found this post I live in WA state where it rains alot so all of my long pants get wet on the bottom. I'm soo going to try this w/ all my pants. Thanks!
This post really helped me out; thanks! And I'm pretty sure I found it because I searched for "hemming pants without looking like a dork". One thing that might be helpful for others is that, after pinning up the pants to the desired length, reduce the cuff by half so the new hem retains the desired length after sewing. I found that info here: http://www.cardiganempire.com/2009/08/how-to-hem-jeans-in-3-easy-steps.html
Thanks again!
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