How To: Hem Pants (Super Easy!!)

So my husband found a pair of Seven Jeans from TJ Maxx that were a bit too long.  I made him buy them because they fit so well, vowing that I would figure out how to hem them properly.  So I googled and googled and based on the directions I read, here is a summary of what I did with pictures.  You will need:

~jeans

~straight pins

~measuring tape

~thread (preferably darker color to match the denim)

~sewing machine

~iron

Step 1: my husband needed the pants shortened 3 inches so you measure half of what you need, turning the jeans inside out.  In other words, I turned the jeans inside out 1.5 inches as you see above.

Step 2: use straight pins to pin the pants in place.  I placed one at each seam and one in each middle.

*tip: place the ball of the pin away from the side you will be sewing so not to catch on your fingers when in the machine.

Step 3: I took off the large compartment of my sewing machine so the leg opening would fit nicely when I sewed to allow for continuous motion.

Step 4:  Place the leg opening around the bottom and line up the needle head so that the thread will sew just underneath the current hem (notice the direction of the pins from my tip in step 2).  Sew slowly, I cannot stress the importance of this!  I started out fast and my needle moved, thus having to rip out the thread and start over.  Also, be careful around the seams...take your time because this is a thicker area.

Step 5: remove pins and turn the jeans right side out.

Step 6: iron the jeans right side out.

Step 6 continued: above you will see what the ironed jean looks like

Step 7: some people cut off the excess fabric inside the jeans but I left it there.  Knowing denim sometimes shrinks in the wash I figured I better be careful to keep the fabric there just in case I need to rip out the thread and start over. : )

A fuzzy close up.

So now that I've figured this out I think it seriously has changed my life...no pair of pants are ever too long!  If you need more assistance or video tutorials because my directions are very amateur to say the least, just google "shorten a pair of jeans."  Good luck and happy hemming!