Hemming your jeans with the original hem—Tutorial Your new jeans will look much more polished when maintaining the original hemline. You can easily shorten your jeans while keeping the original hem. Here’s how:
Try on your jeans to determine the finished length. Pin to see how it will look.
You can check the length by folding up the hem and measuring the excess fabric. These jeans need to be shortened 3 inches. Fold the hem up to the outside of the jeans.
. You want the measurement from the inner edge of the current hem to the fold to equal one half of the amount that you are shortening the jeans. In this case that measurement will be one and one half inches.
Using a zipper foot and thread to match the denim, stitch next to the old hem being careful not to catch any of the original hem in the stitching.
Press the stitching flat.
Turn the hem down and the excess fabric up and press.
For a more finished look, stitch right next to the seam, holding fabric taut while stitching.
Voila! Your “original hem� is complete! If you wish, you may trim away the excess fabric inside and finish with a zig zag or overlock stitch.