We did a post on this about a year and a half ago but the pictures were not very big. I thought I would do an updated version of my own jeans that I have hemmed using the original hem method. It’s really easy, anyone can do it even if you are not a master with the sewing machine.
All you need to hem your jeans is: Tape measure, pins/safety pins, needle & thread (or sewing machine), iron and of course your jeans.
1) Lie your jeans out on a flat surface and measure the inseam. Note down how much you want to take off of the length and half it. Always remember not to include the actual hem itself in your measurements as you will not be taking any off the hem. It’s easier to do one leg at a time so you wont have to undo both if any mistakes are made.
2) Fold the hem of your jeans inside out to the correct length you have measured, in the example this would be measuring 1″ of the fold as I am taking off 2″ in total (do not include the hem itself in the measurement). Re measure from the crotch to just under the original hem that has been folded outwards and make sure it is your perfect length (minus the hem width itself). Do not measure right to the end of the jeans where the fold is, your jeans will not be this long as you are not sewing at the bottom of the fold. You might want to get an iron and make sure that the fold is flattened down, I personally use an old hair straightener quickly (be careful not to press it down for a long time so you don’t burn the denim) as it’s easier to put the plates each side and flatten it. Make sure the seams on the left and right side of the leg match up correctly to the hem once it’s folded. Now put some pins in all the way around to hold your fold in place.
3) Now you are going to sew all the way around the hem. I have drawn some pink stitch marks on the image so you can see where to sew. You need to sew right under the hem, not on the actual hem itself. Sew just under it so you are only going through 2 pieces of denim (the folded bit). You can either do this by hand with a simple forward stitch secured at both ends or with a sewing machine. I personally do it by hand as it’s easier for me and it’s easier if you wish to let the hem down. It doesn’t matter which colour thread you use or how neat your sewing is as the stitching will be on the inside of the jeans and invisible on the outside. Be sure not to sew the leg opening together so opening ends up closed.
4) Take out all of the pins once you have finished your sewing. Now comes the tricky part. Fold the hem back down/in so the folded part you have sewn goes back inside the jeans. Get your iron or old hair straightener in my case and flatten it all out, you need to make sure you have flattened and pressed the hem down all the way around. If you have done it correctly it should look like the images below.
Now you have a pair of original hemmed jeans. Since we didn’t cut the hem off and re attach it this is a perfect way to let the hem down again back to the original length if you need to. If you have any questions just post a comment and I will be happy to reply.
Happy Hemming!
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Thanks for the tip!! That will save lots of money and could allow my sister and I to share jeans even though we are 3 inches apart!!
Glad I could help
This is a great post. I have to alter all my jeans but it would be nice to be able to wear them with boots in the winter and flats in the summer. I love this tip, thanks!!
Love the wash and distressing on your jeans Lorna – would you be able to tell me which brand they are? Thanks x
They are Current/Elliott skinny jeans in loved destroyed =) You can buy them on Singer22 and ShopBop
Thanks Lorna! x
PS: What you’ll have to worry about if you decide to let the hem down..
Is the fade/crease that’s made by the inner cuff.
Just a heads up. I have to get my Rock n Republics done by a tailor now because of that.
Thank you for teaching us………
LOVE THIS!!
Thank you so much for this! I can’t believe it took me this long to learn to do what you’ve shown. You have seriously freed me from my tailor!
One more thing I wanted to add for anyone else interested: To make the hem look really good, make sure to sew literally right underneath the hem, not just next to it. Thanks again!
I’m glad I could help you
And you are right sew really close to the original hem line but not right on it otherwise you wont see it when you flip them inside out again 
Any suggestions for how to get both pant legs the same length? I had to redo a couple of times… Also, how do you keep the folded-under part from catching on your shoes?
You just have to keep re measuring each time you do it and make sure they are exact, keep re measuring as you are pinning
Emily – to keep the folder-under part from catching – assuming you don’t want to undo the alteration, you could use a lightweight fusible tape, ironing it in after you’re sure the hem is correct. Re leg length, as Lorna said, sometimes you need to have each leg a different measured length because your legs are actually different lengths. If this is a real issue for you, as she said, just keep measuring & re-pinning, and try them on to double check before sewing. Having a friend help might save some time, since s/he could pin & re-pin them for you while you wear them.
Lorna- great idea to use a hair straightener/flat iron! Much easier than hauling out the ironing board. Also, I like this version of the method better than the one that involves cutting off the hem. This seems easier to manage overall & less scary, not to mention that it should hold up better (since you don’t end up with fraying edges. I ditto the concern that if you are planning to let them down, fading & creasing could be an issue, especially if they’re washed a lot; plus I don’t see it worth the effort on a frequent basis – just buy 2 pairs – one to leave long & one to shorten!
Thanks Ellen! Those are some really good tips as well!
I used this method to hem a pair of jeans and it worked great! My only concern is will I have to iron the jeans every time I wear them to prevent the hem from flipping up?
I don’t have to
But then I only do it on skinnys and straight legs, I don’t do it on bootcuts as I don’t wear them. If it’s skinnys or straights should be fine 
To keep your hem from “flipping up” try this. After following the above and you have ironed your new hem flat, sew (with thread to match your jeans), right on top of where the new crease is, pulling taunt as you sew.
Also an easier measuring method is to pin up the length you want your finished jeans to be. Measure that and then 1/2 the measurement. Cuff up hem as shown above and using that measurement, place your ruler right above the original hem.(use it like a ledge),do not include the hem you are keeping in your measurements)) and mark all the way around and pin. For instance if I want my jeans 3″ shorter, I would turn up the hem (cuff it) mark off 1 1/2″ all the way around and pin.
Note on above regarding flipping up, you will be sewing on top of the new OUTSIDE crease of your jeans.
They don’t flip up on skinnys or straights, but if they do with your bootcuts you could try something as simple as using hem tape to tack the folded hem underneath to the inside of the jeans to stay there, maybe?