Nobody looks good in loose, baggy clothing, regardless of their body shape. And make no mistake, this also applies to jeans.
I understand that you already paid the money and that you now own a pair of jeans that you appreciate for their style, color, and wash.
Just a little bit too loose, you would say.
The good news is that you don’t have to discard this denim. No! These jeans are still usable.
You can taper the legs of the jeans so they fit exactly in no time with a sewing machine and a little bit of knowledge.
The tools you will require is as follows:
- A sewing machine
- Sewing pins
- Safety pins
- A fabric pencil or chalk
- Scissors
Table of Contents
Measure and Pin
The first step is to measure and pin.
The correct measurements can be obtained using one of two ways.
Use a pair of perfectly fitting jeans you already own as your starting point.
Lay your ideal-fitting pair of jeans on top of the jeans you’re going to adjust by turning them inside out first.
For your information, there are numerous strategies to genuinely slim down your jeans.
You have the option of slimming them from the inside seam or from the outside seam.
We will keep this straightforward.
I’ll describe how to adjust your jeans using the inseam. The finished version is ultimately just as nice, and if you make any mistakes, they will be far less obvious when you adjust the inseam.
So, using your two pairs of jeans, line up the crotch and outside seams before tracing down the interior seam with a fabric pencil or chalk.
Once you’ve finished, you should proceed to pin the fabric in place to prevent it from moving.
It will be simpler to remove the pins while sewing if they are pointed away from you.
If you don’t have a pair of jeans that fits perfectly to serve as a guide, you’ll need to try them on to determine how much fabric to remove.
So, turn the jeans inside out and put them on. Once it fits tightly enough for you, continue placing safety pins on the inner seam as you go.
To ensure that they are not excessively tight, make sure to move around. What you don’t want to do is sit down and rip the seam.
After you’ve pinned the jeans in place, remove them and lay them flat.
Make sure the taper flows smoothly into the crotch or upper leg by first tracing along the safety pin line with the fabric pencil. You don’t want an abrupt transition because it will leave dimples.
To finish, simply replace the safety pins with sewing pins.
Sew
Let’s sew in step two.
You should select thread that closely resembles the color of your jeans. It should blend into the fabric, as desired.
For the seam, you’re going to use a straight stitch, and you want to use a 2.5 mm stitch length.
I do suggest substituting a needle made specifically for denim for your general sewing needle. Although the all-purpose needle can be useful in an emergency, keep in mind that it is more likely to break when sewing through a sturdy fabric like denim.
After your initial few stitches, you should go make a few back stitches. By securing the thread, the back stitch keeps your stitch from unraveling.
Make sure to sew in an even, straight line as you go. You don’t want to move in a zigzag pattern.
Simply sew along the fabric pencil line you created, taking out the pins as you go.
Avoid sewing over the pins since they could break your needle or cause the fabric to move out of place if they come into close contact with the presser foot.
Use a slower speed setting if you are just starting out sewing to prevent losing control. To expedite the process, consider a higher setting if you have more experience.
Once you’ve finished, add a few more backstitches, and then repeat the procedure for the other leg.
Turn the jeans right way out after you’re done and then try them on again to make sure they fit.
If you’re not satisfied, you can start afresh or even use a seam ripper tool to go through and remove the stitches and start over.
Tidying Up
Step three is tidying up.
It’s time to clean the inside of the jeans once you’re happy with how they look.
Take a pair of razor-sharp scissors and trim the extra fabric first. Make sure to give a seam allowance of between a quarter and a half inch.
Furthermore, you don’t want the fresh edge to fray. Without taking care of this, you’ll have loose threads all over the place after one trip to the washer.
You should seal the edge of the fabric with a zigzag or an overlock stitch to prevent it from happening.
Use a few backstitches at the beginning and end of the stitch to prevent it from unraveling as you work it along the entire fabric edge.
There you go! You now own the ideal pair of fitted jeans.
And guess what? To taper the legs of your other trousers, such as chinos and dress slacks, apply the exact same method.
