DIY SPRING JEAN UPDATE
Spring is unquestionably my favorite time of the year. All of the pretty flowers start to bloom, the skies are bright blue, and most importantly, summer is just around the corner. I love this time of the year for countless reasons, but one of the best parts about it is that I get to break out my warmer weather clothes! My typical spring outfits include a pair of cute jeans, a light t-shirt, and some comfy sandals. I am a self-declared embellished jean fanatic, but instead of browsing my go-to sites (Madewell and & Other Stories) for their newest styles, I decided to get crafty this season. My mom had given me her great-grandmother’s adorable tablecloth and some old jeans back in December, but I waited until now to do something cute with them. I’m no designer, but I can sew a (semi) straight line, so this DIY is definitely rookie-friendly. Keep on reading to find out how to update a pair of jeans you could find at a fancy flea market for a fraction of the price!
All you need is:
A pair of old jeans
An old tablecloth or at least a yard of a printed fabric of your choice
Two threads that will match the fabric color you choose (I used white and navy (not pictured))
A sewing machine
Fabric scissors
A measuring tape
Pins
Start by measuring out how much of the fabric you want to have at the bottom of your jeans. I would recommend actually putting on the jeans and then rolling the bottoms up to the point that you want to cut. When you take them off, make sure that you evenly measure the length of part you want to cut. I decided to cut 10 ½ inches up since I wanted a lot of the print to show, but it is totally up to you how much trim you want.
After you measure how much you want to crop the pants, take some fabric chalk or a pen and mark off where you are going to cut. Once you do that, go ahead and start cutting! Also, I just want to give a quick shout out to my mom for being an excellent hand model. :)
Next, turn the jeans inside out and cuff them up to an inch or so. I would recommend pinning all around the edges of the jeans since you want this stich to look as straight and even as possible. It is key to check if your sewing machine is properly set up at a thick stitch that can handle denim (for my Huskystar that’s the 3rd setting), and also make sure your bobbin and main thread colors are matching. I used a navy thread for the jeans. Thankfully, this is the easiest part to sew, but you still want to make it look as clean as you can. If you aren’t an expert (like me), take it slow to keep your line as straight as possible. And always remember to backstitch at the beginning and end of your sewing!! For newbies that have no idea what that means, check out this video.
Congrats, you just sewed the hem of your jeans! Trust me when I say this is no easy feat, especially for novice sewers, but we did it. :) Let’s move on to the next step. Measure the circumference of your newly hemmed jeans. Mine were about 25 inches all around. Then take your fancy fabric (or vintage tablecloth in my case) and cut a piece that’s about 29 x 10 ½ inches long. You’re probably thinking, why all the extra fabric? Well, it’s because you have to take human error into account. That’s at least what I’ve learned from my sewing endeavors. Since the fabric you cut is going to be unfinished, the next step is to hem the edges so have you have clean lines at the bottom of your cuffs. If you prefer the “raw” look then go ahead and leave unfinished edges on one side. I say one side because I find that it’s easier to attach the trim to the jeans with a finished edge, plus it makes them more durable. If you decide to finish both sides of the fabric, then go ahead and roll the edge twice over so that it’s a little thicker and 1 inch wide. Be sure to pin it so that it stays in place. Once that’s done, sew a straight line down both (or one) side(s) usually the appropriate thread and bobbin color, which in my case was white.
Here is where things get a little bit tricky, but don’t be scared away! I promise it’s not that bad. Take the fabric you just finished off and start pinning it around the edge of your hemmed jeans. Be careful not to pin everything together, or else you might sew the jeans shut! I’m not sure why I hadn’t hemmed the tablecloth fabric in this photo, but just ignore that and follow the directions from above. Once everything is pinned properly, get your thread/bobbin ready. I used navy thread here since I knew this stitching was going to show up on the denim.
Gently shimmy your jeans/fabric underneath the sewing needle and make sure it’s perfectly arranged before you start stitching away. Make sure one edge of your printed fabric is aligned with the edge seam of your jeans, so you don’t end up with an ugly line down the middle of your trim. If this happens, no worries, that’s that seam rippers are for. Once you’ve gotten close to making it all the way around, you can cut the extra fabric that’s left over. Make sure you leave a little bit of an overlap though since you’re going to need it for the next step. Continue to sew until the entire top of the fabric is sewed the hem of the jeans. Remember to backstitch!
We’re in the home stretch! The final step requires a little bit of finessing and a lot of concentration. Rearrange your jeans so that they are facing you vertically. You are essentially going to be making a “t” here by sewing a line straight down from the seam of your jeans all the way to the bottom of the fabric trim. This way you won’t have a floppy opening in the sides of your new trimmed jeans. As I said before, take your time and place a pin for safety’s sake, while also making sure you aren’t sewing anything together that shouldn’t be connected.
While the detailed steps above make this look like a painstakingly-difficult activity, this project can be done in less than an hour. The best part is when you finally finish hemming the second side and you turn them back outside-in to reveal your “new” creation. For a second, I considered a career in upcycling clothing because I was that proud of my retro/recycled design. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but they seriously look like the kinds of jeans you can find in expensive hipster stores or cool thrift shops. And the best part is, I didn’t have to spend a dime! I’m so happy with the way that my DIY jeans turned out, and I can’t wait to wear them all spring/summer long. I think my great-great grandma would be glad to hear that her cute tablecloth has been put to good use all these years later! :)
xoxo,
Emma