Hem jeans — keep the original hem

The trick: you fold the jeans up to the length you want, sew a new line of stitches just above the original factory hem, then cut off the excess and let the factory hem fall back down. The original hem stays on the outside; the new stitching is hidden inside the cuff.

This works for jeans, chinos, and any pants with a folded-and-stitched factory hem.

Measure the new length

1. 1

   Put the jeans on with the shoes you’ll wear most. Hem length depends on shoe height. Don’t measure barefoot if you wear boots.

2. 2

   Fold the bottom of the leg up to where you want the new hem to sit. Pin the fold in place. Look in a mirror — both legs should match.

3. 3

   Measure the fold distance. Use a tape measure to find how much you folded up. Divide that distance in half — that’s the amount you need to take in (the new stitch line will sit halfway up the fold).

Set up the fold

1. 1

   Take the jeans off and lay them flat, leg by leg. Turn each leg inside out.

2. 2

   Fold the bottom of the leg upward by half the original fold distance. The original factory hem should end up sitting just below the new fold line, with its bottom edge pointing up toward the knee.

3. 3

   Pin all the way around the cuff. Place pins perpendicular to the seam line, so you can sew over them or pull them out as the foot reaches them.

Sew the new line

1. 1

   Set up the machine: denim needle, polyester thread, straight stitch, length 3.0 mm. Tension around 4.

2. 2

   Sew right above the factory hem stitching. Get as close as you can — about 1–2 mm above the existing line. Sewing too far above leaves a visible bump; sewing into the factory hem destroys the trick.

3. 3

   Start at one inseam, sew slowly around the entire cuff, end where you started. Backstitch a few stitches at the start and end to lock the seam.

4. 4

   Repeat for the other leg. Make sure the two new hems are the same length.

Finish

1. 1

   Trim the excess. Inside the cuff there’s now a flap of fabric that includes the original factory hem and some excess length. Cut the excess off, leaving about 1 cm of fabric below your new stitch line. Don’t cut the factory hem off.

2. 2

   Zigzag the raw edge of the cut you just made. This prevents fraying inside the cuff. (Optional but recommended — denim frays a lot in the wash.)

3. 3

   Turn the legs right side out, push the factory hem back down. The original hem should now sit at the new (shorter) length, with the new stitching tucked invisibly inside.

4. 4

   Press the cuff with an iron. Heavy steam, firm pressure. This sets the new length.

What can go wrong

• Stitch line too far above the factory hem. Creates a visible "ridge" of extra fabric just above the hem. Fix: rip the new line and re-sew closer to the factory stitching.
• One leg shorter than the other. Easy to miss until both legs are done. Fix: measure carefully before sewing the second leg; check by laying the jeans flat with both legs together.
• Needle breaks at thick seams. Denim seams (especially where the inseam meets the outseam) are 6+ layers thick. Walk through these by hand (turn the handwheel) instead of running the machine through them, or use a denim needle size 100/16 for extra stiffness.