It takes a strong person to modify and repair jeans. The denim fabric’s thickness, the top stitching style used on jeans, the distinguishing hardware, and the unique form of the seam (flat fell seam) all serve as sufficient deterrents. Furthermore, when amateurs try to make the waist of jeans smaller, it may turn out to be a catastrophic failure that they cannot fix. But as you well know, there are no guarantees in life. To keep your favorite pair of jeans, you may occasionally have to. Check out the solutions you can employ if you discover that your favorite pair of jeans needs fixing.
1. Jeans that are too tight
Your jeans may fit perfectly around the hips, but you can’t button them, which is a fairly common issue. In this situation, you must modify the waistband area. This is a challenging task that you should only do if you have steely nerves. You can divide the waistband into three sections and sew a triangle piece of cloth onto each portion. This will make the waistband wider, although it is not recommended for beginners. The flat felled seam on the jeans makes it challenging to let out the seams. You can loosen the outer side seams and insert an additional fabric along the outer seam if you wish to enhance the size of the legs. Furthermore, if you recently purchased a pair of jeans that are too tight for your taste, wash them a few times before making any drastic decisions. With washing, most jeans expand slightly.
2. Jeans that are excessively wide at the hem or legs
You are making thin pants out of flared ones in this scenario. People occasionally have jeans with the right waist fit, but the legs are baggy, which they may dislike. The fact that flared-leg jeans are again in style is another story, but everyone to their preference. Put the jeans on with the wrong side out before tightening them. Then, pinch the extra material at the inside seam, making markings where you need to stitch. That is easier said than done, but you can also pin the seam or use a basting stitch. Having assistance is preferable. To sew it up, you must first take off your pants and make sure you can do so comfortably. After that, you should sew the hem up, after which you should do a second try-on. If everything fits as it should, trim the extra and smooth the edges.
3. Jeans that are too long
If your jeans are too long and you’ve never fixed a pair before, you might believe it’s simple to cut off the excess material, fold inside, and stitch. But nothing is ever that easy. You must consider double-folded denim thickness. Since the side seams of jeans are so thick, your regular sewing machine needle wouldn’t even advance when you reach them as you sew the hem. So, instead of cutting anything, attempt a shortcut hem to change the hem.
If you try to make the waist of jeans smaller and it isn’t satisfactory after all your efforts, it’s time to get professional assistance. Alternatively, consider recycling and making bags or even skirts out of your old jeans.