Choose one pair that fits well in the waist. Choose another pair to match or contrast.
Seam rip outside seam of good fitting pair up to 4” or so below the any rivets or thick pocket seams. Use the pointy end of the seam ripper to open enough of the hem that you can get to the seam. Use the ball end underneath and push forward once you get the seam started ripping. Rip to a few inches below the bulk of the pocket.
Press seams edges open.
Also press flat along outside edge of other pair of jeans for easy cutting.
Use the opening of the first pair of pants to figure out the length. Cut a triangle from hip to cuff of the other jeans. Repeat on the second side using the first side as a pattern for the other side so they match.
Make sure you don’t cut so high that you cut into the bulky pocket areas of the second pair of jeans as that will make sewing difficult.
Also avoid cutting the triangle so wide that you cross the seam allowance.
Finish raw edges on jeans and godets with a zig zag or overlock stitch.
If any areas need to be covered, patches or embellished do this now when all the legs are open. (See notes at end on how to do patches or applique.)
With right sides together pin the triangular pieces to one side of the pants in the seam allowance. Start at the hem and make sure it matches exactly. Here is a close up showing how the fold of the hem matches.
Make sure your fabric lays flat and pin at the other end.
Make sure the center seam of the triangle lands on the seamline at the top. If you pin along the stitch line and flip it over, you can see if your seams is off centered. If it is, move it so it lines up and trim your triangle as needed so the edge of the seams match. See how the seams need to be lined up?
I forgot to grab a snap of when it is lined up.
Sew the seam down at a seam allowance that matches the original jeans seam allowance (probably 3/8”), starting with a back tack at the cuff where matching the edges is very important and sewing all the way past the point of the triangle to overlap the jeans seam line 1” to secure the stitching.
Sew pinned edge, pulling layers together for a perfect match. If one of the denims has more elastic, you will need to pull a bit on both to keep them from puckering.
After you finish one leg do the same thing on the other.
Turn pants inside out and press seams open.
Starting at the cuff match the other side up the same way with right sides together. This time when you sew at the top you will cross the stitch you already did and overlap the pants original seam by an 1".
Note: In this sample I’m including the bulky area which took lots of messing with to make it work. That’s why I advise that if it’s close to bulky areas recut the triangle to be an inch or so shorter.
If you want to clean up old hems without losing too much length you can.
Seam rip them open and cut off the frayed part. Then zigzag the edge so they don’t fray there.
Fold up to the inside about 5/8” of and inch and press the fold in place.
Starting at the inseam, sew around the outside of the pant leg with the right side of the presser foot lined up with the new fold. Instead of back tacking try overlapping the stitch at the end of the circle by about and inch.
Adding cargo pockets or applique
Open inseam
Finish edges of inseam with zig zag.
Draw a patch big enough to cover the area you want covered and add 1/2” around the edge for seam allowance. Beginners should aim for straight lines designs as curves are harder.
Finger press the edges in ¼” and then press down with the iron.
Put glue on the back of the patch. I use paper to behind to make sure I don’t cause a mess anywhere.
Then press onto the jeans with an iron.
Fix any areas where the tucked under area part isn’t smooth by pushing and pulling with a pin and then steaming in place again with the iron. The glue is a very temporary hold and might need a few pins at the corners as well to hold in place.
Sew it down around the edge.
For a decorative top stitch, I double up the thread on the top side of my machine.
If you are matching, you don’t need to do this and if you aren’t confident I recommend matching and going with a wider edge stich like 1/8” instead of 1/16th. Both will help draw attention away from less than perfect stitching.
Edge stitch around your decorative element. Go slow and leave the needle in the layers when turning fabric or when feeding in through the throat of your machine.
Alternatively, you can glue down and use a zig zag at .5 length to stitch the edges in place; go for a frayed edge look; or use pinking shears to cut your patch which minimize fraying.
Comentários