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How to reattach original hems- professional way! (with pics)

13K views 30 replies 15 participants last post by  Denimlover 
#1 ·
Hello everyone! I was perplexed at how the alterations places reattach the original hem and make it look so nice and neat. After many attempts, I finally figured it out and wanted to share with everyone. So, here is my step-by-step guide on how to do it. AND - Its easy! If you can fold hem, you can do this!!

The pics are big so you can see the detail. Good luck! This takes practice. I have only done 2 practice pairs so far, so if there are any steps that need revising, I will revise this.

Step 1) Measure how long you want your jeans to be. Put a mark 1/2 inch shorter where you want your new hems to be. (This is because the hem is 1/2 inch long. Sorry for the sideways pics!)



Step 2) Remove thread from hem, but keep it folded.
Step 3) Fold hem up to line and place pins to keep it in place. I like the pin the side seams first then the rest to ensure they will be aligned.



Step 4) Unfold the hem once pinned and locate the fold line. I marked this in blue. Sew a quick stitch just slightly below the fold line. The closer to this line the better end product because the hem stitch will sit nicer.

<img src="http://www.host-images.com/u/files/d61cvqp25anwonhq2zdo.jpg">

Step 5) Cut off the excess, leaving 1/4-1/2 inch extra. Be careful not to cut the sewn line. This does not have to be perfectly even, but try to keep it neat.



Step 6) Time to iron! Press the hems flat like so:


Step 7) Trim off excess at side seams for easy sewing because the machine will hang up here unless you have a professional machine.

Step 8) Fold fabric like original with underside lying flat. You can iron if it does not want to lie flat:




Step 9) Stitch hems on the original hem line, making sure to grab the underside at or near the same line on the underside. The side seams will give you the most trouble. If the underside is a little uneven, its okay as long as the stitch grabbed both sides of the hem.




Step 10) Wear your newly professional hemmed jeans! This takes practice. Practice on some old jeans first so you can make sure the measurements are correct and you are sewing straight, etc.
 
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#3 ·
Great guide! I've always heard this called the "sandwich hem".
I've done 1 pair this way. They turned out great, I just don't have the patience to do them all this way. I would like to do some of my favorite pairs that I don't plan on ever selling.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Cool, thanks for the guide! I'm a little confused about how to hide the extra material, so yeah that extra pic would help a lot. :)

Also, are there two layers of stitching on most hems? Like a thicker outer stitch (looks navy on your pair; it's gold or white on a lot of my jeans) and another stitch from the inside? I'm just worried about removing the stitching and not having the original thread showing. Does that make sense? I guess I could just get matching thread though.

ETA: Never mind. I looked more closely at your pics, and the navy color I thought was thread is actually just the color of the jeans. So you do actually remove the hem stitching and replace it with matching thread (or whatever color you choose). Got it.
 
#7 ·
Here is how to hide the fabric. It just gets hidden when you fold the hem back up. You should have cut the fabric under the sewn line so there is only 1/4" left so it can be hidden easily.





And you would want to use the thicker denim thread that matches the stitching on the jeans. I forgot to mention that. I used plain red thread for the purpose of this guide only.

Hope this helps clear up some confusion! If not, just PM me and I can help explain better :)
 
#10 ·
I am so confused by this.
I'm trying to do this now with one of my R&Rs.
So far I got to step 4, as I don't want to cut until I'm completely sure of what I'm doing.
Just so you know, the pictures in step 4 & 5 are the same & both in step 6 are the same.

If I understand the pictures correctly, you are showing us how to do a sandwich hem, correct? But the way it is coming out for me is like a euro hem, with nowhere for the excess fabric to go.
I am about to leave, but I will post pictures of what I mean when I come back.
I also did a sandwich hem on another pair of R&Rs, but I left the inner material cut. I'm trying to make it look professional, hence te reason I'm trying your method. :eek:
 
#11 ·
okay
This is how the jeans look after step 4


This is how it looks if it was flattened (step 8)


If I cut the fabric, there isn't enough room to fold the excess fabric into the fold if I were to fold where the jeans were originally folded.

This is the pair I sandwich hemmed (not using your method).


this is the inside.
 
#12 · (Edited)
Hey sorry I have not been on often. Thanks for letting me know about the wrong picture in step 4. Somehow I put 2 in step 6. Here is how the 2nd pic should have been. That piece with the frays needs to be folded before sandwiching it up. I hope this makes sense. So fold that part up one then sandwich the hems together. You may need just a little more fabric so it can be sandwiched in
<img src="http://www.host-images.com/u/files/l0g1raikq85vqo76qggf.jpg">

This pic may help also. It shows the inside of the jeans after they have been cut and ready to hem. I am ironing them just to hold everything flat:

<img src="http://www.host-images.com/u/files/hujd8r55axygr9t2j25y.jpg">
 
#14 ·
i do not get it either :twitch ... for some reason, i am just not following along with the pictures :cry

and i am actually quite handy at putting stuff (furniture, shelving, etc) together...even better than my BF :rofl but for some reason, this totally confuses me, great pictures and all :(
 
#15 ·
have you guys tried doing this on a pair of jeans?
Because when I first read the directions (more than once), I didn't get it either, but once I actually tried it, I got it.
The only issue I have now is the seams. But I've done a few pairs this way & I love it. A lot more than fold hemming.
 
#16 ·
^ no :eek: ... need to find an old icky pair of jeans to do it first but i thought i would be able to follow along with the pictures

thanks for suggesting that renee - good to know it makes a lot more sense when you are actually doing it with a pair of jeans :eek: :)

my other concern is, how does everyone get the leg opening around the base of the sewing machine? that is the only way i think i could sew that straight? or does everyone just use lots of pins? :ashamed
 
#17 ·
I'm confused by what you're asking.
You shouldn't have a problem with the leg opening & the sewing machine unless perhaps you're heming skinny jeans.
But when I start sewing them hem, I don't use any pins, but maybe I should.
 
#21 ·
I have a few pairs that I have to do, so I made (hopefully) easier directions on how to hem this way.

1. measure & mark jeans


2. fold jeans up to mark (yes I need a fill :eek:) & pin into place (I also measure again to make sure it is correct)


3. Take out stitching

stitching removed


4. fold open & mark where you will sew


this is what it looks like with hem folded the way it originally was


5. sew over line


6. cut excess fabric; leave about 1/2 inch. Leaving too much will make it harder to fold over.


7. Iron fabric so the cut edge is "facing the hem" (when you cut it, it'll be facing the opposite direction)


this is how it looks from the outside


8. put material in machine. Fold over the inside part; Starting about 2 inches before seam, makes it easier for the seams to be perfect.


Since I don't pin it, I keep my right hand on the denim, making sure every part is folded correctly



9. This is the finished project. Inside


& outside
 
#23 ·
Thanks denimlover for taking pics and making it a little easier to understand! I went back and read and do see how it can be confusing! I am glad to see you are doing this now. It is awesome and easy!!! Do you have trouble with the side seams? My machine always gets hung up around there.
 
#24 ·
I hemmed a pair of TR Johnnys before I sent them to a buyer, and I wound up bending the needle! After that, when I got to the side seams, I lifted the presser foot and used the wheel on the side to do it "manually". It was easier that way, and no more bent needles! :thumbsup That was the only pair I've really had a problem with.
 
#27 ·
I didn't see this thread until after I just did my first folded hem following BabyJ's method. I think this one might work better for my daughter's jeans because hers are always 5-7 inches too long!

Thank you for adding more pictures. I needed all of them to make it sense of it.

Any tricks for how to do a flared leg?
 
#28 ·
measure what the leg opening is at the length you need & cut the actual hem about 1/4 longer than that. Sew the 2 ends together.
I just figured out the other day that a way to fix the issue with the seams, is to sew those by hand, before you do step 8. But I haven't tried it yet (may try it this weekend), so I don't know how the needle will go through all that fabric.
 
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