Turn Your Jeans Into New Faves With This Easy Hack

A clever sewing trick transforms long jeans, or jeans with a rough, frayed hem into a snappy, stylish cropped style. 

Cropped jeans that hit the ankles at just the right spot are a versatile and flattering staple – perfect worn with classic white linen and favourite sandals or low heels.

Find jeans you love, then use this method to move the jean’s original hem to a level that best suits.  

You will need:

• Jeans and matching blue cotton
• Sewing machine with a thick needle
• Measuring tape, scissors and pins
• Full-length mirror
• Iron

Step 1: Bargain hunting

If you don’t have old jeans at home that you no longer enjoy the style of, head to second-hand stores for jeans with a good fit around the waist and leg width. Don’t worry if they are too long.  

Step 2: What length?

Consider where you want the final hem to be and mark with a pin. Cropped jeans generally look best just above the ankle.

Step 3: Fold

Fold the excess fabric up and outside the jeans in a large cuff. Pin in place, 1.5cm above where you want the final hem to be.

Step 4: Check

Lay the jeans flat. Use the tape measure on the cuff and along the seams to check the lengths match.

Step 5: Press

Iron the folded edges to make a crease along the edge of the cuff. Remove the pins.

Step 6: Refold

Reverse the cuff inside the jeans to the level of the crease. Pin the creased edge so it sits just above the existing hem.  

Step 7:

Press the reversed crease edge flat. With the jeans the right way out, use sewing machine and matching cotton to stitch along the top of the crease edge, securing the hem in place.

Step 8:

Turn the jeans inside out to cut off excess fabric. Zigzag the raw edge. Turn jeans back the right way and press the hem flat.

Photography by Amanda Reelick