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Q&A
By Gena Bloemendaal
I recently heard of a new way to hem jeans, called a "euro hem." How do I create this hem?
Lucy K.,
e-mail
You can hem jeans without undoing or cutting off the original frayed or worn hem.
Try on the jeans and mark how much each leg needs to be shortened. Remove the jeans, and fold up the leg opening into a cuff.
Measuring from the original hem's stitched edge to the fold of the cuff, make the cuff width half the length you want the jeans shortened (1). For example, if you want to shorten your jeans by 2", the cuff will be 1" wide. Measure and pin in place around the entire cuff.
Using a zipper foot and matching, all-purpose thread, stitch around the cuff as close to the original hem as possible (2). Press the excess fabric upward. If there's an excessive amount of fabric, trim the seam to 1/4" and finish the raw edges with a zigzag or overlock stitch.
Press from the right side until the hem and seam lie flat.
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