Easy DIY – Straight Jeans to Skinny Jeans
Just recently, I decided to DIY my pair of white jeans. I had been wanting a skinny pair but since I had a perfectly good pair of straight legged jeans, I couldn’t condone buying yet another pair without at least trying to tailor the old pair.
This is a very easy DIY project – I am not a seamstress by any means but I was able to do this fairly well. Since I’m just learning how to take detailed pictures of DIYs, you’ll have to pardon my lack of step-by-step pictures. Someday I’ll execute this perfectly 🙂
This is a before picture – I wanted to get rid of the bagginess on the bottom.
The first thing you need to do is flip your DIY pair of jeans inside out. As always, I recommend DIYing clothing that you can risk getting ruined. You never know what will happen and what you might ultimately have to throw out. This pair is a no-name brand from TJ Maxx and I think it cost about $12 so my potential loss was minimal.
Then take your favorite pair of skinnies (a different pair that fits you exactly the way you like) and place them on top of the pair you are planning on sewing.
*I had a pair of pink skinnies from H&M that fit wonderfully and I wanted these to fit just like them.
Line up the crotches of both pairs and pin the excess material on the outside edge of the DIY pair. See below.
**I outlined for you approximately where I pinned – depending on how big or baggy your pair is, you will want to sew at an angle, increasing your angle at the bottom (I like mine to hug my ankles). Sewing at an angle helps maintain a natural seam.
Working while the jeans are flipped inside out, sew along your pinned edge (where I’ve marked in red above). Then…voila!
Note: I’m a bit impatient and so I just sewed the edge directly. Technically, you should loosely hand stitch the edge then try the jeans on to make sure they fit well before you start sewing. This helps minimize the work involved since ripping stitches apart takes forever!
Blazer: Magaschoni via TJ Maxx // Top: Target // Jeans: TJ Maxx // Sunglasses: Calvin Klein via TJ Maxx // Heels: BCBG via DSW (similar here and here)
