Shortening Jeans

when I was looking for sewing tips earlier, I found this by chance:

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To make it easier to shorten jeans, you should soften the seams by tapping them with a hammer. This helps the needles slide through the fabric more easily.
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Link removed, mod.

has any of you ever tried this?
with a hammer? you’d probably need a very sturdy surface and shouldn’t necessarily do it on a glass coffee table, I’d say.

I might try washing the jeans with fabric softener before shortening them, so the fabric is nice and supple. But I guess that’s a matter of preference.

Hi Sundown,

I’ve never heard of “softening” the seams by tapping them.

The "problem" with jeans is, of course, the very thick side seams (= flat-felled seams). I imagine that tapping them might make them softer - but it won’t make them any THINNER.

When shortening them, I fold up 1.5 cm twice for the hem. (iron)
So I can get the folded hem under the machine more easily around the side seams, I cut the flat-felled seam out completely in the area of the first folded-up 1.5 cm (just the thick part!), so then I’m only sewing over "2x side seam" (instead of 3x).

Best regards
Monika

When I read through these posts, I’m really glad I never have to shorten my jeans.
I’m just under 1.80 m tall, and short sizes generally don’t fit me—so there’s no need to shorten them.
At least I’m spared the sewing.

I saw one of those iron-on hem tapes the other day. Supposedly, you can completely skip sewing and shortening with it.
Do these hem tapes really hold, or do they eventually come off in the wash?

Hello Monika
thanks for your tip.
Removing the flat-felled seam sounds sensible to me.
But wouldn’t what’s left to sew still be very thick? I mean, sure, sewing over only two side seams instead of three is already easier, but it still sounds thick.
 Do you use a jersey/denim needle for the machine? Anything else probably wouldn’t be suitable for that.

@muetzekatze
Be glad — it’s not so easy for “short” people. Petite sizes are great if you can find something suitable. Otherwise, you just have to see how to manage.

I can’t say anything about hem tape.

Be sure to sew both side seams. Short sizes are fine.

For those *thick seams on jeans, I have a trick—or rather, a tip: I often use leather needles, which have a triangular point and go through those layers more easily without much effort. What the lady above wrote—that you shouldn’t forget the side seams when shortening them—is true; otherwise, after shortening, the pants might end up being wider at the bottom than you’re used to, so measure beforehand and adjust accordingly.

I just roll up the legs of my jeans.
Fabric softener has been a no-go for me for decades.