How to Make Jeans Tighter

Wear jeans upside down. Button or zip up so the pants stay in the same position as they would normally be. Go stand in front of the mirror. Pay attention to the places on the jeans that you want to squeeze. ^[6]

• Remember that when you turn your jeans inside out, the left foot will be the right foot when you flip right.

Use a fabric pin to pin the crotch and along the seam. Let the seam at the inner thigh be at the edge of the part to be cut so that the new seam can be centered.

• Set the needle along a horizontal line so that you can adjust the seam on the sewing machine easily without causing the sewing machine to get stuck. Use a pin to avoid getting a pin prick when moving or when handling pants. ^[7]
• For best results, create a brand new inner seam by pinning all excess fabric along the original curve of the old seam.

Check that the pants are balanced. Measure from the inner seam to the newly marked hem to the old seam. Measure again from new seam to hem. Repeat the above steps for each needle with a new seam mark. If they don’t match, adjust the tight side so that it’s the same size as the wider side. Make sure the pinned seam stays straight when you measure the size.

• Mark when measuring. Use a special sewing pencil or chalk. Take off your pants when you’re satisfied. ^[8]

Prepare the sewing machine . Use thread and needle suitable for denim. Turn on the sewing machine. ^[9]

• If you’ve never used a sewing machine before, try sewing a few lines on the rags first (it’s fine if it’s denim). You will determine how fast the sewing machine runs and ensure that everything goes smoothly when you actually get to work on your pants.
• In this step, you do not need to use an overlock machine.

Start at the crotch. Keep the pants straight and the layers in place. Try a few comb stitches first to gauge the fit. Use the reverse stitch of the sewing machine to create a reverse seam when you need to fix the stitch. ^[10]

Continue stitching. Sew a curved line along the pin and chalk line. In essence, you are creating a new seam. Keep the seam straight when sewing to the hem. You can leave more fabric behind when you run up to the hem to make flared pants smaller. ^[11]

Thread the seam. When you’re almost at the hem, press the run-down button a little to secure the seam. Once the seam is fixed, repeat the entire steps above for the remaining leg. ^[12]

Remove the pin. Put them back in the container. If using multiple pins, you need to check carefully to make sure that no needle is missing.

Try wearing pants. Turn the pants right. Carefully examine each seam for errors. Try walking, running, kneeling, and other activities you would likely do in jeans.

New seam finishing. Turn the jeans inside out before doing it. Use sharp fabric scissors to cut off excess fabric. Leave a gap of about 1.3 to 2 cm between the scissor blade and the new seam. Since denim is prone to frizz, you can secure the new seam with an overlock machine if you have one. ^[13]

• If they seem misaligned or tight, remove the seam and redo it.
• If you find your crotch is a little wrinkled, don’t worry. It will flatten out when you put on the pants, and for most jeans this error is not noticeable.

Cut off the leech in the middle of the back of the pants. Carefully use very sharp fabric scissors to cut it from the waistband of your jeans. Leave it aside. You’ll have to stitch it back when you’ve finished shrinking the waistband. ^[14]

Draw a line marking the center of the waistband. Draw a vertical line at the old location of the leech. Draw as straight as possible. Use a ruler or other straight edge object if necessary. ^[15]

Wear jeans upside down. Button or zip up so the pants stay in the same position as they would normally be. Go stand in front of the mirror. Mark the part of the fabric that you need to cut off. ^[16]

Use a needle to attach the excess fabric at the back of the pants. You need to adjust so that the back of the pants has enough room for you to breathe. Use chalk or pencil to mark the hem of the excess that you’ve pinned to the back of your pants. At this point, you don’t need to mark it straight. Make sure they are clear enough for you to see and long enough for you to continue working after taking off your pants. ^[17]

Take off your pants and measure the width of the fabric to be cut off.. Unbutton or unzip the pants. Just keep your pants turned left. That way, the look of the pants will look perfect once you’re done editing. Measure half the width of the part to be removed from the center mark. Use chalk or pencil to mark the spot. Do the same with the other side. For example, if you need to remove 5 cm, you will mark at 2.5 cm on each side from the center mark. ^[18]

Mark the triangle to be cut off. Draw a triangle with the bottom at the top edge of the waistband. Its height will fall between 7.5 and 10 cm. Connect it to the mark on the sides of the pants. You need to do this with special chalk or pencil. ^[19]

• The height of this triangle can be longer or shorter, depending on how far you need to edit. ^[20]

Remove a few stitches. This will be the area where the waistband meets the waistband (the area just below the waistband). Just make an incision about 2.5 to 5 cm on either side of the triangle. This will make it easier for you to sew again. ^[21]

Cut pants. Place scissors at the center mark and cut the waistband in half. You will probably have to cut through the pants label. Please remove it if it is on your cut line. ^[22]

Slit the seam in the middle. Use the slitting tool only for this step. Carefully remove the middle stitches from the waistband to the bottom of the triangle above. Once you’ve cut to the bottom of the triangle, secure the remaining stitches so they don’t pop out any further. ^[23]

New seam pin. Keep the cut part horizontally. Line the sides of the triangle you just drew with chalk on top of each other. You can use a fabric pin or a pin. Set the needles horizontally so that you can easily remove them while sewing. When inserting the needle, make sure that the border of the triangle and the edge that has just been threaded are still aligned. ^[24]

Start at the crotch. Keep the pants straight and the layers in place. You should try the comb stitch to test the fit of the pants. Press the reverse run button of the sewing machine for a while to fix the stitch. Continue sewing. Use the slowest setting of the sewing machine since you are working on a very small area. Move the pants in the direction from the crotch up to the back of the pants. Remove the pin while sewing. Fix the thread to be sure when sewing to the back of the pants. ^[25]

New seam finishing. Use fabric scissors to cut off the excess. Leave a space of about 1.3 to 2 cm. If you have a serger, secure the seam with that to prevent the denim from fraying. If an overlocker is not available, use the sewing machine’s zigzag stitch. ^[26]

Check that everything is even and secure the seam. Turn jeans right. Notice which side pocket is farther from the center seam. Turn the pants inside out again. The side handle of the bag is further away from the center seam. If necessary, fix it. Is the seam in this direction. Remove the pin. ^[27]

Sew one more way. Turn the sewn right side out. Feel the inside of the new seam. Place the hem of the new seam under the sewing machine. The distance should be 0.6 to 1.3 cm. Start from the area just below the waistband (still not sewn together). Move towards the crotch. Fasten the tip of the thread. ^[28]

Pin and finish the waistband. Roll the sides of the pants so that their right sides are facing each other. Pin them at the position you marked on either side of the center mark. This will be where you sew a new line. Place the trouser waistband under the sewing machine. Start sewing from the bottom edge of the waistband. Continue until the top edge. Remove the pin during sewing.

• Make sure the pinned area matches the center seam. If not, readjust the clasp. If matched, fasten the bottom of the waistband to the back of the pants. ^[29]

Reattach the pants. Line up the top seam of the leech with the top seam of the waistband. Use a needle to fasten them. Do the same with the bottom seam. Place the leech head under the sewing machine. Sew across the leech’s head horizontally. Do the same with the bottom seam. Remove the pin. ^[30]

Boil pants waistband. Pour boiling water into the sink, sink, or bucket. Just dip the waistband in hot water with a wooden spoon. Leave it on for about 10 to 15 minutes. ^[31]

Remove the jeans from the hot water. You can hold the trouser leg to pull it up or use a wooden spoon. If you are afraid of burning your hands, wear rubber gloves. ^[32]