How to Make Jeans: Step-by-Step Guide With Sewing Tips

Jeans are pants made from denim, which is a heavyweight cotton fabric with a twill weave that creates a subtle diagonal ribbing pattern. Jeans are a casual wardrobe essential that retailers sell in various styles and cuts. However, learning how to sew jeans on your own is a simple project, which allows you to create custom pants that fit perfectly.

DIY jeans require the same materials as most at-home sewing projects. Here are the tools you need to sew jeans at home.

• Fabric and patterns: You’ll need denim fabric to make your jeans and cotton to line the front jean pockets. A sewing pattern in your desired size and silhouette makes the project even more straightforward. Most sewing stores will have patterns for many styles, from skinny jeans to straight-leg jeans.
• Sewing machine: Using a sewing machine will allow you to complete your DIY jeans project much faster and results in a higher-quality product. Learn how to use a sewing machine.
• Sewing tools: You’ll need various tools to make jeans, including a fabric cutter, tailor’s chalk, sewing pins, and an iron. The fabric cutter will help cut the textiles in a straight line without fraying. Tailor’s chalk will help you mark where to cut the edges of your pattern. Sewing pins or fabric weights will hold the pattern pieces in place as you trace them. Use an iron to press the fabric before finishing your pant hems.
• Needles and thread: Replace the needle in your sewing machine with a new, sharp one. (Use a denim needle if possible.) Have an extra needle on hand for any extra hand-stitching. If you’re making blue jeans, use denim-colored thread for a seamless finish. Many pairs of jeans also use gold or navy topstitching thread.
• Hardware: You’ll need hardware like a zipper and a button to secure your jeans’ fly and rivets to fasten the belt loops to the waistband. Have a mallet on hand to fasten the button and rivets to your jeans.

Follow these tips to make the best DIY jeans at home.

1. 1. Practice sewing denim. Denim is significantly thicker than other fabrics, so perform a test run before sewing your first pair of jeans. Purchase an extra swatch of denim, and practice running through it with your sewing machine a few times until you’re confident.
   
2. 2. Pre-shrink the denim. Wash your denim in the washing machine before cutting and sewing it to pre-shrink the fabric. This tactic will ensure the jeans won’t shrink after you’ve finished them.
3. 3. Use sharp tools. Heavy-duty denim requires the use of sharp instruments to achieve clean lines. Use new, sharp needles and fabric cutters when making jeans.
4. 4. Cut one layer of fabric at a time. While it may be tempting to cut multiple fabric layers at once, doing so with denim may result in uneven cuts due to the material’s thickness. Only cut one layer of denim fabric at a time.

Follow this step-by-step guide to make your own pair of DIY jeans at home.

1. 1. Prepare your workspace. Arrange all of your materials in a designated workspace next to a sewing machine. Make sure that you have enough tabletop space to spread out your textiles.
2. 2. Pin and mark the pattern. Lay your denim and cotton fabric flat on your workspace, and unpack your pattern, which should include shapes for the jean pieces (to use with the denim) and the front pocket bags (which use cotton). Spread the pieces of your pattern across the fabric and pin them down so that they lay flush. Trace out the edges of the pattern with tailor’s chalk.
3. 3. Cut out the pattern. Cut the traced pieces of denim and cotton out with your fabric cutter.
4. 4. Make the front pockets. Line up the front pocket bag pieces at the edges, and use your sewing machine to sew the sides together so that the top remains open. Sew a denim patch to the top corner of the pocket bag, which will be visible from the front of your jeans. Sew the finished front pockets to the large denim pieces for the front of the legs. Fold over the unsewn top edges of the pockets and press with an iron to conceal them. Add a top stitch for a finished look.
5. 5. Make the back pockets. Take the back pocket denim pieces, and fold each edge so that no raw fabric is visible. Press the pockets onto the front of the large back leg pieces with an iron. Use the straight stitch to secure the pockets onto the jeans.
6. 6. Create the fly. Straight stitch the piece of fabric for the fly onto the left front leg piece of denim. Use the denim-colored thread, so the seam doesn’t stand out.
7. 7. Sew the zipper. Fold the unfinished fabric edge of the fly over the fabric panel of your jeans zipper. Use the sewing machine to fasten the zipper to the insides of both front leg pieces, which will connect them.
8. 8. Sew the inseam. Lay the back leg pieces on top of one another and pin them together along the curved edge, which runs between the buttocks. Using your sewing machine, sew the curved edge together along the back of the crotch. Lay the connected front leg pieces of your jeans on top of the back leg pieces. Pin them together along the inseam, leaving a one-quarter-inch seam allowance where you will connect them.
9. 9. Sew the side seams. Turn your denim inside out so that the inseam is facing the outside. Pin the outer seams of the front and back legs together, leaving a one-quarter-inch seam allowance. Sew them together with your sewing machine. Now, the backs and fronts of the legs are connected.
10. 10. Hem the jeans. Create a finished seam at the hems of your jeans by folding them underneath twice so that the raw edge is no longer visible. Use a straight stitch on your sewing machine to secure the hem.
11. 11. Attach the waistband. Stack the waistband pieces on top of one another, and sew them together to make a belt shape. Sew the waistband to the top of your pant legs.
12. 12. Attach belt loops. Cut small belt loops from the remaining denim. Fold them over on one another, and add a top stitch to each strip to cover the raw edges. Depending on the size of your jeans, you will need five to seven loops. Stitch the belt loops along the waistband of your jeans. Using the mallet, secure the ends of the loops with rivets.
13. 13. Attach the button and rivets. Cut a small hole in the waistband, just above the fly of your jeans. Pull the end of the button through the hole, and use a mallet to secure it in place. Then, use your fabric cutter to create a slit on the opposite side of the waistband for the buttonhole. Stitch the edges of the hole to reinforce and prevent fraying. Use the mallet to add rivets to the corners of pockets and belt loops.

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