Make New Eco Friendly Strait Cut or Skinny Jeans

     How many of us have a jeans we love because they fit great, but, they are not in style anymore? I do, I have some amazing jeans, but, they have the wide legs and even some that have a flare when the 70's style came back, but, they fit just right, so, I just couldn't get rid of them.
    They have sat in a box for years, so I thought I would alter them into straight leg jeans so I can wear them this year.
    I go through my closets every season. It's winter now, so I took out all the summer clothes and put them in storage to free up some room in the closet for the winter things. I only put things in the closet I'm sure to wear. I love clothes, fashion and shopping so I buy lot's of things every season, but, I always seem to buy some things I don't wear. I buy things that look great in the store and they just don't look as good at home, so if I didn't wear it last year, I doubt Im going to wear it this season.  I am better to give it to someone who needs it.
  If you have something your not going to wear and you don't plan on being creative with it, why not give it away to someone who can use it. There is a great need for clothing, especially at woman's shelters. So many woman flee their homes with nothing but the clothes on their back, they need clothes, they need nice clothes to go for job interviews, court, etc., and build new life's, there are so many people in need of clothing.
     Perhaps your on a budget and you want to save some money, well you can alter the things in your closet or go out and buy an inexpensive pair of jeans and alter them.  You can buy a cheep pari of jeans in a discount store or find some amazing vintage aged jeans in a second hand shop. You can alter them, take them in, embellish them with some rhinestones on the pockets or rub them with sandpaper to give them the aged look. You would be amazed with the treasures you will find searching through second hand shops.
   Some people scoff at buying second hand clothing, but, you would never guess how many women,  are wearing second hand designer outfits. You will save money and help the environment!

     I'm a great believer in up cycling, we need to reuse as much as we  can to be kind to our environment. I up cycle so many wonderful thing to create my eco friendly jewellery, whey not clothes!

    I love fashion, I love the change each year, but, I do not want to look like a carbon copy of someone else, so I always search for unique, one of a kind, designer & vintage clothes  and then combine them with some trendy clothes.
   I buy clothing with  beautiful fabric just to alter and make something new. I am a very creative person, so my workshop closet if full of things I want to alter.but, I'm so busy with my jewellery that I don't have much time to sew, yesterday was an exception.
     I decided to change these wide leg paints into straight leg jeans, so I thought I would take some photo's and let you see how I do it. This will work for skinny jeans too. 

  This is a very simple way of altering jeans. If you can sew a straight seem, you can do this. I will do my best to explain the process clearly. If you have any questions just email me and ask questions and I will be happy to help you.  

1-Fist decide how wide you want the hem to be, if you have a pair the perfect width, measure them, if your not sure, pin them with safety pins pin them until you get the right measurement. You can also just follow the steps and take a little in at a time until they fit the way you want. 

2- Turn the jeans inside out,

 and look at the shape, you will see that the hips come out from the waist an then taper down from the hips, then they start to flare out again from the knees down. If you really look at the shape you will understand better. You will see that the legs flare out on the inside seam as well as the outside seam.
3-Try the jeans on inside, mark the jeans at hip, the point where the jeans start to get loose, come away from the leg at the hips.
-If you want skinny jeans, you will start to tapper the side seam from the hips down to the hem, but, if you want straight legs or boot cut jeans, you can go straight down from the knees.
-You will need to do the same on the inside seam.

(My jeans were too big, I have lost some weight, so I took them in along the side seam from the wais first. I also had to take the inner seam in all the way from crotch down to the hem.)

-straight or boot cut take from tje knee down because it depends on the width they are now, they might be look like straight cut jeans when you done, if not, you can go back and tapper them from the hip down like skinny jeans, just not as much.
 -After you put your pins in to mark you seam, you can use tailors chalk to mark the new seam, but, don't use pen or anything that will stain the fabric.

-Open the hem with a stitch ripper and pick the stitches out so them unroll the hem, lay it flat mark you sewing like straight down from the top of the hem or from the top of the roll. Do not taper all the way, you wont be able to roll them back up and make a neat hem. 

   Only take in a little at a time until you get the right fit so that you don't have to spend hours un picking a seam if the jeans are too tight
I always use the longest stitch length when I taking in seams so that I can pull the stiches out easier if I have to, then after I have the right size, I go over the seams with a regular lengh stick to make the seam more secure.

You can see that I took in a small amount at a time until I got the right size.
-Do not cut the excess fabric until you have completed the finished seams.

-If you have a zigzag stitch on your machine, you can easily finish raw Edges to keep them from fraying.
   I usually cut about 5/8" from the seam, then I go very the edge with the zigzag, right over the edge.
   Then fold and pin the lower hem back in place.

-Set your stitches long because the fabric is thick. Sew slowly. If I rush, the k needle gets stuck and gets bent.

   Turn them right side out, put them on and you now have a new pair of  Eco friendly skinny jeans or straight leg jeans! Enjoy!
   If you have anymore questions email me at anythingspossible@rogers.com or visit my website:
 anythingspossiblejewellery.com

 Have a blessed day.
                    Jacqueline Neves