Cutting jeans is not particularly difficult. A few simple methods will help you make the bottom of your favorite pair of jeans trendy.
Which jeans look fashionable with a cropped hem?
Any pair of jeans can become a fashion accessory if you follow a few simple rules for cutting them. The table shows the main types of jeans and options for transforming them by shortening the length.
| Type of jeans | Type of transformation |
| Flared |
|
| Straight |
|
| Tapered |
|
Getting a stylish, casual effect when cutting jeans depends on the type of fabric they are made from.
Beautiful fringe can only be created from natural rough denim that does not contain elastane (or its content is less than 50%). Models of elastic jeans will look great with the factory stitching preserved or with an unprocessed bottom edge that has a slightly fluffy, careless look.
Most often, for the transformation of jeans, they choose single-color models of classic colors (black, blue, light blue). Fringe and various slits on colorful jeans will not look expressive. At the same time, following the trend of the season, jeans with a small print, having an unprocessed lower edge and contrasting details are becoming relevant.
Who suits the marginal denim style?
Marginal style in denim suits absolutely everyone, regardless of age, height and gender. The essence of the style comes down to convenience and personal worldview. Such people value comfort in clothes and the need to protect the body from the cold.
Marginal denim is very popular among people of all social levels. Things that look sloppy are often made of high-quality and expensive materials. The main element of clothing in the marginal style is plain, faded, torn jeans, with patches and scuffs.
Essential Tools for Cutting Jeans
To cut off the bottom of jeans in a fashionable way, you need a reserve of imagination, a moment of experimentation and a number of handy tools:
- manicure scissors;
- tailor's scissors (large office scissors);
- ripper;
- chalk (pencil);
- tailor's pins;
- threads;
- tweezers;
- sandpaper (sharpening stone);
- iron;
Preparatory work
When transforming your favorite jeans, you take into account your figure's features and seasonal trends. The most important step when cutting jeans is to accurately determine the desired length of the product.
Preliminary actions that are performed before starting work:
- The style in which the trimming is supposed to be is determined. Viewing photos on the Internet, studying the features of your own figure will help you make the right choice.
- The selected jeans are pre-washed. Natural denim shrinks slightly after washing. If you cut off unwashed worn-in jeans and then wash them, you may get a result different from what you initially expected. For example, the length of the product and the length of the fringe will become shorter.
- The necessary tool is being prepared.
- In front of a mirror, determine the desired length of the trousers and make a mark with a pencil or chalk.
How to trim denim at the bottom in a fashionable way? Options and step-by-step description
The season's trends suggest current solutions for creating fashionable jeans, shorts and breeches.
Beautiful with factory stitching preserved
Sometimes the style of clothing does not allow carelessness. In this case, a good solution for creating an original image would be to shorten the length of the jeans while maintaining the stylish factory stitching.
You can cut off the bottom of your jeans in a fashionable way by following the following procedure:
- The length of the trousers is determined and a mark is made with chalk or pencil.
- The new length line is aligned closely with the factory hem so that a fold is formed on the back side, and from the front side the jeans look as if they have been processed in a factory way. The fold is fixed with tailor's pins and basted with threads.
- From the inside, a machine or hand stitch is made along the marked line.
- Excess fabric is cut off at a distance of 1.5 cm from the new seam.
- The edges are processed with an overlock or a blanket stitch.
- Using an iron, steam the seams, straighten the factory hem downwards, and the seam edges upwards.
To the length of breeches or shorts
For these purposes, you can choose any jeans that are out of fashion and fit well. For knee-length breeches, both tapered and straight models are suitable. At the same time, it is good to use stretch jeans and natural cotton ones.
Important points when cutting jeans to shorts length:
- for classic and short shorts, it is better to use only natural denim, since elastic fabrics squeeze the thigh, which does not look aesthetically pleasing;
- when planning the length, it is better to leave an extra 2 cm and then cut it off if necessary, than to cut it too short right away;
Procedure for performing work:
- Selecting the length of the product. When planning a hem or lapels, leave an allowance of approximately 7 cm. If fringe is planned, leave an allowance of at least 2 cm. Apply the appropriate markings with a pencil.
- Using sharp scissors, cut off the required length, taking into account allowances.
- The product is tried on. A decision is made about the bottom treatment. Perhaps, during the try-on, the desire to make a fringe will change to the desire to tuck the bottom of the product or make a lapel. Depending on the decision, the length of the shorts or breeches is adjusted.
- The bottom of the product is processed.
The bottom finishing options may vary:
- With a lapel. The bottom is folded twice to the front side of the product, the fold of the desired width is fixed with a steam iron.
- With a hem. The lapel is made inside the product and stitched on a sewing machine or by hand.
- With fringe. Fringe can be achieved in a number of ways. You can rub the edges together, simulating the motions of hand washing.
You will get a light, neat fringe. Also, by pulling the threads with tweezers, you can get a longer, stylish fringe. This creates a more natural, careless look with an uneven edge. Machine washing also gives a good result in creating a fringed edge.
With a rough, unfinished edge
You can cut jeans in a fashionable way using the trendy trend with an asymmetrical raw edge. The distinctive feature of this method is that the length of the front part of the leg is shorter than the back part. Both straight and tapered jeans are used for the transformation.
Procedure for performing work:
- The lower factory edge is cut off.
- The product is tried on and the length of the front and back of the legs is determined. Jeans that reveal the ankle look beautiful.
- Using a pencil, mark both legs.
- The edges of the front and back panels of the jeans are cut off with sharp scissors.
Types of processing of the front part of the leg:
- straight horizontal cut;
- 45° cut;
- triangular cutout in the middle of the front;
- torn front cut;
- wavy front cut;
The back part is usually cut horizontally. Both parts of the legs are not processed, leaving a slightly fringed edge.
When shortening jeans this way, you don’t have to worry about making an uneven line, since the style lies precisely in the deliberately careless cut of the bottom of the legs.
With wavy bottom
Cutting jeans to create a wavy bottom is one of the new fashion trends that is taking the leading position.
Visually, such an edge looks like an alternation of the main fabric of the leg with loose spaces that are filled with horizontal white denim threads.
This alternation creates a stylish effect of a torn, careless bottom. You can make only one loose section with stretched threads in the middle of the front of the leg, or you can make alternation. It is not recommended to make too narrow gaps between the loose sections. It is optimal to leave 3-4 cm.
Procedure:
- The length of the jeans is determined. The length of the front and back panels of the legs can be different. To do this, the same actions are performed as for obtaining jeans with an uneven raw edge. Markings are made with chalk or pencil.
- Excess edges are cut off with sharp scissors.
- The distances between the unraveled gaps are marked. The width and height of the gaps with the stretched threads are determined. Marks are made with a pencil.
- In the designated intervals for the gaps with the pulled threads, 3-4 horizontal parallel cuts are made at a distance of 1 cm. Small parallel ribbon-like strips are obtained. From them, with the help of tweezers, the main (vertical) threads are pulled out. As a result, there should be gaps left filled only with white horizontal denim threads.
- Washing jeans will give a natural, casual effect.
With short fluffy fringe
Absolutely any jeans are suitable for alteration, including flared jeans and models with elastane.
The process of doing the work is very simple. The main thing is to mark the desired length, leave an allowance (1-2 cm), cut off the excess edges with scissors and make a small fringe using one of the following methods:
- Rub the cuts against each other, imitating the movements of hand washing.
- Using a thick needle, tweezers or manicure scissors, pull out the main horizontal threads until the fringe reaches the desired length.
- Rub the cut edges with pumice, sharpening stone or sandpaper to create a short, fluffy fringe.
- Machine wash for a natural, classic fringed edge.
- Sew finished fringe of a contrasting color along the edge.
With long fringe
Stylists suggest cutting jeans at the bottom in a fashionable way in the form of an edge with a long fringe to create a street look. For work, jeans made of natural denim are chosen. The fringe on such jeans will turn out ideal.
The procedure is as follows:
- The length of the legs and the length of the fringe are determined. The corresponding markings are applied to the legs with a pencil or chalk.
- The edge is cut with scissors, taking into account the allowance for fringe.
- The cloth, which is supposed to have a fringe, is cut into vertical strips, each approximately 1 cm wide.
- Using tweezers or a thick needle, pull the horizontal threads out of the strips. Long free threads of vertical rows should remain.
- The fringed edge can be combed, tied into tassels, or ruffled with sandpaper.
Despite the variety of fashionable, branded designer jeans models, everyone can create a unique pair for themselves, stylishly cutting the bottom and bringing to life their own unique image.
Article formatting: Vladimir the Great
Video on how to cut jeans
How to cut jeans: