DIY Skinny Jeans: Upcycle Alteration from Bootcut, Wide leg

Project: Alter Bootcut, Wide leg or Flared Jeans/Pants into Skinny or Slim fit Straight Leg
Difficulty Level: Easy
Time: 20 - 40 minutes


Ever had or saw a sale on a pair of jeans or pants that fit great on the hips or seat (the hardest place to find a good fit for a woman or even a guy who likes fitted jeans), but disliked the fit of the legs? Perhaps you have jeans in your closet that you never wear because the legs are too wide. No need to send them to the landfill. Sometimes donation doesn't go directly to those who need it, but to organizations that sell the items and profit. Or maybe, like myself, you are on a budget.

Here's a 20-30 minute tutorial on how to alter them to make them skinny or straight leg.

Pre-altered jeans:

Step One:

Turn the jeans inside out and mark with chalk. I usually don't measure and just average as I have been sewing for 7 years, but if you are new or unsure, make sure you follow this step.  Since I do not measure, I made a rough estimation with the chalk marks, but if you are new, draw a straighter line with the help of a ruler.

I drew two lines to show how to alter to skinny jeans or straight leg. Straight legs are also slim fitting, but they do not taper at the ankle. Notice also that I drew the line from a few inches above the knee to the bottom of the pants.  This is because it is already fitted in the thigh area. If your jeans or pants are loose in the thigh area, you would have to extend the line upwards to that region.


Step 2:

After you mark the jean, sew a straight stitch (the most basic stitch, which looks like a vertical line on the sewing machine) like below.

Step 3

Then, try on the pants. If if they fit well, then sew a second straight stitch over the first one. Use a damp towel and rub off the chalk. If the legs are too loose, sew inside the line or mark the line more towards the inside and sew it.

Step 4 

After you have sewn your second stitch to reinforce the first one, then cut out the excess fabric, leaving 1/2 to 1 cm of fabric from the stitch.  Then, sew a serging stitch or if you are lucky enough to own a serger.

[Caveat: A serger is a separate machine that costs up to $700, which I cannot afford in addition to my Singer automatic sewing machine which cost $500. My first 2 sewing machines were Brother brand, and they were about $250 each, but there were always problems with the thread tension and other things, so it was worth spending more to get the Singer. I have not had any problems with it to date. It has automatic threading and tread tension.]

After you sew the serged stitch, cut off any excess or hanging threads.

Below is the stitch I use on the machine as well as the actual stitch on the pant. The serged stitch not only makes the pant alteration look neater and more professional, but it also prevents fraying of the cloth and an additional reinforced stitch.

Here is the final product turned right side up:

Here I am wearing the jeans. The bottom appears ruched because I kept them a few inches long to fall over my boots. I may end up altering them to a more skinny tapered look to wear with high boots, but this current alteration is very versatile. I don't wear shoes in my home, so I am not wearing them here.