Hemming jeans-

[chinook]

Do you get your jeans hemmed with the original hem ("euro style") or do you just have them hacked and hemmed?

The original-hem approach seems like it would be good in theory but I wonder if the jeans would hang funny because of the extra seam around the bottom?

Any thoughts appreciated!

[mezzona]

it does not at all hang funny. you really cant tell theyve been hemmed. i've had my jeans and chinos hemmed at 2 different tailors and have not had any bad experience. just make sure they hem it at the right place :) hth.

eta: had the hem removed and reattached

[MichelleRC]

Original hem. For some reason I don't like jeans to look like they have been hemmed. Being 4"11", I don't really have much choice but to hem.

[cono0507]

I love the jeans I've had "euro style" hemmed. Been wearing them over 2 years now and still my favorite! Definitely keep the original hem.

[MamaSnoo]

I am taller and usually can buy something without need to hem. My BFF at work is quite petite and euro-hems everything. She is also a fair bit younger and hipper than I am, so I would do what she does when it comes to fashion issues (but maybe not everything in life, KWIM?);)

[mackmama]

Definitely the original hem. They look just like they did before tailoring.

[chinook]

Glad I asked! I was just going to get them hacked off but now I'll go for the euro hem for
sure.

Thanks a bunch!

[g-mama]

I got mine euro-hemmed and could not get over the price difference. It was something like $12 for regular hem and $35 for euro. I'd scored a pair of Joe's Jeans for half price so I sprung for the euro, but OUCH!

[DrSally]

Hack and hem. I don't think I'll need the extra fabric. So, are people saying using the original hem makes them look better?

[DrSally]

OK, I'm not even understanding how the euro hem works. You keep it and reattach? How does that work? Also, what if there is a bootcut and there's a difference btwn the width of the hem and the width of where you reattach?

[jent]

OK, I'm not even understanding how the euro hem works. You keep it and reattach? How does that work? Also, what if there is a bootcut and there's a difference btwn the width of the hem and the width of where you reattach?

Yup, not understanding this either. I just got a pair hemmed for the 1st time, and the tailor "hacked and hemmed" but used yellow thread so it looks like the original hem. But if you look closely you can tell it's new. Cost me about $10 or so.

[mezzona]

I got mine euro-hemmed and could not get over the price difference. It was something like $12 for regular hem and $35 for euro. I'd scored a pair of Joe's Jeans for half price so I sprung for the euro, but OUCH!

wow that sounds like a rip. euro costs the same as a reg hem from my tailors, $10. jcrew hemmed for free.

[mezzona]

OK, I'm not even understanding how the euro hem works. You keep it and reattach? How does that work? Also, what if there is a bootcut and there's a difference btwn the width of the hem and the width of where you reattach?

yes you cut off the original hem, cut off the extra, and reattach the original hem. that way you can't tell it was hemmed. if it is like bootcut and the hem is larger in circumference, they shorten the circumference of the original hem by sewing the inside seam.

[golightly1118]

I always Euro-hem my jeans. Being 5'0 with short legs I have to hem everything. Thankfully this tutorial taught me how to do it myself: http://www.daciaray.com/?p=38

[nupe]

Definitely original hem!!

That is how BR tailor hems for me.

[etaylor75]

It's really easy to do yourself if you have a sewing machine :)

This is a great tutorial:

http://www.daciaray.com/?p=38

Erin

[nupe]

Erin:
Thanks for posting link to the tutorial! Regarding the recommendation on length in the tutorial, I don't agree. The thing is I prefer my jeans to the ground, or even longer if I am going to wear with heels!

[ellies mom]

Wow, I've always had mine hacked and hemmed and they have always made the hem look like the original. I wouldn't expect anything else. If I didn't want it to look like the original, I'd do it myself for free. I don't like hemming denim "jean style". It is a big pain and I'd rather spend my precious sewing time doing stuff I enjoy.

[alirebco]

Original hem only! With the amount I spend on jeans, it is definitely worth it!

[oneplustwo]

Somebody help me out - I still don't quite understand this. How does a regular hemming job done with the same type of thread as the original hem look different from having an original hem reattached? DH just had a couple of jeans hemmed (not the euro hem) and to my eye they don't look any different. What am I missing? I've always heard about keeping the original hem but I still don't get why that's better.

[Neatfreak]

When I hem my own jeans (the same way I hem a pair of chinos or dress trousers), the hem looks very smooth and flat. The hem that a pair of jeans comes with is usually a little bit bumpy, for lack of a better term!

[nupe]

Somebody help me out - I still don't quite understand this. How does a regular hemming job done with the same type of thread as the original hem look different from having an original hem reattached? DH just had a couple of jeans hemmed (not the euro hem) and to my eye they don't look any different. What am I missing? I've always heard about keeping the original hem but I still don't get why that's better.

When I've had the euro hem done by the tailor, the thread he/she uses doesn't show through. Only the original stitching shows through.

THe only time it's been a problem for me is when
a) i wear them too long first and the original hem gets frayed
and
b) when i decide to (gasp) cuff them when i'm indoors in a no shoe house (like my own) and all the interior work becomes externalized

[salsah]

Somebody help me out - I still don't quite understand this. How does a regular hemming job done with the same type of thread as the original hem look different from having an original hem reattached? DH just had a couple of jeans hemmed (not the euro hem) and to my eye they don't look any different. What am I missing? I've always heard about keeping the original hem but I still don't get why that's better.

it may depend on the type of denim or the the person who hems it. i usually ask for the original hem because i don't want a thin, flat hem (like on a regular pair of pants). i want the thick, bumpy hem that jeans typically have. otherwise, they look like they have been hemmed. i did have a regular hem done once on a pair of jeans and it turned out great, just like a regular jeans hem -- thick and bumpy.

[ellies mom]

it may depend on the type of denim or the person who hems it.

I think this is key. The person doing the hemming may not want to be bothered with hemming it so it looks like it did originally. It can be difficult because you are going through so many layers and thickness changes. But that said, that's why I'm paying that person to hem my jeans.

Either hem it right or let me know so I can find some one who will. The idea of charging someone more for taking a short cut is just baffling.

[oneplustwo]

Thanks for the replies ~ I get it now. Absolutely agree I'd want any hemmed jeans to look like they have the original hem, thick, bumpy and all.

Nupe, I do the same in my (shoeless) house ~ cuff my jeans. Don't always remember to flip them down when I leave the house, oops.;)

[pastrygirl]

This is the tutorial I use: http://sketchee.com/blog/2008/7/8/hemming-jeans-like-a-pro.html?SSScrollPosition=0

I'll have to check out that other one! Now, when it comes to different heel heights, I've actually bought two pairs of the same pants and hemmed them differently. I don't wear heels, but I do wear flats vs. Dankso-type shoes.