How to Make Skinny Jeans From Regular Jeans

It seems like everywhere I go, I hear people asking how to make skinny fit pants. I don’t know what the big fuss is about them… I’m old enough to remember what it was like before you could find bootcut jeans, and I don’t look back kindly on that period of time. *shudder*

Anyway, it’s insanely easy to do, so let’s do this.

Difficulty:

Step 1

Grab a pair of pants that would be perfect if it weren’t for those stupid flared legs. They should fit your waist and hips relatively well.

Step 1

Step 2

Put them on inside out.

From the knee down (you can go higher if there’s extra room in the thigh area), pin close to your leg, so they fit as tight as you want.

Like so:

Step 2
Step 2

Step 3

Now take the pants off, and sew where you’ve pinned. Try to match up the end of your stitches with the stitches already on the pants so you get a nice clean seam when you’re done. You can trim off the extra fabric from the flare when you’re finished sewing.

Step 3
Step 3

Step 4

Turn them right-side out and voila!

You can shorten them into capris or add some zippers or bondage straps. Whatever you want!

S
Step 4

4 thoughts on “How to Make Skinny Jeans From Regular Jeans

  1. I understand how to take in the pants but … I bought a pair of “lace”leggings that are just too big for my lower legs. They look like slacks, instead of tights. I want to take them in – my question is do I need to be concerned that the material is lacy and stretchy? (I can sew a straight line but I have a rather basic machine.)

    1. Hi Barbara!
      I would use a zig zag stitch or a lingerie stitch (there’s a photo of a lingerie stitch here: http://whatthecraft.com/sewing-101-lingerie-stitch/).
      Either stitch will allow the seam to stretch. You might be able to get away with a straight stitch, but you run the risk of breaking the stitches when the fabric tries to stretch.

      You’ll also want to use a ballpoint needle, which is less likely to snag on the stretch fabric than a universal needle.

      This page has some other tips if you have any trouble: http://whatthecraft.com/this-sewing-machine-kills-knits-stretch-fabrics/

  2. Perfect! Now I don’t have to waste money buying over priced bootcut jeans when i can fix my old ones! Does this work for turning big pairs of jeans into skinny jeans as well? Did you have a corset tutorial on this site?

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