How to shrink jeans

The denim fabric, which is the one used to make the many types of jeans on the market, is characterized by resistance and versatility, and often the characteristic on which one thinks about when buying a pair of jeans is the color.

However, letting yourself be carried away by the details can go to the detriment of the model: sometimes, in the rush to buy an indispensable garment or not to miss an unmissable offer, jeans are not tried on at the time of purchase and once you get home, you realize that the size is not the right one. If for a pair of jeans that are too tight there is really little to do but change the model in favor of extra size, for a pair of jeans that are too baggy it is possible to run for cover tightening the jeans at the waist or working on the circumference of the leg. Here are some tips for shrinking jeans without necessarily going to a tailor’s shop.

Tighten jeans at the waist: how to decrease size on denim pants

A valid method for tightening trousers that could create some difficulties for non-experts in correspondence with the double seams is certainly the pleats method. Thanks to this technique it is possible to tighten the trousers, even when it comes to jeans, quickly and in a very practical way, without going to work too much of unstitching. The pleats are folds of fabric that are sewn inside the dress or trousers, in order to shape the garment and create tailored adherence points, which the original model had not foreseen. When we have purchased too abundant jeans sizes, it is, therefore, possible to run for cover by performing two pleats on the back of the denim trousers, in correspondence of the two passers-by preceding the central one.

If you are more practical with tailoring works, the pleats can also be made at the midpoints of the two halves, that is the points that determine the outer seam of the garment. Taking measurements is a fundamental operation and these small tailoring jobs are recommended if there is absolute precision in taking the necessary measures to tighten the jeans correctly. Since the pleats method involves the execution of two identical and symmetrical turn-ups, if the trousers are to be tightened by 3 cm, it is necessary to calculate two pleats of 1.5 cm each. The pleats are made by drawing two triangles with the vertex down on the fabric, which represents the trace to follow when the fabric is cut. After which the flaps of fabric obtained are joined making sure that the two points at the base of the triangle coincide and in the center, on the line that imaginatively corresponds to the height of the triangle, it is possible to proceed with the sewing. If well done, in addition to being a very resistant tailoring technique, it is also aesthetically pleasing and suitable for practically any type of trousers: it can also be made without the aid of a sewing machine.

Tighten the jeans, like doing with the elastic waist

A very interesting method to tighten jeans at the waist, especially for stretch jeans, can be to use an elastic, in order to pass the elastic band into the waistband of the pants and try to lose those two centimeters of width that ruin the waistline. Those who are not very skilled in the use of the sewing machine and still want to try their hand at DIY can try to perform this retouching especially if you have bought jeans of a couple of sizes more. For example, the boyfriend model, wide on the leg, must necessarily fit perfectly on the hips and waist: if it is not flawless, a sartorial retouch is necessarily required.

To start tightening jeans with the elastic waist method, it is necessary to make a cut inside the strap, located inside the trousers and in correspondence with the first belt loop. The same cut must be made in the opposite and symmetrical part, in correspondence with the first loop on the opposite side, always inside the strap. At this point, after having obtained an elastic of the desired height, it is fixed to a safety pin and it is slid inside the strap, making it enter and exit at the two vertical cuts just made. The elastic is pulled to define the correct size, and that’s it: all that remains is to mark the exact point in which to fix the elastic with the help of the sewing machine, more suitable for fixing a resistant fabric such as denim. The transition can also be done by hand sewing, but it is more tiring.