Do you ever feel one step behind the fashion curve? Are you big hair when everyone else is sleek and smooth? Are you blue eye shadow and coral lips? Do you stare at your closet of flared pants wishing they were skinny jeans?
Here at WhipperBerry, we love to admire the latest trends. While you can still catch us in T-shirts and jeans, we love to spruce up! It’s usually the price tag that keeps us from updating our wardrobes as often as we’d like. If you’re in the same boat, today’s your lucky day! Bring out your pairs of flared leg pants and we can help you turn them into your favorite pairs of skinny jeans with nothing more than thread, chalk and daring!
Did I hear a gasp of excitement? Good! Let’s get going!
You’ll need:
A piece of white chalk
Scissors
White cotton/poly thread
Sewing machine with a straight & zigzag stitch
1 pair flared leg jeans
To begin with, turn your pants inside out and put them on. Have a good friend mark a straight line with chalk. They should begin at your knee, the snuggest part of your current pair of jeans. You want about a ½ inch of wiggle room between the line you mark and your leg. Starting at your knee, draw a line from this point straight down to the hem.
Do the same on the other side of your first leg, being sure to leave ½ inch of wiggle room on that side too. At this point, go ahead and do the same thing to the other leg.
Take your jeans off (leaving them inside out) and bring them to your sewing machine. You’ll need regular white cotton/poly thread and a straight stitch. Sew one side, directly on the chalk line, from your knee to the hem.
Straight down, no big deal. When you switch over to the other side, flatted your material from the seam. Naturally there is extra fabric and you want to keep this for comfort. Starting at the other seam, flatten your pant leg and then stitch just like you did the other side. It’s important to flatten from the seam to keep your lines straight. Otherwise you can end up with a twisted look to your leg.
When you’re done stitching, clip your threads, but don’t trim your seams just yet. Go in and try on your pants. Here you can determine if you like the fit, if you’d like them tighter or looser. Remember….try on first…cut later. Once you’ve determined that you’re in love with your new look, trim a ½ inch from the seam.
Run a zigzag stitch along the raw edges to finish them off and keep them from fraying.
Now repeat for your other leg, following all the steps denoted above.
And there you have it, the best looking FREE pair of skinny jeans you’ve ever seen! Now go strut your stuff in your cutest shoes and tell your friends you did it yourself!
We’ve linked to…
- Creations by Kara {Look What I Made}
- Sew Much Ado {We Did It Wednesday}
- Handy Man, Crafty Woman {Wicked Awesome Wednesday}
- Organize and Decorate Everything
- Seven Thirty Three {Sugar & Spice}
- Paisley Passions {Wandering Wednesday}
- Polka Dots on Parade {Wow Me Wednesday}
- Bowl Full of Lemons {One Project at a Time}
- House of Hepworths
- Somewhat Simple {Strut Your Stuff}
- The Shabby Chic Cottage {Transformation Thursday}
- A Little Tipsy {DIY Under $5}
- 30 Days Blog {Pity Party}
- Just a Girl
- Tatertots & Jell-o
- Tidy Mom
- Fingerprints on the Fridge
- Finding Fabulous
Very clever! I don't think I can pull off a skinny jean, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to try with an old pair of jeans! Thanks for the great tutorial!
Great idea! I hate the skinny jeans trend, I look awful in them, so I think I'm going to hang on to my flared legs ones, lol!
fantastic. I've thought about doing this a ton of times, but never had the guts! now I just may!
These look wonderful! I can NOT rock the skinny jeans look, but you look fantastic, Christene! Great tutorial!
Great idea Christene! I need to do this with a skirt I have that is too big.
Thanks so much for linking up today! They turned out awesome, and those shoes are darling. Love the look!
a girl has got to know . . . where did you get your darling shoes?!
I LOVE the shoes! Super cute! I got a pair of great jeans from the thrift store a while ago that I've been wishing were skinnies . . . I'll try this out! Thanks!
Rachel @ Maybe Matilda
great tutorial Christene!! I already have a pair in mind I'd love to try to do this with! 🙂 And those shoes…FABULOUS!
The jeans are awesome, but can we talk about those SHOES?!?
Megan
http://www.CutTheCraft.com
Personally, I can't wait for the skinny jeans look to die. The flared pants that you posted look so comfy and cute! But of course, not nearly as cute as those shoes! I loooooove a cute pair of shoes.
I always make things too small! So I avoid remaking clothing. Love the shoes!
Not liking the skinny jeans look…I'm with Allison, please let that fad die a quick death ;->
On the other hand…I love boot cut or mildy flared jeans…much more flattering for all shapes. So says Stacy from 'What Not To Wear'.
However…for those who like skinny jeans, this is a great tute!
Janet xox
Thanks for all the love everyone! I know skinny jeans strike a chord of love or hate with most people, so I don't mind hearing your opinion one way or the other. And here's my confession: those great skinny legs belong to Heather and so do the FAB shoes….a Kohl's special!
So clever!! And how sassy and sexy are those shoes?! LOVE.
I love skinny jeans and for some reason they look good on me (bragging)
I am going to try this
Janice
I have to admit when skinny jeans cme out I swore i would NEVER wear them. Now I LOVE them. I always seem to come around. Thanks for linking up with DIY under $5!
I rejected skinny jeans for so long, now I love them. Thanks for the great tutorial and for linking to the party.
This is a great idea! I don't think I can pull of skinny jeans either, but I would have never thought to try to change jeans like this. Thanks for stopping by to add this to our Wicked Awesome Wednesday party!
Seriously, you are SO smart!
I don't mean to rain on the parade, and I've greatly enjoyed many other features here, but skinny jeans are kinda on their way out… and flares/bell bottoms and wide legs are in for fall…