I am sure a lot of you hit the winter, tried on your kids jeans, and wondered how they could have possibly grown soooo many inches in one year! I know my boys gained at least 2 inches each. It amazes me how it does not hurt to grow that fast. I needed a fast way to repurpose some jeans that were too short. My friend also mentioned that none of her daughter's jeans fit anymore either, so I saw a great opportunity for a challenge. This is what I whipped up...
I should first start and clarify I like to sew...but I rarely attempt anything related to clothing. These were so simple to make though. I wish I had a little girl to make some more fun jeans for. Boys couldn't pull these ruffly jeans off. LOL!
I started by cutting the hem off the bottom of both jean legs with a few additional inces shaved off. (It depends on how short they already are on your child)
Next, I cut an 8" width strip by about 19" I needed to fold it in half to make a 4" bottom. I measured the bottom width of the jeans x 2 and added about 5-6 inches for gathering. For example, if the bottom width of your jeans is 7"...7x2=14+5=19"
Next I sewed a wide stitch about 1/2" down from where the open tops matched up. (Remember not to backstitch at all). Then I pulled my strings to create the "perfect" gather...or until they fit the bottom of my jeans. I sewed the two 4" ends together and pinned my ruffled pant leg in place. Please note you will pin at the bottom edge of the jeans with the closed portion facing up so it can flip down later.
This sure is super hard to explain when I don't have sewing terminology 101. I hope the pictures help!!
Stitch your ruffled pant leg in place.
We also happened to have a small hole in the knee, so I ironed on a homemade patch to match, and used a simple blanket stitch around the edges.
They turned out to be a great way to repurpose once too short jeans.
Has anyone seen any cute ideas for boys??
