A few weeks ago I posted an outfit where I wore a pair of Express jeans that I altered into skinny jeans.  I was asked for a tutorial, so here goes.  Note that I think a moderate amount of sewing experience is good for trying this.  If you’re a bit unsure of your skills, try it on a pair of jeans that you don’t care about, or get a cheap pair from the thrift store to experiment with.  And if your sewing skills are nada, you can always get your pants tapered by a tailor.  Also, it’s important that the jeans fit you everywhere else.  If they’re fit poorly in your rear, turning them into skinnies won’t change that.  All this being said, here’s the tutorial.

• Measure at the knee, mid-calf and ankle of both your actual leg and the pair of pants you want to alter.  Note the distance between each of these three points.

• Rip out side seams.  Determine the difference between the measurements of the actual jeans with the measurements you would like them to have, making sure to leave enough ease for the largest part of your calf (at least 2 -3 inches ease).  Mark the new measurements on the jeans and cut/serge.

• Following the example of the original seams, sew up all seams.  Try them on.  You may have to fix the area around the knee by re-doing the seam there – for some reason I always have trouble with this area

And there you go – flares become skinnies!  Happy sewing!

And remember,  you have until midnight tonight (July 4th) to enter the Chickdowntown giveaway!  That’s midnight Eastern Standard Time, if you’re interested.