Once Upon A Pie: Make My Own Skinny Jeans

Ok, it might be after Labor Day but I am certainly sporting my white skinny jeans well into the winter and straight onto next spring. With the increasingly popular trending colored jeans, I had been wanting a white pair for ages. It's my all-time favorite color, it actually makes me look tan, and it's a neutral gateway to other, bolder colored skinnies. And, in an effort to be fiscally responsible, I made my own.

And before you get all "Whoa! Well, that's all well and good for you Mrs. Arts&Crafts Genius, but I'm gonna have to shell out the money to buy my own..", let me show you how amazingly easy it is:

Firstly, skinny jeans are amazing. I finally pushed Paige into purchasing a pair as her personal stylist, and it's pretty much all I wear in the fall and winter because they fit just so dang nicely in my boots and are wonderfully cozy. And a pair in crisp white is just me!

You know what isn't me, though? A pair of white, Express boot-cut and weirdly long (even on me!) jeans. Exhibit A:

I don't know what I was thinking... Well, actually I do. I was thinking, "Hey! I need some cute business-like pants to wear with heels!" And then here I am almost 2 years later with a pair of worn-three-times-for-about-half-a-day-because-I-just-felt-so-weird-in-them pants.

Maybe you have a pair like that too. But I don't! Not anymore :) So follow along closely for how to change you "eh" pants to a super cute pair of skinnies. Colored pants at a thrift store, hand-me-down jeans, or some cords you want to modernize... pick you pair and let's get to gettin!

First, start by turning your "I don't like you...yet" pants inside-out. Try to line up the seams as best as possible and get it to lay flat.

Then, lay your "I love you loads" skinny jeans on top. (Yes, you do need to currently own a pair of skinny jeans that fit you well in order to make a new pair to match. Though I suppose you could borrow a perfectly fit pair from a friend or maybe you could pick up a pair at the store to keep in pristine condition with the tags on until you are finished tracing...)

And then that's what you do, trace! (Ya, like 1 million times easier than you thought, right? You can also do this with skirts or shirts as long as the one you want to alter is bigger than the one you love.)

A couple things to keep in mind, though, make sure you leave 1/4-1/2 inch seam allowance (aka trace a little further out so that when you sew, they aren't smaller than your favorite pair). Also, check the strechy-ness of your materials. For instance, my skinny jeans have some stretch to them while my white jeans don't. So, I traced my line out about 1/4 in further to compensate. (Ok, actually I didn't (at first)... I just made them wayy to tiny, had to take the seams out and then try it again....oops.)

Your lines should probably stop as you get up to the mid-thigh before the hip. As long as your pants fit well, you'll only be changing the leg widths. (I can't help you with extreme alterations).

Then, bobby pin the front and back of each leg together along your line so it sews cleanly. Make sure your seams are lined up before you pin.

Now, it's time to sew. Get a machine for this so you pants are sturdy and wearable (mine have happily survived the wash multiple times). Start at the bottom and just sew along your line making sure to end along a seam (this way it will make a single straight seam on the outside instead of a 2nd one) sewing until you sew all the way off the pant leg.

Once you're done, flip them right-side out and give them a try! If you like the way they look and fit, you can turn them inside out again and trim any excess fabric. (I'd definitely wait to do this until you've tried them on in case you need to redo any spots). Then you can enjoy your lovely "I want to wear you all the time now" pants!