Corset Laced Jeans

About

You Will Need (12 things)

Steps (27 steps, 480 minutes)

1. 1

   Get your pair of jeans that you want to modify. They must fit you around your waist but can be too narrow for you at the legs. You could also make the legs of the jeans narrower at the side seams.

2. 2

   Turn the jeans inside out. Starting from the bottom on the outside seam of the legs, use the seam ripper to undo the stitching. I only did this up to my knees at first, then tried them on to decide how much higher up I wanted the lacing.

3. 3

   Put the jeans on and stand on a chair so your friend/parent/partner can help you with this step.

   You need to decide how wide you want the gap between the two side seams, where the corset lacing will go. Mark it with pins every few intervals on both legs.

4. 4

   Your jeans should then look like this. You'll notice that the jeans are now way too long. Don't worry about that, we'll fix that later. For now, just do every step for the whole jean, ignoring the fact that you will shorten it later.

5. 5

   Take an eyelet and put it upside down on the seam close to where the two side seams of the legs join to make sure the eyelet will go through the double layer of fabric on the seam. If the seam is too narrow, adjust the markers at the top few centimeters, then try the jeans on again to make sure it's comfortable.

6. 6

   Decide how wide the seam should be. The eyelet must be able to fit easily in the seam allowance. I used a seam of 1.6cm. Mark lines for the seam allowance all along the jean legs with tailors chalk (I couldn't find mine so I used a white pencil).
   Make sure it's accurate everywhere.

7. 7

   Your jeans should have lines for the overlocker now as shown in the pic.

8. 8

   Use the overlocker to make the edges of the jeans look neat. Make sure the blade cuts exactly along the white lines.

9. 9

   Fold the jeans' seams over to the seam allowance decided on earlier (mine is 1.6cm as mentioned). Put pins in to keep the seam allowance secure until it is topstitched.

10. 10

    Start the topstitching of the seams along the edge of the fabric. In the beginning, feel with your fingers where the bottom edge of the fabric is and make sure that the stitching catches both layers of fabric. Keep the foot of the machine the same distance away from the edge of the fabric for the entire seam length. Repeat this with all four seams.

11. 11

    In some places the jeans may have bumps as shown in the picture. These are easy to get rid of. This is a tip which you can use with any other clothes that you make and isn't included in the instructions because many people don't know about it. This technique is called pressing the seams.

12. 12

    Switch on your iron. Pour some tap water into a glass and use your finger to spread the water along the edge of the fabric.

13. 13

    Iron over the edges where you put the water. This will smoothen the bumps and give it a more professional look.

14. 14

    Put the jeans on again and get someone to help you decide where abouts you want the bottom hem to be. Use pins to mark the length. This is just a guideline, not the final amount you will shorten it by.

15. 15

    Now decide on your eyelet spacing. I decided on 4.5cm. Use your tailors chalk (or white pencil) to mark dots where you want the eyelets. Make sure they are in the middle of the seam.

16. 16

    Punch all the holes for the eyelets except the bottom ones, because you can't be sure where to put it yet.

17. 17

    Use something like a ballpoint pen to slightly stretch the holes for the eyelets if they aren't big enough.

18. 18

    Put the eyelets in, making sure that they are the right way around, and crimp them into place.

    Do this for all of the eyelet holes.

19. 19

    Now, put your jeans back on (again) and get a very long piece of string. Thread it through the way you want it to be at the end. This is so you can measure accurately where you want the bottom hem to be.

20. 20

    Get your friend to help figure out which length to shorten it by. Put pins in on one of the legs to mark the place. Take the jeans off and mark the other leg in exactly the same place, measuring carefully.

21. 21

    Measure the hem allowance of the jeans to give you an approximate measuring for your new hem. Then mark the new hem allowance on the inside of the jeans. This will be your cut-off line for the overlocker.

22. 22

    Remember the width of your hem allowance and take out the marker pins. Run the jeans through the overlocker along your cut off line.

23. 23

    Fold the hem over, making sure that it is the right way around. Topstitch the hem just next to the cut-off line. You will again have to feel where the fabric ends to make sure you catch both fabric layers in the stitching. Now your jeans will be the right length.

24. 24

    Work out where you want the bottom eyelet and mark it with your tailors chalk. It should be as close to the bottom hem as possible. I used a gap of 1cm from the hem to allow the eyelet to fit comfortably.

25. 25

    Punch the holes and put your eyelets in. Almost done now!

26. 26

    Put your jeans on again. Thread the string through exactly how you want it. Tie a bow at the end and cut the string, allowing some extra length. Undo the lacing and measure the string to see how long your ribbon or chord must be. I needed 2.2m for each leg.

27. 27

    Buy the amount of ribbon or chord you need if you do not already have it. Thread it through and you're done! You now own some awesome new jeans!