Pintuck Jeans

Pintucks are a neat embellishment you can add to jeans and other fabric items as well. Basically, a small fold (that’s the pintuck) is sewed in a straight line on fabric to add contour and decorative stitching. If you’ve been bitten by the pintuck jeans fashion bug, you could transform a pair of normal jeans into a trendy pair of homemade pintucks with little more than a sewing machine and a few basic sewing supplies.

Steps

Cutting the Cuffs and Marking Pintuck Lines

1. Cuff the bottom of each leg to your ideal length. Roll up the cuff of each pant leg to adjust the cuff length. This will also give you an idea of what the cuff will look like when the rolled-up part is removed. Use a piece of white chalk to mark the bottom of the trench formed by rolled fabric.
   • You may want to put these pants on and check out the length in a mirror. It can be difficult to tell if the length is just right without a second opinion or a mirror.
2. Cut the hems off each leg with your scissors. Unroll the cuffs. Your chalk line will indicate where the pants should be cut to remove the bottom hem from each leg. If your line is faint, go over it again with your chalk. Cut the pants at this line with scissors to remove the hem.
   • The line for cutting your hem should be even and directly crossing the leg from side to side.
   • The bottom hem of each leg can be thrown away or recycled after being removed.
3. Use chalk to mark the pintuck line on each leg. Lay the jeans flat on a level, clean surface. Use your ruler to find the center of the front of the leg. The pintuck line will run up the center of each pant leg. Mark this center line with your chalk.
   • Generally, pintuck lines start at the bottom of your adjusted cuff. Lines end about 2 in (5 cm) from the top hem and about 3 in (7.6 cm) from the center of the fly.
   • Where the fabric transitions from thigh to hip, your pintuck line will arc slightly inwards to point roughly at the top fly button.
   • Apply the chalk lightly at first. This way, if your line isn’t perfect, you can wipe it away with a lint-free rag. When the lines look good, go over them again firmly with chalk.
4. Put on the pants to evaluate the pintuck lines. The cut of some pants may cause your pintuck lines to fall unevenly. You’ll only be able to figure out whether this is the case for you by putting on your pintuck marked pants. Check out the lines in a full-length mirror.
   • If you don't have a mirror, ask a friend to take a look at your lines or snap a picture of the pants with your cell phone camera.
   • Wipe away chalk with a dry, lint-free rag and adjust lines as needed. Snap a picture of your lines so you have a point of reference if you need to take them off to make adjustments.

Sewing the Pintuck Lines

1. Fold the pintuck lines then press them with an iron. Take one pant leg and fold it at the pintuck line. When the fabric is creased at the pintuck line, press the crease with an iron as you would normally.
   • Do this for both pantlegs. Each leg should be creased and pressed so the crease faces directly inwards at the space between pant legs.
2. Stitch the fold with a sewing machine. Though you can sew your pintuck lines by hand, it will take considerably less time with a sewing machine. Sew the pintuck lines at 1/8 in (.32 cm) from the pressed crease. Sew each line along its entire length.
   • Before sewing pintuck lines, you may want to carefully match the color of thread you’ll use with the thread used in the stitch work of the jeans. On the other hand, a bold color might add a unique touch to your pintuck.
3. Show off our homemade pintuck jeans. Many people like to turn up the adjusted cuffs of pintuck jeans to highlight the rough cut and play up the rustic/homemade vibe. This look is quaint and relaxed, so it’ll likely work well with most casual tops.
   • Tops with a few simple vertical lines or frills can create a better sense of cohesion with the pintuck lines on the jeans.

Maintaining Pintuck Jeans

1. Spot clean your jeans. Most stains and blemishes can be cleaned from your jeans with a white, lint-free rag and cool, soapy water. Blot at stains and let them air dry. Deodorize and refresh your pants without washing them by hanging them in the bathroom while you shower.
   • Use specialized spot cleaners, like detergent pens or spot treatment sprays, to remove stubborn stains. Follow the cleaner’s directions to achieve the best results.
2. Wash the jeans infrequently. Washing jeans too often can cause denim fibers to break down. This is especially true for your adjusted cuff pintucks, which will fray more easily where the bottom hem of the pantleg was removed. Try to machine wash your pintucks no more than once a month.
   • Use a cold cycle when machine washing your jeans. A cold cycle will prevent the fabric from fading or shrinking.
3. Air dry jeans after washing. In a pinch, it’s OK to machine dry your jeans, but try to avoid this when possible. The heat from dryers will cause your jeans to wear out even more quickly than machine washing. Line dry jeans outside or hang dry them around your home.
   • Hanging jeans in the sun will dry them more quickly, but the sun will bleach the color of your jeans over time.

Warnings

• Failing to pintuck your jeans correctly could permanently deform your jeans. Try this technique on a pair of jeans you don’t wear anymore for practice.
• Use caution when operating a sewing machine or when working with sharp items, like scissors or a needle and thread.

Things You’ll Need

• Iron
• Jeans (to modify to pintuck style; skinny cut recommended)
• Needle and thread (optional)
• Ruler
• Scissors
• Sewing machine (recommended)
• White chalk

Sources and Citations

See also

• Look Good in Jeans (Women)
• Wear Distressed Jeans
• Unfade Jeans
• Taper Jeans
• Wear Jeans with Sneakers
• Make Your Jeans Tighter
• Make a Denim Skirt From Recycled Jeans
• Make Dirty Denim Distressed Cut Off Shorts
• Make Distressed Jeans
• Decorate Jeans

Read more ...