Hey y’all, it’s jeans sewalong week! All week Sabra and I will be trading tips and tutorials to get you sewing your own jeans. First up for me are tips to sew denim.
Denim is one of those fabrics people avoid because it’s thick, which means that when you fold it or sew two pieces together it just gets thicker. But if you handle it correctly, sewing your own jeans is not that hard. Really. I promise – I sewed mine in an afternoon.
So here are my
Top 5 Tips to Sew Denim
- Cut with sharp scissors
- Use the right needle
- Use the right thread
- Use a bumper or a leveling foot (J foot)
- Go slow
Really that’s all there is to it. But let’s delve into each a little more in depth.
Sharp scissors.
Really, this one is kind of obvious. I mean, I’m not sure when, in sewing, you’d want dull scissors. So let’s move on.
Use the right needle.
There are jeans needles that you can buy especially for sewing jeans. But I don’t use them. I just make sure to have at least a size 90/14 universal needle (100/16 for thicker denim) and all is well. Needles should be matched to the thickness of the fabric you’re sewing. Denim is at least a size 90. Voile? Well for that you’re going to want to go 80/12 or 70/11. Not so hard, right?
Use the right thread
For the regular seams, I use all purpose thread. But for the topstitching that comes with flat felling, I switch to Heavy Duty thread. Tip: some sewing machines (my vintage one) hate the cotton thread that is marketed as jeans thread. My machine shreds this stuff. Upholstery thread can be a great substitute – it looks thicker like the topstitching thread you’re used to seeing on jeans, but it’s smoother than the cotton jeans thread, and so it is less prone to making your machine anger and shred it.
Use a bumper or a leveling foot
I don’t actually even know that this is what it’s properly called, this is just what I call it. Basically a bumper is a scrap of denim you keep near your machine while sewing. When you’re sewing over thick areas, like the place where the two seams cross at the back yoke, your machine might want to stall because of the presser foot being unbalanced. Bumper to the rescue! Fold it up, place it behind or in front of the presser foot to level the foot out and allow you to continue sewing.
If you have a newer machine, it might have come with a J foot, also known as a leveling foot (affiliate link). The video below shows how to use that, and if you can’t watch it below you can also watch it on YouTube here.
https://youtu.be/zC7ierS08bA
Go slow
This, like sharp scissors, is kind of an obvious one. There are lots of places on the jeans where you might even want to handcrank the flywheel to get through. And that’s perfectly fine – it’s easier to slow down and do it right than to have to pull out the seam ripper and take out stitches.
Head on over to Sew a Straight Line to find out her best tips for cutting out your pattern and transferring markings.
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Anne says
March 17, 2014 at 10:15 amGreat tips!! I’m glad to know I can just use a heavier needle instead of having to buy a special denim needle. I am so bad about not using the right needle. I’ve got a Craft Gossip post scheduled for later today that links to your and Sabra’s posts:
http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tips-for-sewing-on-denim-and-cutting-jeans-pattern-pieces/2014/03/17/
–Anne
Amy says
March 17, 2014 at 2:03 pmWow! A bumper! This is the first I’ve heard of this tip. I can’t wait to try it out. My machine always gets mad at me on thick seams…
Robin says
January 20, 2015 at 2:02 pmAnnies Attic catalogue has a gadget that works better then a bumper, check
it out. Its called a Jean a Ma Jig. They are 3.48 each!
Debbie Reaves says
May 17, 2018 at 3:41 pmI have one of these, and it works great!
Drea says
July 10, 2017 at 4:10 pmMine too. This is a great tip. Bumper
Stephanie says
March 17, 2014 at 10:35 pmLinking up here! http://swoodsonsays.com/sew-a-long-calendar/
Deanna {sewmccool} says
March 18, 2014 at 7:06 amIt’s actually called a “Hump Jumper.” (and no, you can’t only use it on Wednesday, hump day). It’s actually a trademarked tool, so probably generically calling it a bumper when not actually using the tool is correct! But if you want the actual tool….just Google “Hump Jumper” and you’ll see it. 🙂
Rachel says
March 18, 2014 at 3:40 pmI’ve never heard the bumper trick, handy! My machine hates denim thread too, I’ll have to check out the alternatives
Christy Dixon says
March 19, 2014 at 6:22 amThanks for the advice on upholstery thread! I’ll try that!
Txiqui says
May 12, 2014 at 12:00 amFor me however, I work much better special denim needles even noticed my machine costing less work through the thick areas, even using small numbers. The machine is much smoother, and if we use above coarse thread, needles jeans have a special recess prevents skipped stitches .. I always use the needles jeans 130/705 H-J , even for sewing thick fabrics, when I want to use thick threads .
Linda Antilley says
March 3, 2015 at 10:53 amYou’re correct on the Denim Sharp needle. When you are sewing any fabric that is closely woven or even painted, you need the needle to pierce the fabric and make a “hole” that keeps the thread from being held tightly to the back of the needle. If that happens, your bobbin cannot catch the thread to make a stitch. Any time you have skipped stitches, check the size and type needle you are using. Universal needless tend to slide between the woven fibers of your fabric and may cause skipped stitches. There is so much more to share on this. Please contact me at msflair50 @gmail. com. I’ll be happy to answer your questions/concerns. Knowledge is power!
Heather says
June 1, 2014 at 6:47 pmMy grandmother’s go-to with sewing denim was a bar of soap. In spots that are heavier, a little soap on the spot helps lubricate the needle, so it’s less stress on the needle and the machine. It kept her under-powered machine happy, in spite of the abuse we gave it with denim.
Robyn says
July 3, 2014 at 4:51 amI have never heard of a bumper either, I just lift the foot and turn the machine by hand until over the tough spot.
Linda Antilley says
March 3, 2015 at 11:09 amIt is called a “Hump Jumper” or “Jean-a-ma-jig”, usually has two “heights” or thicknesses – one on each end – and is placed behind the pressure foot to level it out so the feed dogs will do their job, continuing to move the fabric along despite the thickness of the offending seam. It could be moved to the front to continue once it has sewn over the thick seam to keep the presser foot from “falling off” the thick seam in the front. Since it has “toes” with an opening for the needle to pass through, sewing with it is a cinch! They are available at most sewing machine dealerships and through Nancy’s Notions. Well worth having in your sewing supplies. Sew smarter, not harder!
Cathy G says
July 6, 2014 at 1:22 amI hem jeans for my clients, who are friends, family, and neighbors. The tool I use is called a Jean-a-ma-jig…it raises up the “downhill” side of my presser foot when I’m sewing over extra thick areas. I also bought a machine that has a stronger motor that can punch through things like canvas and denim, vinyl, and faux leather. I used to break many needles when hemming or mending jeans…now, not so much needle-breakage.
Marigold says
July 14, 2014 at 8:49 amOh, man! Where were you this weekend when I was messing up a denim skirt? 😉
Mysti says
July 26, 2014 at 7:10 pmThanks! Glad I read this before I turn my daughters jeans into Capris.
Jim says
December 7, 2014 at 12:55 ammy Bernina 1080 came with a device called a height compensator. It’s 3 small strips of plastic riveted together so you can you can combine them for three different thickness. You place the compensator under the trailing edge of the presser foot at the denim seam and it glides smoothly over the seam. The plastic allows the presser foot to “slide” while it presses the denim down for a good bite against the feed dog. This is Bernina’s “bumper”.
Cletisann Mckellar says
December 23, 2014 at 8:50 pmLove the bumper idea.
Elenir Cezimbra says
December 27, 2014 at 1:04 pmI started with Denim projects short ago and your tips are helping through this learning process. Thank you very much!
Bev Monroe says
January 3, 2015 at 7:32 pmYou can hammer both the inseam and out seam of your jeans before hemming them. Both seams will not have such a “hump” and will be easier to go over!
JNormann says
January 30, 2015 at 1:07 pmHammering is a good trick to use on those thick joins, but, don’t forget to use a scrap over them to protect from any residue on your hammer.
Also, it’s the thing now to use the salvage as a, decorative party of the denim project. Just remember that the salvage will shrink up tighter than the cut denim edge. Using it as a long seam may end up scrunchy after a few washes. Pocket edges that get stretched make a good place for salvage use.
Esmeralda ONeill says
February 24, 2015 at 11:00 amOn the denim sewing what size thread should be in the bobbin because when I use the heavy weight my machine acts up. I have a Bernina 830.
clehman says
November 16, 2015 at 10:14 pmI love my Jean-a-ma-jig It works wonderful;
june says
December 30, 2015 at 2:15 pmThanks so much for the bumper and needle and thread tips. Just yesterday neeed this.
MrOwl says
April 12, 2019 at 2:13 amThanks for the great tips! If you have access to a 3D printer, this jean a ma jig clone is as simple as it gets:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1816985
If you prefer the hump jumper, this maker created two sizes: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2345201
Happy sewing!