A: First, don’t stress. It’s easier than you think, and tiny imperfections won’t matter since the cut look should look a little raw anyway. Wash and dry per the care label before cutting. And keep in mind the more stretch the jeans have, the more generous you should be with your cut, because the stretch will pull them up a bit, so cut a little lower than you think.
Put the jeans on and have someone make a little incision where you want them cut ( I suggest just above the ankle bone unless we’re talking long flares). If you don’t have someone around to help, roll them under to where you like them, and make a little line with a marker or chalk. Take them off and lay the jeans flat on the floor, smoothing them out and put a heavy book or magazine just below where you want them cut. This will insure you cut a straight line; just make sure the magazine is laying straight, not at an angle. Grab your sharpest pair of scissors- kitchen shears usually work great if you don’t have sewing scissors around- and cut!
For the second leg, simply measure the piece you cut off, and use that measurement, measuring up from the hem and chop, chop! *If you want to double check your measurement, you can also measure from inseam to hem before cutting the second leg to just double check you’re making the cut as even as possible*. Once your jeans are cut, massage the ends between your fingers so they’ll fray a little. Try them on and SMILE! You did it! They’ll fray the more you wear and wash them. And remember, to keep the life in your jeans as long as possible, you only really need to wash them every 10 wears unless you get a stain or sweat a lot.
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