I am so intimidated by this dress pattern that I have purchased!  Not because it is a difficult pattern…but simply because it is a pattern!  I am, what I like to call, a free-sewer…kinda like a free spirit, but directly related to my sewing machine .  I have made window treatments, recovered sofa cushions, slipcovered a wingback chair…all by free-sewing, no patterns involved.  So today I used one of my favorite coping mechanisms…AVOIDANCE!  I spent part of my day yesterday learning the freezer paper technique of making a pattern, thanks to my dear friend Missy.  I got my pattern drafted (the one I purchased gives you measurements for basically rectangles), and 2 pieces cut out before I had to get home to meet the school bus.  I thought I would at least finish cutting out the fabric today, but I decided to hem my Joe’s Jeans instead.  Whilst looking for the thread I wanted to use, I found a pair of denim trousers that I had purchased while living in PHX (so more than 2½ years ago).  Again, my intimidation struck…and rather than hem those jeans that I had wanted for so long (fearful I would mess them up)…I re-fashioned the trousers.  What did I have to lose?  If I royally messed them up, then something I had literally forgotten I owned would become scrap fabric…and if successful, well, I would have a newish addition to my wardrobe.  This is what they looked like when I started, pardon my jammie top…

Not very exciting are they?  Not flattering…at all…waaaaay too long (so I got to practice my hemming skills).  I remembered seeing this tutorial on pinterest, that is what I based my trouser re-fashion on.  I turned them inside out…

That’s a good look, don’tcha think?  I started pinning (she suggested marking, but I wanted to save a step)…

I pinned one leg…got tired of bending over…and decided to match up the pinning with them off of me…

I matched up the seams, and put the pins in as close to the same spot on the other leg as I could.  This whole process really only took a few minutes.  Then I sewed along the pins, starting in the crotch of the pants and working my way to the bottom of the leg.  Once both legs were ‘skinnied’, I trimmed the excess and ironed the seams out.  Then I hemmed them up, I’m no expert at hemming…find a good tutorial and follow it.  One major piece of advice I have for hemming is be sure once you have your measurement to IRON the hem…it makes a HUGE difference.  So here they are all finished up!

I like them so much better now!  I’m sure I will get lots of wear out of these versatile pants .

Today’s secret revealed…my jeans STILL AREN’T HEMMED!  I really need to do it while the process is fresh in my brain!  I know y’all are jealous of my pin cushion bracelet…not exactly a fashion statement .