Pinking shears for blue jeans?

My question is why? Are the pinking shears to be used to leave the hemline in a zigzag pattern? Or are you wanting to cut off the excess length with them and then hem?

I am looking to shorten while avoiding hemming.

Andy

Why do you want to avoid hemming? The pinking shears will create a mess weeks down the road that you will regret. If you don't have a sewing machine, take your jeans to either a seamstress that will do a superb job or to a dry cleaners that offers alterations. You won't be sorry.

I have done that before, but looking for something cheaper than $10.

Thanks for your input.

Andy

Do you have a needle and thread?

$10 is darn cheap to have blue jeans shortened. But I agree with J. Clarke, do you have a needle and thread? But if you are going for the homeless look, then by all means use pinking shears.

Inappropriate response. You should not be judgemental.

Andy

How is that being "judgmental"? Perhaps you would have preferred "Lil' Abner look" to "homeless look"? In either case you're going to look at best unkempt.

Bingo!

That's going to look like hell on blue jeans. But if cheap is what you want then you're on the right path to cheap and cheap looking.

Sure. If you're just going to pink a raw edge, it's going to look a little different from the usual treatment, though.

If you're just trying to shorten the legs and they're already hemmed, you might consider a "Eurohem":

If you don't have a sewing machine, you can stitch that seam with a hand needle, using a backstitch:

That works, too, but Fray Check brand often goes on so thickly that it discolors the edge of the fabric, makes the cut edge stiff, and I find it tends to chafe my skin. If you're going to use something like Fray Check, I prefer the brand Fray Block, which comes in a "toothpaste tube" with a long snout that makes it easy to apply just a small amount. It also dries much softer.

I am not using the pinking shears, just regular scissors.

Andy

Thanks for the excellent ideas.

Fray Block should work.

As I will have socks on, the "softness" factor should not be too big an issue with rubbing on my leg.

Andy