Do you have a pair of leather pants that don’t fit as well as you would like? I bet you are wondering if you can get them altered.
In this article, we are going to determine whether or not leather pants can be altered. We will give you a guideline on how leather pants should fit and discuss shortening and lengthening leather pants. Finally, we will discuss where you can get leather pants altered and the expected prices.
Table of Contents
Can Leather Pants Be Altered?
Leather pant length is altered by shortening or extending the hem near the foot of the pants. A professional can adjust the length. Or the owner åcan make the modifications with some glue, scissors, thread, and a needle. However, professional service is best for alterations that require adjusting the seams in the leg, waist, or crotch area.
How Should My Leather Pants Fit?
Leather pants should be comfortable but not too loose. Make sure they’re durable enough to last, yet flexible to move in and wear with ease! If your leather is too tight or you start having problems zipping it up because the material isn’t stretching like it’s supposed to, then chances are pretty good that alterations will be needed sooner than later on those same areas.
Opt for leather that’s quite sturdy and comfortable. Leather pants are supposed to feel like a second skin. But the pants should stretch just a little so that you don’t risk splitting them with the slightest movement!
Most people want their jeans loose because they’ll stretch over time. Altering large-fitting clothes will more than likely lead to future alterations as the denim stretches out, too.”
Can the Waist of Leather Pants Be Altered?
The waist of leather pants can be altered by increasing or decreasing the size by 2-3 inches. Waist size changes require creating new seams down the pant leg’s length, removing belt loops, and making modifications to the waistline.
Each of the tasks could be done individually, but combining all three adjustments can be highly challenging. I highly suggest that alterations to the waist of leather pants be limited to a professional.
Can Leather Pants Be Made Shorter?
Leather pants can be shortened by first determining the desired inseam length. Inseam lengths are determined by measuring the distance from the crotch to where the cuff of the pants will end. The hem is unstitched, and the pant leg is folded inside, creating the new length. The new length is secured by either gluing or stitching a hemline.
If you’ve found the perfect pair, but they’re too long, don’t let that deter you. You can get leather pants shortened, but it’s just a matter of having the confidence and tools to do it yourself or finding a trusted tailor to do it.
I have included some instructions if you are interested in shortening your own leather pants.
Gluing is the easiest method. For that, you will only need some fabric glue scissors. But if you are planning on stitching the hem you will need a saddler’s harness needle and some thread.
There is no need to waste brainpower on figuring out what type of needle and thread to purchase. I have an entire post on leather stitching needles and thread.
The process for shortening a pair of leather pants is pretty simple.
- Measure the desired length of the pants from the crotch to where the cuff of the pants should be .
- Fold the pants up to the desired length and hold the position in place with something like a paper clip.
- Take the pants off and fold them inside out.
- Create a hem allowance by measuring approximately 1-2 inches below the paper clips.
- Use a temporary marking tool to draw a line across this area.
- Cut the pants at the hem allowance.
- Fold the bottom of the newly cut pants up to the paper clip
- Glue or stitch the pants.
Can Leather Pants Be Made Longer?
Leather pants can be lengthened on average by less than 2 inches. The amount of the length is dependent on the size of the hem near the cuff of the pants. A larger hemline will allow a greater increase in pant length.
You can find the hem’s size by flipping the pants inside out and locating the area where the pants are folded over and joined. The hem will be secured with glue, stitching, or a combination of the two. The joining will need to be removed, and a new hem will need to be created.
Can Leather Pants Be Made Slimmer?
Leather pants legs can be made slimmer creating a new seam. A new seam is created by using the original seam as a reference however extra room will need to be left in the areas that flex such as the knees and the buttocks. Once the new seam is created, excess leather, including the original seam, is trimmed off, leaving a ½ inch seam.
Leather pants can be altered so that they are slimmer, but a few things need to be considered.
The most important things to consider are how slim do you want the pants to be and how comfortable you want to be while wearing the pants.
Slim leather pants will not fit like slim or skinny jeans. Skinny jeans conform to the body because the denim used to construct them has elastic material such as spandex (elastane) woven into the fibers.
Leather does not have spandex woven into the fibers, so when the pants are altered to be slimmer, they will not conform to the body in the same way that skinny jeans do.
Spandex causes the material to stretch with the body and gives the material the ability to snap back to its original shape. Leather does not display this characteristic.
To get the same effect with your leather pants, you will have to leave extra leather in the areas that will experience the most flex, such as the knees and the buttocks.
Creating a new seam will require a lot of sewing. I recommend that you stay away from reducing leather pants’ width unless you have a sewing machine.
The slimmer fit comes from removing excess width from the pants. Accuracy is essential to getting the perfect fit.
A seam gauge accurately measures the new seam by using the original seam as a guide. Once the new seam is measured and marked, a sewing machine is used to sew the new seam. The excess leather, including the original seam, is trimmed off to reduce bulk in the pants’ inside legs.
Is It Possible To Shrink My Leather Pants?
A helpful but straightforward method for getting new leather pants to conform to your body is to wear them while they are wet. This method is often dismissed, but it works because leather softens when it gets wet and hardens when it dries.
You could get the leather pants completely soaked and then wear them, allowing them to air dry. After the leather pants are completely dry, they will be smaller, and the pants will match the shape of your body. When you put the pants on the next time, you will notice the difference.
Can Leather Pants Be Made Wider?
Making leather pants wider is the most difficult alteration. The seam allowance which is the space between the cutting line of the fabric and the stitching line is usually ½ inch. And this is the only amount of room that is available to expand the width of the pants.
Professional services will be needed in order to come up with a unique solution to increase the width. I have heard of some unique solutions used to adjust leather lengthen leather jackets, but I have not seen anything related to making leather pants wider.
Where Can You Get Leather Pants Altered?
Don’t just take your leather pants to any tailor. Find a master tailor or a leather specialist with the tools required for cutting and stitching leather. Alterations to leather are a little different than altering fabrics and the right tailor will need to have experience working with different types of leather garments.
Finding the right leather tailor will require some work. Begin by looking for a person or company that has a proven record of leather alterations.
It will not be difficult to find information on leatherwork alterations from a reputable company. Customer reviews, pictures of completed alterations, and word of mouth are all good indicators of dealing with a reputable company.
The company altering your leather pants should have experience altering all types of items such as leather items such as jackets, skirts pants, coats, vests, and more. Look to see what kind of items they have completed.
Finally, the company should also be able to provide you with a complimentary one-on-one consultation before performing leather alterations so that they are addressing your exact needs.
How Much Does It Cost To Have Leather Pants Altered?
Altering leather garments is a specialty tailoring field and is usually more expensive. Some standard tailors can alter lightweight leather garments for an additional cost, sometimes as much as 50 percent more than altering fabric pieces. But for heavier or specialty leather, it’s a good idea to find someone who has experience working with leather.
It can be difficult to tell how much more a leather garment will cost to alter or repair. The price depends on how many garment pieces need to be removed, alter and sew back together.
For example, $75 – $115 may be charged to take in the leather pants’ waist, while hemming may only cost $25.
Can I Alter the Leather Pants Myself?
Yes, you can shorten or hem leather trousers. These can be done like you would with any other garment made of different materials. You can choose to hem your lower garment to the desired length by sewing it or folding and sticking it up with fabric tape or glue. Doing it independently will help save you some money.
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