Why Professional Tapering Beats DIY: A Guide for Getting Jeans Tapered Right

A photograph of a pair of A.P.C. jeans in the midst of their tapering process. The jeans were originally sewn with a flat-felled inseam, and they were taken apart at the inseam, with the leg reshaped or cut away to create a new fit. Denim fragments can be seen near the jeans' inseam.

By Maurice Malone Published June 19, 2019 and Updated: February 15, 2024

So, you've got a pair of jeans that could use a little shaping up. Maybe the legs are too wide, or the fit just isn't quite right. You've heard about DIY tapering and thought, "Hey, I could do that!" Well, hold onto your sewing needles, because there's more to tapering jeans than meets the eye.

Let me take you back to my high school days, where my journey into the world of denim alterations began. A friend asked me to taper his pants, and armed with nothing but a basic sewing machine, I dove in. Little did I know, decades later, I'd be running a company known for its top-notch tapering and hemming services.

Here's the deal: DIY tapering sounds like a fun project, and there's no denying the satisfaction of creating something with your own two hands. But when it comes to denim, there are some things that are best left to the professionals.

Denim is not a lightweight fabric. Its heavy-duty construction means it requires more than just your average home sewing machine to get the job done right. We're talking about thick, heavy denim that can easily overwhelm a standard sewing machine. Add to that the fact that the thread size used on jeans is typically thicker than what home machines can handle, and you've got a recipe for disaster.

And let's not forget about time and effort. DIY tapering may seem like a fun weekend project, but it can quickly turn into a frustrating ordeal. Why spend hours struggling with your sewing machine when you could leave it to the pros and get perfect results in no time?

At WGC, we've seen it all, from In our post, you can see DIY disasters and denim dilemmas in our post: Help! A tailor butchered my selvage jeans.. Trust me when I say that professional tapering is the way to go. Our team of experts knows denim inside and out, and we have the tools and techniques to tackle even the toughest tapering jobs.

So, before you break out the sewing kit and attempt DIY tapering, consider this: professional tapering is the smart choice for a reason. With the right expertise and equipment, you'll get jeans that fit like a dream without the headache of DIY disasters. Trust me, your denim will thank you.

Sure, there are a lot of things a home sewing machine can do, and DIY projects are fun and can often save you money. However, when it comes to denim, DIY projects often end in heartbreak or shoddy outcomes. Don't let your precious jeans become a casualty of DIY gone wrong. Choose professional tapering and get the perfect fit every time.