How to slim a pair of baggy chinos
You don’t need to buy new pants or pay a tailor. With a basic sewing machine and a few simple tools, you can taper your chinos from the knee down for a cleaner, more fitted look.
What You’ll Need
A sewing machine.
Matching thread.
Fabric measuring tape.
Clothes pins.
Sewing pins.
Scissors.
An iron.
Any basic sewing machine can handle this. A used $50 machine will work just fine.
Step 1: Measure From the Hem to Your Knee
Start by measuring from the bottom of your chinos up to the middle of your knee.
This measurement tells you where your taper should begin and end.
The goal is a smooth, gradual transition from the ankle to the knee, not a sudden aggressive turn halfway up your leg.
My measurement was approximately 25 inches, or 63 centimeters, but yours will depend on your height and proportions.
Step 2: Pin the Fit You Want
Turn your chinos inside out, put them on, and use clothes pins to pinch excess fabric along the inside of each pant leg.
Place your highest pin near your knee. That pin marks where the new seam will gradually reconnect with the original seam.
Add additional pins between your knee and ankle to create the shape you want. You might use three, four, six—whatever helps you map out a smooth taper.
Just keep the pins evenly spaced and make sure both legs match.
Then move around. Squat. Bend your knees. Make sure the pants don’t suddenly feel like they’re trying to cut off circulation.
You’re tailoring chinos, not committing to standing perfectly still for the rest of your life.
Step 3: Replace the Clothes Pins With Sewing Pins
Take off the chinos and replace each clothes pin with a sewing pin at the same location and depth.
Position the pins so you can easily remove them while sewing.
If you want to make future alterations easier, write down how much fabric you pinned at each point. Those measurements can give you a useful starting point the next time you taper a similar pair of pants.
Step 4: Sew Your New Tapered Seam
Set your sewing machine to a regular straight stitch.
Start near the bottom of the pant leg and backstitch a few times to secure the seam.
Sew toward your first pin, remove it, and continue toward the next one. Don’t sew over your pins unless you’re trying to recreate a scene from Final Destination.
Follow the line created by your pins, gradually narrowing the amount of fabric you’re taking in as you approach the knee.
Near the top, smoothly merge your new stitch into the original factory seam.
Then backstitch again to lock everything in place.
Repeat the process on the other leg.
Step 5: Check the Fit Before Cutting
Turn the chinos right side out and try them on before trimming anything.
Make sure both legs look even and that you can walk, sit, and bend comfortably.
If something feels too tight, it’s much easier to adjust the seam now than after you’ve already cut away the extra fabric.
Step 6: Trim the Extra Fabric
Once you’re happy with the fit, turn the pants inside out again and trim the excess fabric along your new seam.
Leave approximately ⅝ inch, or 15 millimeters, of fabric beyond the stitching.
It doesn’t have to be exact. You just need enough seam allowance to protect the stitch and finish the raw edge.
Step 7: Finish the Edge With a Zigzag Stitch
Chinos are typically made from woven fabric, which means those freshly cut edges can fray in the wash.
Switch your machine to a zigzag stitch and sew along the raw edge.
The needle should land on the fabric on one side and just off the edge on the other. This wraps the thread around the edge and helps prevent fraying.
Once you’re finished, press the seam with an iron so everything lies flat.
That’s It: Better-Fitting Chinos Without the Tailor Bill
Your new seam creates the tapered fit. Your zigzag stitch protects the fabric from fraying. And a quick press helps the alteration blend into the original seam.
Same chinos. Cleaner silhouette. Way less fabric flapping around your ankles.
