More so if they’re made from top-notch cotton, offering comfort and strength, and designed and crafted in a slow-fashion manner. Taking up a project to create your jeans from scratch can certainly add more value to these clothing items, which can further make you appreciate them. To be able to create denim pants that can serve you for years to come, you need to get adequate supplies. 



From casual to business casual, jeans are a staple of many outfits and styles. And depending on their properties, such as thickness, stretchiness, and wash, they can easily be dressed up or down for a variety of ensembles with different tops, shoes, and accessories. Even though fast fashion has shaken up their reputation in recent years due to questionable fabric, quality, and durability, driven by a lack of ethical and sustainable practices, these fashion statement pieces are still worth it. 

What Materials Are Used to Make Jeans?

A specialised fabric shop online is the perfect place to browse and purchase the supplies when you begin your jeans sewing journey, not only because you can find all the necessities but also because you can count on expert help when shopping as a beginner. Here’s what you can expect to buy all in the same well-stocked place: 

The Denim Fabric

As with any sewing project, success mainly depends on the quality of the fabric. The right retailer will have a wide selection of denim fabrics for you to pick from, differing in weight and thickness, in addition to raw denim, 100% cotton, or a blend with other fabrics for the perfect stretchiness, so you have different options for the range of styles you can create. 

The Sewing Pattern

Creating your own jeans requires the utmost accuracy. Patterns can help ensure the project goes smoothly, and you can find them at any fabric shop online. 

Besides helping you out with developing the perfect mould (e.g. skinny jeans, slim-cut jeans, boyfriend jeans) that makes for the perfect fit, having a suitable pattern is further helpful with cutting down on fabric waste and errors, so you can save more by not having to buy fabrics that fast. And you won’t have to have a guilty conscience about contributing more to fashion waste that ends up in landfills that grow by the minute.

The Tools

If you want to make the most of the process and count on a piece-of-cake experience, it’s important to have the sewing machine as your helping hand. It makes the project seamless, fast, and of higher quality, but it’s certainly not the only pre-requisite for a job well done, as there’s also the reliable fabric cutter, chalk, pins and iron to have at your disposal. All of these together assist you with making the ideal cuts and presses without damaging the fabric.

The Thread

The fabric is undoubtedly among the most crucial supplies you can get at the online fabric store, but certainly not the only one. To be able to create the jeans of your imagination, you also need to make sure you have adequate threads. As the special yarns are engineered to pass through the sewing machine, and the denim fabric in a rapid and precise manner, you need them to be certain your project will come out with the best stitches and seams that don’t break or become distorted.

The Hardware

Other types of supplies you need to acquire from the fabric shop are versatile pieces of hardware in the form of zippers, buttons, and rivets. While in the past these bits were mainly used for their functional purpose, i.e. to make the jeans more durable, to hold the bits together, or make certain parts more accessible, nowadays they’ve come to get a more stylish role – kind of like the case we have with the hardware of the home décor. 

Tips for Making Jeans

There’s no need to dread denim as a fabric, or think of the creation of jeans as an endeavour as a beginner. With proper planning, and knowledge of some ins and outs of sewing, you’d be able to make your projects come true, taking them from the mind and the paper, all the way to the closet. 

The Fabric 

Choosing the right fabric is a no-brainer. Deciding to buy fabric online can make the shopping experience easier, faster, and less expensive, even though you may not like the idea that you can’t actually touch the fabric to know the texture beforehand. When not sure between two options, you can always order to get some swatches if possible, and if not, some shops have offers on samples. 

To be able to make up your mind easily, it’s advisable to plan out what you’re going to make, specifically what style of jeans. This would help you choose the right weight and stretchiness. When you do get the fabric, be sure to do a little practice sewing on a small piece to get the feeling of working with the machine with a thicker material like denim. To avoid any damage along the way, wash the denim to check for shrinkage and colour run. 

The Pattern

To get the right pattern, the planning part is essential, just as with the fabric sampling. Once you do get the appropriate one in the desired size (pay attention to the offered size charts with the suitable measurements) and level of skill, try to stay away from cutting multiple layers of the fabric at the same time. A move like this could result in uneven cuts, no matter how sharp your cutter may be.

The Tools 

While a standard needle may be suitable for a range of projects with thinner fabric, it’s not the case with denim, especially the thicker one with more weight. Look for specialist denim needles with sharp points and a stiffer shank to resist deflection. Options with a flat back are suitable for most sewing machines. Remember to also pick out a sharp cutter to count on clean fabric cuts.

The Thread

You need a thread that’s strong and durable, enough to make for proper stitching through the thick denim fabric. The shops that have a variety of fabrics for sale may also have a range of threads to back you up. Even so, a thin yet strong choice, such as Gutermann’s set of threads, is ideal as it provides a neat stitching effect. 

So, a thicker thread isn’t always the best, as it can make for a more difficult sewing process, particularly in the case of jeans. Moreover, depending on the effect you’re trying to achieve, you can choose a thread in the same colour as the denim to make it seamless or use a different colour to make the stitching stand out.

The Hardware

As already mentioned, denim is a thick fabric, which is why it’s most often perceived as a tricky one, and it shouldn’t be. To get the result you’re after, you need to pay attention to the kind of hardware you choose too; the preference being on heavy-duty designs to make for a strong closure. 

Last but not least, pay attention to the material and finish, as you have options like bronze and nickel, each of which gives off a nice, professional finish. And before you do the actual work on the jeans, do a little side practice with the hammer to get confident in fixing the hardware properly.