But on to business!
You know how it feels when you try on a pair of jeans, and they make your legs look awesome, they fit your hips and rear just right, and they are "the perfect pair" - if it only wasn't for that awful gap at the waist!
SUCH a bummer.
There are many ways to "skin a cat", as the saying goes.
You can sew darts into your jeans:
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| I can never get my darts to be even :-( |
Use one of those Hip Hugger things:
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| Yay, adding bulk... |
You can actually hide elastic inside the waistband
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| Only works if you can do intermediate sewing... |
Or, you can sew elastic directly onto the waistband...
For the purposes of this project, I wanted to sew the elastic onto my waistband. Here's how I did it!
You'll need:
1. Elastic (black for darker pants), 1" wide and about 8" long. You can cut to fit later. Get the heavy duty no-roll ribbed kind
. The kind I used in my pictures lost its elasticity after about 2 years of washing.
. The kind I used in my pictures lost its elasticity after about 2 years of washing. 2. Sewing machine
3. Black thread (or color to match your pants)
4. Pins
Step 1: Turn the pants inside out and pin the elastic in the very center, on either side of the belt loop. (you want to make sure you don't sew the belt loop closed on accident).
Step 2: Starting from one pin to the side of the belt loop, and using an elastic stitch (looks like three lines side by side on your machine - setting "M" below)...
Stretch the elastic as you sew it down, pulling on one end with moderate pull as you sew:
Stew 3: Do the same to the other side...
Your waistband should be all wrinkled up by the elastic when you're done.
Do not sew the top or bottom of the elastic down, only sew ONE line down the middle. If you sew any more lines, it will ruin the effect of the elastic. I don't know why, but it happened to my pants and I had to pick out two lines of elastic and it took FOREVER.
Do not sew the top or bottom of the elastic down, only sew ONE line down the middle. If you sew any more lines, it will ruin the effect of the elastic. I don't know why, but it happened to my pants and I had to pick out two lines of elastic and it took FOREVER.
You're done! Try your pants on:
No more pant gap! No bulk! No serious sewing skills required!!
