How to Alter Blue Jean Waistbands
You are happy you lost a few pounds, but upset your favorite jeans are now a little too loose at the waist. You can fix that quickly if you alter the waistband. The alteration method, sewn by hand, rather with a sewing machine, also works on those nearly-perfect jeans you find at thrift stores that you wish were about a half-inch smaller at the waist. Now they can be.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
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1
Put on the jeans and figure out how much smaller the waistband needs to be by pinching each side of the band until they fit as you wish. If you only have a very small portion to take in, make a single pinch on the back of the waistband rather than one on each side. Mark either side of the pinched area with straight pins.
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2
Pin sides together. Remove the jeans and turn them inside out. Use straight pins to connect the pinched sides together. Take an iron and press it on the area so you create a deep crease where the waistband folds inward into the pinched area.
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3
Stitch the pinch. Starting at the top of the waistband, stitch the pinched area shut with a reinforced stitch using quality thread that will stand up to denim. It is much easier to alter jeans by sewing by hand, rather than with a machine, because the area is small and awkward. Make sure to stitch at the top of the pinch and reinforce each stitch by threading the thread through the previous stitch as you move forward.
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4
Make a taper. If a substantial amount of waistband needed to be taken in, it may leave a puffy gap right below the band. If that is the case, continue stitching down from the fold, tapering off into a point about an inch or two down the side or back of the jeans. Set the tapering with an iron before you begin so that, too, will have a solid crease to stitch.
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Tips & Warnings
You can make jean waistbands a tad larger with a button extender, sold at some fabric or home stores stores or online (see Resources).
Make sure to leave a little extra space when fitting the jeans so you can still breathe.
Related Searches
Resources
- Photo Credit Illustration by Ryn Gargulinski
Comments
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Patricia Beaulieu
Jan 31, 2011
Mmmm...I see high- to low-rise, but what about altering low- to high-rise? I wear my tops out so I don't care how they look, just want to make them higher to go to my waist. I don't want to replace them because some of my faves have machine embroidery on the legs. Would appreciate any help. I am not against putting in a new zipper and don't care if the current pockets stay where they are. HELP Please. Thanking in advance.
