How do I Sew Regular Pants Into Maternity Pants?

Altering your favorite pants into maternity wear is a money-saving alternative.

Maternity clothes can be an expensive investment for the mother-to-be. An alternative to buying everything new is altering the front panel of a few pairs of pants or jeans that you already own. Ready-to-install panels are found at most sewing centers for much less than the cost of new items. Simple alterations will have you in comfortable, but still stylish, maternity pants in a short amount of time.

Things You'll Need

• Pants with non-elastic waistband
• Maternity panel
• Washable marking chalk
• Measuring tape
• Scissors
• Seam ripper
• Sewing pins
• Sewing machine
• Coordinating thread

Instructions

1. Lay pants flat on work surface, smoothing out any wrinkles. Lay the maternity panel over the front of the pants, aligning the top to the waistband. The bottom of the panel should cover 9 to 10 inches of the front panel of pants. With chalk, mark the pants at the bottom edge of the maternity panel across the pants front.

2. Remove the maternity panel, and using measuring tape and chalk, mark a line across the pants front 1/4 inch above the markings made in Step 1.

3. Cut down the side seams of the pants with sharp scissors to the marked line. Cut across the pants front along the marked line to remove the front panel.

4. Open the waistband of the pants 2-3 inches on both sides toward the back with seam ripper. Turn the pants inside out, and align the top of maternity panel to the waistband. Pin the maternity panel to the pants with the right sides together along the side seams and the bottom of the panel.

5. Fill the bobbin of the sewing machine with the coordinating color of thread, and thread the machine. With the pants inside out, sew the maternity panel into place with a 1/4-inch seam allowance.

6. Place the elastic tails of the maternity panel into the waistband of the pants, and using the sewing machine, stitch securely. Turn the waistband down and sew it back into place with the machine or by hand.

Tips & Warnings

• If the pants you choose to alter have a shorter front than the maternity panel, pin the maternity panel in place and trim the excess accordingly to fit.

• Maternity panels come in several colors to coordinate with different types of pants.

References

• Learn to Sew

Resources

• Bump It Up: Transform Your Pregnancy into the Ultimate Style Statement: Amy Koch; March, 2010