How to Convert Jeans to Maternity
When a woman starts to show signs of her growing child over the course of her pregnancy, she may experience the feeling of not wanting to let go of her pre-pregnancy clothes in favor of roomier maternity wear. This has led to the production of standard jeans with special maternity waistbands instead of the usual zipper and belt loops. You can easily convert any of your favorite jeans into a pair of these comfortable maternity jeans and continue wearing your best clothes right up until you give birth.
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Instructions
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Lay the jeans on a table with the fly facing up and the fabric smoothed down. Make sure there are no folds of fabric that will cause you to make uneven cuts.
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Draw a curved line with seamstress chalk that starts just below the zipper and has each end curving up until they reach the bottom of the belt loops on either side of the jeans. The line should look like the outer edge of a crescent moon.
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3
Make a long, horizontal cut with scissors through both the front and back layers of the jeans to remove the waistband. The cut should be made right below the belt loops.
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4
Cut along the line drawn on the front of the jeans to remove the semicircle shape. This cut should only go through the front layer of the jeans.
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Cut a length of stretch knit fabric so it fits snugly around your belly, on the underside of your stomach. Make sure you are holding the fabric so it stretches left and right, rather than up and down or you won’t get a stretchy waistband.
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Fold the fabric in half so it is six inches tall and sew the fabric closed at the short, loose ends with your sewing machine. This will create a tube of fabric that you could step into and wear around your stomach.
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Line the seam on the stretchy band up with the back seam of your jeans so the raw, open edge of the tube is lined up with the top edge of the jeans. The folded edge of the tube should be below the open edge and against the fabric of the jeans.
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Sew both layers of the band and the jeans together using a long, wide zigzag stitch. You should stretch the band as much as possible as you sew the jeans to it to get the most stretch out of the band.
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Turn the band upward and wear your jeans just like you normally would. Pull the elastic band up so it holds the jeans securely on your waist.
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Tips & Warnings
You can make the band taller if you have a long midriff or are very far along in your pregnancy for an even better fitting pair of jeans.
Do not hold the fabric above your stomach when measuring or the jeans will not ft properly when you wear them.
References
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