Waistband Alteration Instructions

You can have your pants and skirts fitting properly at the waist even if you've recently dropped or gained a few pounds. Or maybe you have a smaller waist-to-hip ratio and routinely have to adjust the waist of store bought pants. The process for altering a waistband only requires a few materials and a bit of patience.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Seam ripper
• Scissors
• Elastic, matching the width of the elastic in the waistband
• Sewing machine
• Matching thread

Instructions

1. Wrap a soft, flexible measuring tape around the waist to get a measurement. Measure around the natural waist line, which is right beneath the belly button.

2. Use a seam ripper to remove the hem stitch where the elastic bands were sewn together. This is a tool with a pointed edge and sharp blade that easily cuts threads. Cut all seams securing the band in place with the seam ripper.

3. Cut off 1 inch with scissors for every 3 inches the wearer needs the waistband to be taken in. The fabric can then be folded in and secured in place with a sewing machine.

4. At the end of the waistband, add 1 inch of elastic for every 3 inches that it needs to be increased.

5. Recreate the hemline 2 or 3 inches in each direction and sew along the band in the places where the stitching was cut.

6. Ask the wearer to try on the pants again. Make adjustments if necessary. Getting it right make take several tries.

References

• "The Perfect Fit: The Classic Guide to Altering" ; Editors of Creative Publishing Paperback; 2005
• Threads Magazine: The Great Elastic Waistband