taking in trousers

You do that! Taking 4" out of them is more than I'd be bothered with! Mind you, I loathe alterations of any sort! ;)

If you "really" feel you need to take them up, you will lose part of the pocket opening on each side. Since you are altering them for "you" and not "someone else" You could turn them inside out, and take each major seam up

1/2" close to the waist. on each side and in front and back. That would take them up a total of 4". I would use the longest stitch on the machine and then try them on. HTH Barbara in SC and now FL

There is one other possibility since they are so large if you feel ambitious. You might just cut them apart at the seams, open the darts and use the fabric to cut new ones. The pockets would already be done and you'd only have to alter the waist. If they are also way too long in the crotch, you could just turn under the top or face the waistline and forget the waistband.

I've always hated alterations. I'd take them to Goodwill if it were me. OTOH, I am one to reuse any fabric that I can.

Phae

If you do take them in - watch out - reducing the waist dimension means they fit you better and tend to sit on your waistline rather than slide down - which means the crotch gets tighter! I've done this before and had this problem - if I had been a bloke I would have been singing soprano!

Sarah

Thanks for the advice! I did decide to use the energy on making something new, so some Goodwill customer will be very happy! Now I just have to go buy some more fabric. Oh, the horror!

Sue

No - that's one of the best bits! :) I love doing that so much I have

48 stacking crates of the stuff in my loft...

Fabric buying is addictive!

*laugh* That's the problem with text-based stuff--no visuals. You have to picture melodramatic languishing with the hand to the brow there. I don't have space for that many crates though, so I have to TRY to be restrained, though it is difficult given how many cool fabrics there are out there!

Sue

Yes... My main problem is that the roof space in my house is like a big tent, the whole size of the ground plan of the house!

I really do need to get the whole lot out, sort it, and label the boxes so I don't have to hunt through them all to find that one elusive bit...

Let's look around, shall we? You have the top shelf in your closets, you probably have space under your bed - there are nice boxes designed to slide under beds - some people even spread out the fabric on the mattress under the mattress pad and sheets -- just don't forget where you put it. End tables and coffee tables should always be the kind with storage, as should hassocks and footstools. Fat quarters can be decoratively displayed in baskets as a home accent. In a pinch, fold up a bunch of fabric and cover it with one, and there's a nice pillow for the couch!

You can always find space to squeeze in just a little more.

If I bring any more fabric home at this point, I just may be a case for the divorce courts............. (laughter) I do not know how many of those big plastic bins (with lids) I have full of fabric, but my storage shed is getting full, my closets are full, boxes under the beds are full, boxes under the futons are full (you get the idea) ... (more laughter)

me~