pants with elastic waist

Hello everyone. My doctor says I must lose 40lbs----high bp, borderline diabetic. I should drop three sizes in waist, How would I alter the stretch waistline in ready to wear pants. The type of stretch in my pants is rows of stitching distributing the fullness around the figure. Until I put on the extra pounds 5 years ago, I never made or bought the stretch waist pants. I would like to alter so I can wear them through half of my weight loss. Pat

Reply to
Pat Evans
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Dear Pat,

It's a pain, but you need to remove all rows of stitching. Then, sew a casing the same width (usually 1-1/2 inches) , leaving a small opening at the center back, and insert a piece of elastic 1/4 inch less wide than the casing. As you lose weight, you can make the elastic smaller by simply cutting off the elastic and re-sewing it.

Good luck. I need to do the same, but am not very motivated....

Teri

Reply to
gjones2938

Pat, being lazy, I would just sew a straight seam down both sides of the pants, taking in 1/2 inch on both sides, each time I took up the pants. Yes, if you have pockets this will reduce the amount of space left to insert your hand. Guess it all depends on if you are thinking of replacing the pants after you loose the weight. Barbara in SC who usually does things the easy way

"Pat Evans..

Reply to
Bobbie Sews More

Reply to
Liz Hall

Since you probably wear your tops out, I'd do as the others have said. Take in a little on each side (and the front and back too), stitching from three or four inches below the waist out through the waistband. I once had to do that....now I wish I hadn't! Ha Ha!

Reply to
Alice

Reply to
Melinda Meahan - take out TRAS

I recently switched from using waistband elastic in my bras to making an inch-and-a-half hem, dividing it into three channels with four rows of stitching, and inserting three pieces of quarter-inch flat elastic. I like the new bra much better than the old ones, and plan to use multiple rows of elastic instead of wide elastic from now on. [checks] And I've got enough wide elastic to make two more bras, grump. But the wide elastic I used for the first bra had been in my stash at least ten years; sooner or later I'll find a use for the leftovers.

If you always wear your shirt untucked, another option is to cut off the old elastic and sew on a new casing of contrast fabric.

A casing seems to wear better if you set it back from the fold just a little, so that you have a very narrow ruffle at the edge.

Joy Beeson

Reply to
Joy Beeson

Thanks to all the suggestions. I had thought about most of your ideas, but thought there would be a better way. If I do lose the weight, I do not plan to keep altering the same pants over again. In the past, if I managed to lose 10lbs, I would lose 1 inch in waist. I did plan to alter once and than replace them. Frankly, if I do lose the weight, I will be happy to burn them. Thanks again. Pat

Reply to
Pat Evans

I have been altering both pants & skirts for a daughter, who's lost a lot of weight, for the same reasons. We decided I should just cut off the entire elastic waistband, and add a new one about 2 inches wide, matching the color & fabric as close as possible. Then I made a seam down the center of the new waistband and used 2rows of 1-inch elastic. She loves the way they fit. HTH, Emily.

Reply to
CypSew

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