AboutSharon Vogel Expertise I can answer general sewing questions as well as tailoring, heirloom, menswear, children's wear, craft sewing, quilting and just about any fabric or notion. I can also help with some sewing machine repair and maintenance.
Experience I started sewing at the age of 3...thanks to my mom and grandmother, and I am now in my fifties. Home economics classes in junior high and high school helped me to finesse my skills.
Education/Credentials Palmer and Plesch tailoring class
Basically, self-taught...give me the instructions and I will figure it out and then make it better!
Awards and Honors A few blue ribbons at fairs along the way
Question I am short and overweight. My problem is that the only pants that fit me correctly are the petite low waist. The pants top comes right above the top of my waist line. And that I find only in jeans. Any other type of petite pants or slacks , the waist band must be pulled up under my breast in order for the crotch area not to be almost to my knees?
Can you please help instruct me on alterations ? I would be so grateful for help as I can not find clear instructions online .
Sincerely,
Rhonda
Answer Dear Rhonda,
This is not an easy alteration for someone who does not sew a lot, but if you are willing to try, then I will give you some general instructions. WARNING!! Try this on an inexpensive pair of pants that you won't mind throwing in the trash if the alteration does not come out the way you want. Also, I am giving you instructions for pants with a waistband and zipper like jeans. Elastic waist pants would be a little different because you won't have to deal with the waistband.
I think the easiest way for you to alter a pair of pants would be to deconstruct one of the pairs of jeans that do fit your little body. You can do this by actually using a seam ripper and taking them completely apart or by measuring with a tape measure. If you take them apart, you can use the pieces as a pattern to determine how much you need to cut off at the waistline of other types of pants. But if you are good at measuring, then I wouldn't go to the trouble of taking the jeans apart.
I am assuming that the jeans or pants fit your backside when they are pulled up so that the crotch is in the right position on your body. So, using a tape measure, take the measurements of the crotch front and back from the waistline (don't include the waistband) to the center of the crotch seam where the leg seams meet (two measurements). Also, measure the side seam from the waistline to bottom of the leg.
If the pants you are altering have a waistband, take the waistband off first. Then using your measurements, measure up the front and back crotch and the side seam leg length and mark where the new measurements would be, then add 1/2 inch to these measurements to allow for a seam allowance to put a waistband back on.
You may have a problem if the pants have pockets because you won't be able to cut off the top of the pants and still have useful pockets. If they have pockets, after removing the waistband, sew the pocket openings flat to the pants front.
The waistband edge generally curves up a bit from the center front and back to the side. Use a fabric marker and draw your line to match up your measurements. Don't forget to add the 1/2 inch for the seam allowance. Carefully cut along this line across the front and back.
Now put the pants on and check to see if the waistline is where you want it to be. The waist area is probably now too big around. You can take up the excess in the back seam and front seam (if there is no zipper) and at the side seams. After you have made these adjustments, hopefully the original waistband will still fit around the waistline. If it doesn't, you will need to find some similar fabric to make a waistband from. Use your original waistband as a pattern adding enough length for the waistband to fit around the adjusted waistline and cut out a new waistband.
Sew the waistband back on and hopefully, you now have a pair of pants that fit you better.
If you are needing to alter elastic waist pants, please write again and I will try to help you with those. Also, write back if anything isn't clear to you.
Good luck and I hope to hear this was a successful alteration.
