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 have lost some weight and want to alter a few of my elastic waist pants. They fit ok if I pull them all the way up to under my breasts. Doing so puts the crotch in the right place.
How do you change the elastic waistband, that is I assume to lower it.
Thanks
Marsha
Answer Dear Marsha,
Congratulations on the weight loss! To fix your pants, put them on and with pins, mark where you need the waistband to be. Someone may need to help you with the back. Assuming you are using 1 to 1 1/4 inch wide elastic, you will want to leave about 2 inches of fabric to make the new waistband casing, so mark 2 inches above the waistband marking. Mark all the way around. Cut the pants off at the upper marking. Fold the top edge to the inside 1/4 inch and press. Then turn it to the inside again another 1.5 inches and press again. Stitch close to the upper folded edge and then stitch close to the lower edge of the casing. Cut the elastic your waist measurement plus one inch for overlap. Leave about a 3 inch space unstitched on the casing edge so you can insert the elastic and adjust it to fit. Sew the ends of the elastic together by lapping one end over the other and sewing through the middle. Slide the finished elastic inside the casing and stitch the opening. Now you have pants that fit!!
