The Gaping Waistband

Chickie W.U.
by Chickie W.U.

Hello Readers. I hate when jeans fit everywhere but the waistband. When the waistband gapes open in the back it feels like the pants will fall down or at least get saggy and need to be pulled up. I want my pants to stay up where they are supposed to be. This tip works for kids and adults.

I liked these colored denim jeans a lot. They fit well everywhere but the waist. The waist was too big and it just hung open in the back. I needed to fix this issue before I could wear these colored denim jeans.

I marked this with chalk to make it easier to see. I came up with this way to alter pants at the waist when my kids were little. It is easy and fast and you don't need any extra supplies, like elastic. I measured how much I needed to take the waist in. I made 2 tucks in the back of the pants. One tuck above each back pocket. I simply fold the pants and sew a triangle shape in the waistband.

I usually sew this new seam twice to make it really strong. Then I cut the extra fabric out of the way. You can leave it in place if it is comfortable for you to wear. It gets more comfortable after being washed and dried. When I used this technique on my kids pants I would leave the extra fabric in place so if my kids grew I could take out the stitches and enlarge the waistband again.

You can see the 2 small tucks here, but barely. I try to center the tucks above each back pocket. It makes any jeans or pants fit and feel better when the waist fits well. I don't think anyone has ever noticed the alteration when I am wearing the pants.

These pants were a great match for this striped shirt. It was white and burgundy striped but  I dyed it pink a few years ago. I hope this idea helps you out next time your waistband needs a better fit.

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  • Lisa Lisa on May 02, 2021

    thank you. I always have that problem, too fat for a XS size, and too skinny for a Small size. This will help a lot! Thanks for the tip!

  • Chickie W.U. Chickie W.U. on May 03, 2021

    I’m so glad it’s not just me! 😀

    Chickie

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