The Gaping Waistband

Hello Readers. Do you ever find a great pair of jeans that seem to fit except the waistband? That waist hanging open in the back is not going to work.

I really wanted these black jeans because they were very dark. My current black jeans are old and very faded. I could dye them...or I could make these jeans fit a little better.

(They are a little long too. #shortgirlproblems)

I started by making new side seams to take the hips in a little. This won't fix the fit problem entirely. It is just a start.

The right leg looks much shorter. I swear my legs and the legs of these jeans are the same length in real life.

The way I like to fix this kind of fit issue is with tucks in the back. I fold the jeans and stitch narrow triangles that start at the waistband and taper off down into the pockets. Sometimes I cut off the excess fabric inside and sometimes I leave it there. I just want to be comfortable. If it feels bulky, I remove it. If it doesn't bother me, I leave it there.

 Having the tuck end under the pockets helps hide them. I want my jeans to look normal and plain in the back.

I was pleased with the new fit at the waist. I don't like to wear belts very much so these needed to fit well around the waist.

Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

 *Year end update-I still use this method to make the waist smaller on pants. It always works well for me.