My Jeans Are Too Tight

 Hello Readers. It's almost time for America to celebrate Thanksgiving. That usually means turkey and stuffing. My family doesn't love turkey so we went rogue a few years ago. We have a roast or ham, lasagna, side dishes, veggies, bread and deserts. Of course, there are deserts. All this good food means I need cozy stretchy pants. Tight waistbands will ruin Thanksgiving for sure. But what if you gained a few pounds during Corona? I have an idea for that.

These green denim jeans had a little stretch to them already but that waistband was at maximum after quarantine. I was going to donate them because they were too tight in the waist and hips. They just were not comfortable at all. Then I had an idea.

I decided to make these pants larger. I cut the side seams open on both sides. I cut from the waist to the ankle.

I also cut up these leftover pant legs. I think I made shorts out of them and saved the legs. I cut the leftovers on the bias so I had long strips of gray fabric to use.

I used my sewing machine to put the pieces of gray sweatpants in the open side seams. I sewed them shut. Because I added the gray fabric on both sides it made the legs, hips and waistband grow.

 

I used the binding from the bottom of the sweat pant legs. I put the binding at the waist and the ankles of the new green jeans to make them look more polished and intentional. Are they sweats or jeans? You decide.

 These new green jeans were a perfect partner for this sparkly sweatshirt.

 

Thanksgiving 2020 has been down-sized at my house. This outfit will be dressy enough for the day and comfortable enough for me to eat pie and cupcakes after dinner. 

 

Thanks for reading along, I hope your Thanksgiving holiday is wonderful. If it isn't a holiday where you live, I wish you a great day.

 

Sweats 2

 Hello Readers. I am back with my second pair of gray sweatpants. Again these were not wanted by one of my family members so I made them mine. After too much lounging, I am trying to get in the habit of exercising more. I always plan to do it and I fail to follow through.  Maybe some sweat pants that fit well will help.

These were nice sweats and pretty new. I liked the gray color but needed to work on the size.

I decided to take these pants in on the sides. That means I had to say goodbye to the side stripes and the side pockets. These were not high-waisted on my man but they are high on me because I am shorter than he is. I like a high waist, so that works for me.

I ended up with a pair of joggers that I really needed and really liked.

And there is even a back pocket for my phone! It shouldn't be unusual to have pockets in women's clothes but I am always excited when I get a real working pocket. Why is this such a rare occurrence? It's like finding a unicorn!

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

Sweats 1

 Hello Readers. Do you feel like sitting on the couch in your sweatpants eating cookie dough? Me too. The only problem was that my sweatpants and shorts are too tight. But that's OK. I have access to my man's cast offs.  Today is 1 of 2 sweat pant refashions.

These sweatpants were simple, gray and basic. The color worked for me. They need to be resized and it was hot the day I was sewing. That made me want shorts.

I cut off the pant legs and made new side seams. There was a drawstring but there was also an elastic waistband in there. I cut the drawstring off and kept the elastic.

I was able to keep the back pocket! It is really handy because it is large enough for my phone. Real pockets are always a big plus for me.

 My shorts were done and it was time for me to take a walk. I have been trying to exercise more. I always plan to do something active but I don't always get to it. New cozy shorts might help right?

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

Save the Sweats

     Hello all. Today is a beautiful day to be outside. I like to walk everyday and to do that I need comfortable exercise clothes. I had a bambino a few months ago and my wardrobe is limited. Today's project is a pair of black sweats that were handed down to me. They fit around the waist but not anywhere else. As you can see from this picture, they are too long and too baggy.

This is not a great picture, but you can see the extreme bagginess. I spread the pants out and decided to taper the legs. I didn't want them tight like leggings, just less huge. After many mistakes I have learned to take things in before I shorten the length. You usually don't need to shorten a piece of clothing as much as you thought after you take it in. 

First, I turned them inside out.I used a yard stick to make a chalk line from the thigh down to the ankle. I am sewing a new seam on the inner leg to preserve the white decorative lines running down the side of each leg.

I sewed straight down that line twice. Why twice? Because I don't want to be working out (or watching Netflix) and split my pants! After sewing, I cut the extra fabric away.

I only needed to turn the pants under once and sew them down to get the right length in the legs.

Now they are ready for a test drive, or test walk. I plan to wear them almost daily as most moms do. They are comfortable and elastic waist sweats are perfect for the mom of a new baby. KC the wonder dog agrees. (He will agree to anything if you take him for a walk.)

Thanks for reading, now go make something fabulous for yourself.