Shorten an Elastic Waistband

What you will learn

• Opening a casing
• Measuring elastic
• Joining elastic

Materials and tools

• Garment
• Seam ripper
• Safety pin
• Measuring tape
• Matching thread
• Hand-sewing needle or sewing machine
• Pins

Before you start

• Put the garment on and note how tight you want the waistband.

1. Pull the waistband to the fit you want, and pinch the extra elastic. Measure the extra. Common reduction is 1 to 3 in (2.5 to 7.5 cm).
2. Turn the garment inside out. Find the seam where the elastic was joined. It is often at the centre back. Open the casing seam for about 2 in (5 cm) with a seam ripper.
3. Pull the joined part of the elastic out through the opening. Unpick the join, or cut the elastic once right at the join, and put a safety pin through each end so neither slips back into the casing. Mark the extra length on one end, measured from that end.
4. Lap the marked end over the other end so the mark sits 1 in (2.5 cm) past the other end. The extra length hangs loose beyond the overlap. Do not cut it off yet. Pin the overlap and try on the garment. Stretch and release the waist to test.

5. Hold the overlap with a safety pin. Test comfort by sitting, bending and walking.
6. When the fit is right, sew the overlap with a zigzag stitch, a box shape (a square with an X inside) or by hand with small backstitches. Do not cut the elastic until you are sure.
7. Trim the extra elastic end, leaving 1/4 in (6 mm) past the stitching. Slide the elastic back inside the casing.
8. Close the casing opening by hand with a slip stitch or by machine with a straight stitch 1/8 in (3 mm) from the edge.
9. Spread the gathers evenly around the waist and try the garment on again.

Tips for a neat result

• Always check that the elastic is not twisted inside the casing.
• Do not stretch elastic while sewing it, unless the pattern requires.

Common mistakes and fixes

Check your result

• The waistband holds the garment without digging in.
• The elastic lies flat and is not twisted.

Projects that use this