- Take out the elastic. No one wears elastic anymore. Please remove. Also,
it will prevent unsightly bunching at the waist that can accentuate (or
create) a tummy. And it will help the pants sit a little longer at your
ankles.
To do this: Find out where the elastic is stitched on and undo stitches by
pulling at them with an open safety pin (careful! or use a thimble). When
all the attachment points are removed, open up a seam and then pull the
elastic out! Fold and sew back with a straight stitch.
- Remove the waistband. This will help pants sit lower rather than up at
your waist, which was a trend only in the 50's. It will also look great
with cropped tops and show off your belly button ring.
To do this: Using the safety pin open again, pull out stitches that attach
the waistband to the rest of the pants. Fold the remaining cloth over for
a neat edge and sew in place. If you have a zipper that goes up into the
waistband, you may leave the zipper behind or remove it and add a new one
if you need to.
- Destroy pleats. Flat front pants are the only thing to wear. They look
neater and have an effect similar to elastic-removal: no bunching, longer
legs, less tummy, narrower hips.
To do this: You may have to remove the waistband first (see above). Turn
pants inside out and see where pleats are stitched in place. If they are
only pleated at the top, remove the stitches that hold them there. If they
are pleated along the length of the pleat, remove stitches all the way. If
there is extra cloth (too wide pants) when you're done, undo the side of
the pants, fold in the extra cloth, and sew back in place.
- Side slits. Make a 1-inch slit on the outside of each pant leg. This
will help pants that badly taper at the ankle (a no-no) and straighten the
leg a little. They will also sit better on your shoes.
To do this: Undo stitches on the outside up to 1 1/2 inches. Fold and sew
back away from each other, leaving a slit.
- Make them longer. Pants that don't quite reach your shoes look like
highwaters - not quite fashionable. You can lengthen them if you see a
folded hem inside.
To do this: Undo the stitches that hold it there, then fold a
smaller amount (as little as 1/2 inch) and hem it back. To hem, stitch
along the edge of the cloth with the pants turned inside out. Let the
stitches hook onto the pants leg but not show very much thread through the
other side.
- Make them shorter. If you have pants that aren't quite the right length
anymore and can't be lengthened, try shortening. Make capris, shorts,
cropped pants. They'll last another season at least.
To do this: Cut off pants 2 inches below the length you want. Fold in one
inch, then fold again another inch. Hem on the inside. For a crisp edge,
iron the edge down immediately.