I found this super cute plaid turquoise skort (that's a skirt with built in shorts) in my local thrift shop the other day! They even have pockets!! When I got them home and tried them on, the fit really well at my hips and thighs but were way too loose at the waist so I knew I needed to take them in some how.
I tried them on and pinched the amount of fabric I would need to take in, a whopping 5.5"! A lot more than I though it would be!
This skirt has a bunch of things going on (front pockets, back pockets, lining, and a side zipper) so I wasn't going to be able to insert small pieces of the elastic on the sides like I originally thought. Darts were also out of the question because it would be hard to space them out evenly enough in a way that would take up enough fabric but not get in the way of the pockets. Ultimately I decided to add elastic to the entire back waistband so that I could take it in enough. You could add an elastic to the entire waist band if you like, I just prefer the look of a flat front waist band.
If you want to try this alteration on your clothes you'll need:
Pants/skirt/shorts with loose waistband
seam ripper
Elastic (I used 1" or 1.5" but you can use whatever is closest to the width of your waist band)
Sewing machine with zigzag or stretch stitches
Ball point sewing machine needle
General sewing supplies
I started by flipping my garment inside out and carefully ripping out the seam that closed the waist band so that I would be able to access the inner waist band pieces. Investigate closely before picking anything out as you just want to be able to flip open the back side of the waist as opposed to disconnecting it from the rest of the piece!
Then I grabbed a length of elastic from my stash (not pictured but came from deconstructed scrubs), sandwiched it in between the waistband pieces, and pinned it at the side seams tightly so that it would gather the material. You will want to make sure you get the elastic measurement right, so you may need to try it on a couple times! I wait to cut it down until I've confirmed the fit and sew it down.
Once you decide how long to have the elastic, zig zag the elastic ends near the side seams so that they don't move around as much.
Then you will want to stretch and pin the elastic so its evenly spaced out along the fabric. This part can be tricky, especially if you're taking it in as much as I am! Take your time!
Then I sewed along the waistband/elastic with a zigzag stitch, stretching the elastic as I sewed. Depending on the length of your elastic this could be a real wrestle with your machine! Recommend going slowly and making sure you have that ballpoint needle!
If your garment doesn't have a lining you may want to add an extra row of stitching below the elastic so it's fully encased. I decided to skip that step as the shorts work as a lining.
This skort is ready for some summer adventures! It's my new favorite and I'm pretty sure I'll be living in these this summer. If you try this project, I'd love to see! Tag @Sunny_Salvage on Instagram or Facebook and follow me on Pinterest for more upcycling ideas! Happy summer sewing!
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