Help me rescue too wide jeans
When your sewing machine is a loan (remember, mine is still in repair) and you are afraid to sew a sturdy jean fabric on it, but you want to participate in the #needleworkyourjeans contest… then you must be inventive. And that – my dear needleworkers – is what I am.
My contribution to this lovely contest is a riddle, a mystery, an unsolved secret which could shake the earth if a solution is found.
Here my inventiveness leaves me, and I will tell you I haven’t done anything for the contest but sat in front of a jeans which does not fit. Yeah… the big secret are ill-fitting jeans.
Said jeans are a culottes type with a high raise waist and a bit of stretch in the fabric. The jeans were always on the wider side, but somehow, they are now so wide at the waist, that I cannot wear them comfortably. No idea what happened if the stretch part of the fabric lost elasticity or if I shrank… For months I had these jeans hidden under a chair in the sleeping room (hiding faulty sewing and knitting projects seems to be my thing) in hope to get an idea for altering it to my liking. But no…
So, here are the photos.
The main problem is the too wide waistband. The waistband of the jeans has 94 cm and my natural waist 78 cm (above my bellybutton). But there is another problem. These jeans are perhaps made for a woman 10 cm taller than me, because the rise is much too long. If I wanted I could pull the jeans under my ribs… but I really do not want :-DDD For my taste a jeans sitting directly under my bellybutton is high rise enough. Although I am a lot wider under my bellybutton the jeans are still too wide at this place (not speaking of the 10 cm of excess fabric between my legs).
My first idea was to insert darts into the trousers to get a slightly better fit. My go to method of inserting one big dart at the middle of the back is not possible, because there is too much fabric I must take away. The second idea was to insert two darts placed left and right from the centre back (like you would do for a form fitting skirt). Here another problem surfaces: the jeans have a fake leather placket sewn onto the waistband which I so far could not unpick. And this placket sits exactly at the place where I would insert a dart.
After these unsuccessful thoughts I tried something with the jeans which I always do with wide exercise pants. I folded the waistband. And tada, this fits a lot better because the rise is shorter, the trousers are sitting lower at my torso and a bit of the width is gone. I already googled how I could alter the waistline and cut out 6 cm of the rise, but I only found the advice to give it to a tailor and expect a price which is higher than the original cost of the jeans.
So, that’s all my ideas. I still would love to wear the jeans as it has such a wonderful dark blue color, feels so soft and comfortable, but even a belt cannot hide the excess fabric at the waist.
Ideas? Help? Rescue? Suggestions? Or is fire needed to burn the trousers down?
If this were your jeans, what you would you do?
Thank you @crosheille for initiating and @marblely and @kattycrochet for hosting the #needleworkmonday and the community builder team @lauramica and @romeskie I am so glad to be part of. If you want to see more beautiful projects with yarn, fabric, and most of all needles, follow @needleworkmonday. Or even better grab your needles and keyboard and join the #needleworkmonday community.
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Yes, jeans are a challenge! You don't have to set fire to them unless you hate unpicking but if you do, maybe just get a belt 😛
On to the technicals: your biggest obstacle to easy adjustment is the pockets but if you removed the waistband, normally the centre back seam is the best place to take in the back. The 2 dart system in jeans is replaced by the yoke above the pockets and that needs reshaping. You could also put very small pleats into the front, next to the pockets. You can also cut about 1cm off the waist without wrecking the front pockets. Then you would need to unpick the inside leg seams to recut the crotch higher...
Maybe after all that, I don't blame you if a belt sounds appealing...
I feared there is a solution ad its a lot of work :-D But your explanation really helped and I learned something important. I never thought about altering the crotch area, I always thought kind of top down (shorten from the waist down) and the latter was so complicated in my mind because of pockets and zipper. You notice my missing experience with trousers (I still did not dare to sew one) shortening the rise from the crotch upwards is much better!!! Not sure if I will try this, but I will have it in mind perhaps for a jeans which I do not like so much (I have this problem often, perhaps because I am short and wide).
As I am again back to these annoying headaches, every sewing has to wait... hope it will get better soon and then I will try to take out a bit of fabric at the middle seam as you recommend.
Thank you so much for your help and wonderful sewing explanations <3
I hope your headaches improve soon! ❤
Just remember that cutting from the crotch area makes the hip area of pants smaller overall, especially over the butt, it will flatten the shape. Always test your changes before cutting. Once cut, if it's wrong, the only remedy is 🔥🔥🔥
It is a high waisted jean, here in Venezuela we used them a lot for a long time. We really found that detail, in the waist was wider, similar to the clothes of the barbie, to pass well through the hips should have a loose waistband, but then it is wide in our wasp waists. My mom used to make them for me, she is not a professional seamstress, although she always managed.
For a while I wore the jeans with the waistband folded, just as I see you doing in the picture, wearing the long blouses and coats. The color of your pants is very nice.
Best of luck.
Good to hear I am not the only one with these fitting problems. For now I guess I will try out the middle dart and then work through @nikv explanations for the crotch area.
Thank you for your support <3
I would sit and weep over them. Or maybe even very angry about it. anyway, it's really, really annoying. Because those jeans suit you so well! What if you remove some fabric from the side seams? will it give something? then you can also remove a little fabric from the center, because it will already be much less than 14 cm. But there is much more work. But how to make jeans below the armpits? I don't have any idea 😕
I may also have been a bit angry... (therefore the idea with the burning) Yes, the side seam... I just had a look and these jeans are really complicated. THe front pockets are very near the side seam, so I would destroy the pockets if I take away fabric there. I think I will try out to take only a bit of fabric from the center back and then wear it with a belt.
And I got the tip to shorten the rise by altering the crotch area (so that I cannot pull it so high up) not sure if I am brave enough to try ...
this is very good advice! be sure to try this. it’s more offensive not when you tried it but didn’t work out than when you didn’t try to do it at all!
You know I’m no sewing expert but I did want to comment that I love those drawings/paintings of the jeans. You are so artistically creative.
They do suit you well so I hope a final solution is met. Looks like you already have some great suggestions listed here ;)
The sewing expert commented already ( @nikv ) 😍 and I really learned something important (to alter the crotch not the rise). But it is so lovely that you commented and I am glad you liked the sketch - to be honest I love them myself, the watercolour „filling“ is so satisfying to do and I mostly can do this even if I have headaches (like now 🤢)
I so often read your posts and then I forget to answer while commenting on needlework posts… not good. I hope you know how much I love your posts, not only the writing but also your design <3 <3
Awesome! It’s so great when we can get help from others!
Yes, I noticed your paint work right off and enjoyed it as much as I did the rest of your post.
Aww thank you. I truly do know how much you enjoy my writing, you have supported me since the beginning and have left me some very valuable feedback. It’s funny you said this to me because I feel the same way about your posts. A lot of times I feel bad when I don’t have the time to comment like I want. I just enjoy and appreciate anytime you along with others can comment. 😘
I hope you are headache free today ~ 💗
Burn that!!!!🔥🔥🔥🔥
just kidding don't burn it!!! I think it would be worth it to undo the seams of the waistband and cut what is necessary, sewing such resistant fabric is difficult but I advise you to do a seam by hand and after this it is easier to sew with the machine because the road was already there made with the sewing by hand and it will be less pressure for the machine 😊
Love the burn gif!!!! And who knows what happens when I try to alter the jeans. I will try what you said and combine it with an advice from nikv . I will open the waistband and insert a dart/ cut out fabric at the back seam, but not the whole 14 cm and then hope it will fit nicer with a belt. I will use your advice to first do it by hand (although I hate handsewing) because I really do not want anything to happen to the loan machine.
Thank you for this great idea 💡
I had this problem with a pair of jeans that I think were always too big for me and now I am nearly two sizes smaller than when I bought them. I was reluctant to donate them or cut them up because I loved the look of the legs (straight) and the colour and feel of the denim, which had a kind of sheen.
My solution was to wear them cinched in tightly with a belt and I loved the baggy look!
I have also seen similar where the jeans were belted under the waistband, making a sort of paperbag waistline. The belt was big and conspicuous, like a deliberate feature, and sometimes tied, or the tongue looped through to hang down from the waist.
Sometimes they were paired with a big, over-sized, plaid shirt which was worn tucked in but blouson style at the waste, so quite billow-y. Together, shirt and jeans created a wide profile.
Other times, the jeans were paired with a close fitting, cropped retro style top, quite elegant, in contrast to the baggy jeans and workman-like belt.
Another solution might be to make a bib and straps to button on at the waistband, creating a dungaree look - dungarees usually have a much looser fit at the waist and rise. Could be a challenge not to get tangled when you want to go to the toilet 😱.
Or you could remove the existing waistband and add a yoga waistband using cotton jersey ribbing. You would need to ease the excess denim, and maybe you would need some slight gathers, to draw the excess fabric in to meet the correct size you need. I personally love this style of waistband and I am adjusting a lot of my too big skirts with this technique. It is more comfortable to wear and you can finish the waistband either to conceal it or to make a feature of it.
When I visited the women's health clinic a few years ago, they advised against wearing, especially, jeans that were too close fitting, as denim holds a lot of moisture and, combined with a warm enclosed space, could provide just the environment for candida. They would have liked your long rise 🙂.
What a comment! I love this, so many things to ponder..
Let's start: 😄
I also love baggy jeans. Only downside, I get strange belly pain when wearing a belt which is tightened and not decoration. My actual plan is to insert a tiny dart at the back of the trousers, so that I can wear them without loosing and than add a belt which I must not wear tight.
And your ideas for tops are wonderful. I directly had a vision of a big white blouse in front of me (I have this blouse, never wear it, because it needs a lot of ironing - shame on me) or wearing a cropped crochet top with the pants.
Dungaree is only beautiful in my imagination. I have one and I do not like the pull of the straps on my shoulders this adds to the headaches (oh my, I am really complicated - in German its called a Lusche… wussy perhaps in English?)
Last idea I am not sure how to accomplish this - adding a fabric waistband - I fear I needed to cut away a lot from the jeans, like the zipper and the pockets, not sure if I could do it and rescue wearable jeans 👖
Uhhhh candida, don’t want this (had it when I was young and felt so ashamed) … could this be the excuse to do nothing with the jeans and wear them as they are 🤣?
I just sew the new waistband over the old one ... but perhaps a centimetre below the waistband to accommodate the bulk of the seam allowance below the original waistband. I have some very pretty, beautifully finished skirts (one is silk) and I felt that unpicking the waistband would inevitably spoil the look and, as you say, simply be too complicated. I don't mind weaving in ends, but unpicking and manipulating waistbands to get a nice finish is too much! 😂
I can see belts and straps could be a problem, I'm not mad about them either (although I am going to get work dungarees when my sculpture studio is finished), which is why I have always gone for the yoga band idea.
But it seems you have solution, so that is great.
PS I never iron anything. I was surprised to find I own three irons, especially as none of them are ever used. They must be from another alternative life?
Have you considered turning it into a skirt yet? hahaha, just kidding. What I would do is keep fighting against that leather tag and do the two clamps on the sides. From here it seems the most feasible idea... Luck with that, these pants are very cute ❤️.
Don't laugh, I considered it :-DDD But my one and only try to change a jeans into a skirt was awful, nowhere as nice as your skirt. It had a huge seam in the middle and it sat strangely on my hips ( I made a A-line skirt). I learned from some comments above that I should try the middle dart and alter the crotch area... because darts at the sides will interfere with the pockets (not sure if this is visible on the photos and sketch) These jeans are complicated 🤣
Hello, thank you for joining the contest and bringing this curious conflict to the fore, since I think it has happened to all of us sometimes, well, the opposite happens to me since I gained weight and therefore height, but to my daughter, who is very thin this happens more often than she would like, the jeans never fit her waist and since she is very tall she should always buy a size larger than so that the pants can touch her ankles, the solution has always been been paying someone who has the patience and skill to resolve this issue.
I am a fan of seeing the positive side of the situation and in your case I see it very positively that you have a great figure and that it is easier to buy new jeans or pay to adjust them to your body than having to adjust your body to the Jean.
Human figures are so different... on the one side its amazing that we can simply go into a shop an buy clothes which are not extremely expensive, but the downside is, that the fit is for a fictive "normal" figure, which in reality nobody has.
Good you have a good tailor who can alter your daughters trousers so that she feels good in them.
And thank you for your lovely compliment about my figure... I rarely see it this way (I am my own worst critic) RIght now I am so unfit ... and I always think it it visible (I have so many headaches that I cannot do sports or walk longer. I really hope this will change sometime with the new medication)
And congratulations to your jeans contest, it is a huge success <3 <3
🤗😘
I know very little about how to repair clothes, what is true is that I have never thought about repairing a jean, and I don't think I will ever think about it either. I think that a jean is so durable and unique that it should be perfect from the moment I buy it, and I feel that if I send it to be repaired it will not be the same.
If I were you, I would give it away. I think I have left you with a very drastic recommendation today.
Lots of love to you
Yep, drastic, but totally understandable. I also shy away from altering jeans as you see (I have the trousers for longer and never dared to sew them). But on the other side jeans I somehow love these trousers… perhaps I will simply try to wear them with a belt and a dart in the backside and if I notice that I do not like this, I will then give them away.
Thank you for searching for a solution <3 <3
(By the way, which kind of jeans style do you like?)
Glad to see this content!