Ever have a pair of shorts that you love, but the elastic in the waist looses it’s stretch? Well, I haven’t had these shorts long enough to love them (they were hand-me-downs), but I love the cargo style (hello pockets galore!) and knew that they would be comfy. They were a size too big, but that meant they would fit my hips and then I could just take a couple tucks in the waist to make them fit. After I tried them on I realized that the elastic in the back waist was shot!
Skipping ahead for a minute just so I can show you the elastic. Look how stretched out it is! No wonder the shorts were so loose!
Since these shorts were otherwise in great shape, I knew I wanted to try and fix them. The first step is to remove the old elastic. To do this I took out the seam at the bottom of the waistband
Of course the elastic was also sewn in along the top and it was sewn in along the fold at the bottom. So, I had to seam rip three seams total! Fortunately, it was pretty easy.
Check out the old elastic vs the new elastic! I cut the new elastic at about 80% of the length between the belt loops on either side of the center back. Then I clipped it in place and tried on the shorts just to be sure they were tight enough/not too tight. It’s very easy to adjust the length now! It’s frustrating to get all done and realize they still don’t fit.
To put in the new elastic, just reverse the process. First, I sewed the elastic to the waistband on either end.
I pushed the belt loop over just a bit and sewed the elastic in place. This way the seam will be hidden by the belt loop.
To make sure that the elastic is evenly stretched, I mark the middle of the elastic with a highlighter. I also marked the middle of the waist with a pink fabric pencil.
Then I line them up and clip the elastic to the waistband
I sewed the elastic in place using a zigzag stitch since it won’t show from the outside. This way you aren’t trying to stretch the elastic evenly and sew the waistband back down at the same time.
At this point I realized that the center back belt loop was going to be in the way of sewing the waistband back in place.
I undid the top of the belt loop so I can easily fold it out the way.
Then I folded the waistband back into place and stitched it down with a straight stitch. I sewed it on the outside so that I could be sure I was staying on the original stitching line. I also redid the top stitching along the top of the waistband and sewed the center back belt loop back down.
Now my shorts stay put and I’m sure I’m going to love them because, again, pockets!
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