I ran into Justin Bieber yesterday and he gave me a tip on altering jeans.
I was telling him about my difficulties finding jeans that are small enough in the waist and still fit my hips. He noticed that my curvy hips are more than 10" larger than my waist (such a flirt).
The result is that what fits my booty is invariably too large in the waist.
The alteration is shown in the photos below.
What I've done is:
1) Decided how much I want to take in.
2) Cut narrow (1/4-1/2" wide at top tapering to nothing) pie shaped wedges (like a dart for you sewers) out at the waist in the back just down to the seam above the pocket.
3) Butted (not overlapped) the edges of the wedges together and zigzagged them closed. You can see that I used matching thread so these two barely show. Put a strip of stabilizing fabric in place on the inside before you stitch.
4) I tacked across the top at the waist to keep it from pulling apart under strain.
Note 1: It is critical to use a Jean needle (heavy duty) when sewing on jeans or you will likely break a needle (watch out eyes) or overload your machine or both.
http://www.clotilde.com/image.html?prod_id=2278&mode=gallery
Note 2: There is also a tool to use with your presser foot to help deal with those thick seams. It works very well.
Note 3: Do not try this on your favorite jeans first! Practice on something else.
Note 4: If you match the thread well the stitching will not be noticeable unless you point it out to people. I typically do not tuck in my shirts unless I have on a blazer so for me it is not much of an issue.
Happy Altering!
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