Sunday, May 26, 2013

The Superawesome Jeans Rescue, or: Not Your Grandma's Pull-on Jeans




Oh. My. Gosh. I did it. I can't believe it worked. It worked!!
Ok, you know that pair of jeans that you have at the bottom of the pile? The ones that you have to constantly tug back up in back, that has the half rolled-over waistband in front because your mama flab keeps trying to escape because the rise is just a bit too low? The ones that fit ok 3 years ago, until something happened and your bulges inexplicably shifted? THOSE jeans.
Know what you can do with the dang things? You can, my dear reader, execute a Superawesome Jeans Rescue. Not only will you be able to wear them again, but you won't have to hitch them up EVER, there will be no muffin-top at all, and you can wear those form fitting tops that go down over your hips without the stupid waistband button making a big old lump in the middle. For serious.

Ok, step 1: Locate your materials. You will need the aforementioned jeans, a sewing machine that does zigzag, some pins, a seam ripper, and THEN you get to make a trip to the department store intimates section.
The superhero of this story is a high-waisted tummy control shaper panty.

Boy-shorts cut, thigh length, panty cut, it doesn't matter, so long as the top part goes up high enough to smooth out and hold in ALL the flab.
Step 2:
Use your seam ripper to carefully remove the waistband and belt loops from your jeans.
Carefully zip the jeans up, and pin the fly closed so it lays flat.
Step 3:
Put your shaper panty on.
Now pull the pinned-together jeans on. Hopefully they'll go up over your butt with no problem, now that the waistband isn't in the way.
Get the jeans situated at proper wearing comfort level.
Now, you're going to take your pins and VERY CAREFULLY, so you don't stab yourself, pin the jeans to the shaper, along the former waistband stitching line.

Make sure the pins go all the way through all the layers of your shaper - some of them are multilayered, and if you miss pinning all the way through, the layers will shift funny when you sew. You'll feel pin-pricks on your tummy and back as you work your way around. Just be gentle and careful and be mindful so that gentle pricks are all that is happening.
Step 4:
Carefully remove the panty/jeans assembly from your body.
Set your sewing machine to a wide zigzag, medium stitch length. I set mine at 2ish.
Beginning at the center back seam of the jeans, zigzag stitch the jeans to the shaper, along the waistband seam allowance.

After you get your stitching started, stretch the shaper fabric under the jeans so it lays flat between the needle and the next pin, and sew to the pin.
Keep sewing from pin to pin, stretching as you go, until you've sewn all the way around. Be very careful going over the fly and zipper area. I usually turn the wheel by hand to get through that area.

That's pretty much it. Trim your threads, then go try your jeans on. Pop a fitted tee on over it, see how it looks.


Now, you can leave the raw edge of the jeans waist unfinished if you like, but it would be even better if you could get your hands on some stretch lace or some other kind of binding to stitch over it. Maybe a bias strip cut from an old necktie? Just remember to stretch the shaper layer while sewing.
So there you are. Rescued jeans. No more yanking and bulging. I'm still in shock that IT ACTUALLY WORKED. You should totally try it!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

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