Prepare the Waistband

• 1). Try on the garment to check the fit.
  
  
• 2). Mark the outside of the waistband with a pencil or tailor's chalk in the side seam area. The marking can lightly cover the excess fabric on the outside. You can also mark two lines to indicate the new stitching line that joins the fabric pieces. These markings will be hidden in the seam allowances when you sew the waistband side seams.
  
  
• 3). Remove the garment and place it on a flat surface, such as a table. The garment can be either right side out or inside out.
  
  
• 4). Use a seam ripper to cut the stitches in the area where the waistband attaches to a side seam. You can cut the stitches from the garment's inside or the outside. Cutting about 6 inches of waistband stitching should give you enough room to open up the waistband, then you can pin and stitch to enclose the extra waistband fabric.
  
  
• 5). Remove the waistband stitching in the area above the other side seam. A 6-inch gap should give you enough working room on this side.
  
  
• 6). Open the waistband above one side seam. You will see the interior of the waistband at this one side. This area is the first of two waistband areas you will adjust.
  
  
• 7). Fold and pin the waistband with the right sides together so that a vertical fold extends above the side seam. The length of this fold corresponds with the height of the opened waistband. A 1-inch waistband opens out to slightly more than 2 inches. The folded edge will be approximately 2 inches long, for example.
  
  
• 8). Baste or hand sew a running stitch for the desired width. For example, try hand sewing a ½-inch seam allowance from the vertical fold. Repeat for the other side seam.
  
  
• 9). Remove all of the straight pins.
  
  
• 10
  
  Try on the garment to check the waistband's fit. The waistband is not yet fully attached to the garment. If the waistband is still too long, try sewing another line of stitching near the first stitching line to take in more fabric. Repeat for the second side of the waistband. Try the garment on again.
  
  
• 11
  
  Machine stitch the waistband along the temporary stitches. Remove the temporary stitches if they are visible on the outside. If you prefer to hand sew, use small, consistent stitches, such as 1/8-inch stitches.
  
  
• 12
  
  Trim the waistband's side seam allowance to reduce the extra fabric. Trimming the seam allowance can reduce the bulk that may occur when the wrong sides are sewn together later. For example, use fabric scissors to leave about a 3/8-inch seam allowance.
  
  
• 13
  
  Press the seams open so that they will stay flat.
  
  

Adjust the Garment's Side Seams

• 1). Hand sew the garment's side seams to correspond with the new waistband length. For example, a line of stitching can start 1/2 inch in from the original side seam near the waist. The stitches then taper to join the original stitching near the hip at the side seam.
  
  
• 2). Try on the garment to check the fit. The garment should neither droop nor restrict movement.
  
  
• 3). Machine stitch the side seams. If you prefer to hand sew, use small, consistently spaced stitches to prevent gaps.
  
  
• 4). Press open the garment's side seams.
  
  
• 5). Trim the seam allowance, if preferred. To finish the raw edges, machine stitch with a zig-zag stitch or other seam finish. Keeping a wider seam allowance allows you to widen the garment later, such as for a growing child.
  
  

Re-Stitch the Waistband to the Garment

• 1). Pin the waistband so that the garment's raw edge is back inside the waistband.
  
  
• 2). Machine stitch or hand sew the waistband to the garment. You can either machine top-stitch or edge-stitch the waistband of the garment to quickly close the gap. This top-stitching or edge-stitching can also have a decorative effect.
  
  
• 3). Press the garment.