My dear husband can no longer wear most of his trousers, as they are so big on him now. So it's time to try and tackle alterations for him. I have a great friend who can alter men's suits and she does a really good job. But without the years of experience to do such a big job - taking up pants are just about the limit here in my expertise.
So here is what you do. Have him try on the pants and pin them with a safety pin where he feels comfortable with the tightness of them.
Then after he takes them back off, lay them down and mark all the way down the seam tailoring it in as you go. That means tapering it down so you don't have a a odd looking back seam. No one wants a flap wagging behind them!
This is a seam ripper and very important in any sewing job. It means you can take out the seam again if you need to - in other words if you didn't get it right take the seam back out with this handy dandy tool and do over!
Then take the seam ripper and carefully take out the old waistband and open up the seams. Only on the back of the pants of course - don't take it completely off! After doing so - pin where you are going to put a new seam all the way down( if you are a new sewer - if not just eyeball it and get ready to sling it under the foot of the machine and sew away)
After sewing the seam a couple of times for strength in the seat - fold over the waistband and lay it flat. Pin it if you need to to get it nice and straight again. And sew it back down. Don't forget to put the name-brand tag back inside for washing instructions. Sew the belt loops back in place (sometimes I do this by hand) Give the pants a good pressing and hang up in his closet for a nice surprise in the morning.
He will be a happy camper when he finds another pair of pants that now fit! The removal of 3.5 inches in these will feel a whole lot better! So these will work for him a little while longer. The 'alterations department' will keep taking them up until the pockets meet and then we will HAVE to go shopping for him. I can't see him wearing pants with one big pocket across the back!
Every woman needs to learn this simple skill of sewing as she will save soooo much money in her lifetime by repairing, altering and sewing for the clothing needs for her family. A good sewing maching is like a dishwasher - no one should be without either of them! I am thankful for a good sewing machine in my life.
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