Sewing up the butt

While my kids and I are firmly planted back in the States for now, my husband is only half here. His last trip to China was for 16 days! Really, I'm not one for exclamation marks, but come on! Thankfully he is aware of the added stress in my life and arranged to fly my mom out to be with me. I would never trade my husband out, but in some ways having my mom here is so much more helpful than having him around. For starters, my mom didn't have to go to work all day so I had an extra set of hands at my disposal 24-7. And thanks to the stomach virus I used her for some of those later 24 hours.
My mom has always been very petite. I out grew her in the sixth grade (my dad in the seventh). But after birthing 8 kids she had a couple extra pounds to shed (I'm number three and Kelli is number four in the line up). With a little money and friendly competition on the line she recently got her game on and dropped a size 10 for a size 6! Hence the sad saggy jeans.
She brought two pairs of pants out from Alabama for me to take in. The above pair is the before of one and the below is the after of the other. Sorry, no brain cells left. And as you can see, if she drops any more more weight she's just going to have to buy new pants because those pockets can't get any closer.
I asked my mom if she want me to teach her how to take in her jeans through the back seam for the perfect fit, but she wasn't interested. She figured that since she funded my sewing lessons as a child it was about time for her to cash in on the investment. For a fully pictured tutorial on how to take in your jeans and get rid of the gap in the back click here for steps 1-4 and then click here for steps 5-11. Thanks Mom!

Taking it in for the bargin hunter

I am a bargain hunter and probably some what of a cheap scape so when I look on the far back sales racks I not only look at my own size

s, but also the next two or three sizes up that are often even cheaper. The great thing about buying bigger is that you can then alter it for a custom fit.

I bought this Banana Republic dress for $14, but it is 2 sizes too big (It originally sold for $150 and this was the only size left). Here is how you make it perfect for you:

1. call over a friend who sews or pull out your dress form

2. turn the garment inside out and put it on

3. have your friend carefully pin it, following the existing seam lines (if you are taking it up into the armpit you will need to follow that line down into the sleeve as well).

4. carefully remove the garment with the pins in place ( you might think that you can just pin one side and make the other side match it, but I strongly recommend you don't do that, unless you are very careful it will end up too small).

5. baste stitch the pinned lines and try it on

6. make and remake any adjustments until it is just right

7. sew your seam line on top of the perfected baste stitch

8. serge off the excess

9. look like you paid $150 for your dress

After Christmas Sales are right around the corner!

fit as a fiddle, post two reconstruction

Step 5 (one through 4 are found in the post below)
pin sides together starting at the crotch and working up to the waist)

Step 6
baste stitch sides together with dark matching tread (be sure to use a denim or jean needle). I find I often need little adjustments to this seam so it fits just right. once you find the perfect fit seam sides together over your baste line.

Step 7
serge off excess. if you don't have a serger I recommend you run a second stitch line 1 to 2 mm from the raw edge and then zigzag over the raw edge.
Step 8
pin serged edge to one side from the right side (or outside) of the jeans. you will be top stitching next. here are views from the right and wrong (inside and outside).

Step 9
using your top stitching tread run two stitch lines 2 to 3mm apart over the folded raw edge. don't forget that you can loosen the presserfoot tension if the layers become too bulky. If you are unable to find top stitching tread in the right color you can buy regular tread and stitch over the same line 2 or 3 times to bulk it up. I ended up having to do that one these jeans.
Step 10
reattach the belt loop over the waist band seam line. you may have to do this by hand as there are so many layers of fabric here.

Step 11
marvel at your before and after. total time = 1.5 hours...so worth it.

Getting rid of the gap in back, post one demolition

one of my biggest pet peeves is seeing down the back of almost every girl in America's jeans. my next biggest pet peeve is constantly adjusting my own pants as they slide up and down my backside. There must be jeans some where that are made to perfectly fit even after 2 hours of wear, but I'm sure I can't afford them. In stead I buy $2 rummage sale jeans and build a new butt for a custom fit. I have done alterations for a while and taking in the back of jeans was my most requested. This can be a little scary the first time, so I do suggest you learn on a thrift store pair of jeans before you tackle your name branders. A saggy butt isn't flattering on anyone...including me...

Materials:
seam ripper
scissors
denim needle
thread to match your jeans (just regular old thread)
thread to match the top stitching of your jeans (most often gold, it is a much heavier thread and is sold as a top stitching thread)

Step 1
Mark your new seam line. I suggest you wear the jeans for a day first so they are nice and loose and have a friend help you. This is as simple as grabbing the back of your jeans and pinching out the slack. I then use two straight pins to mark one each side where the new seam will be.
Step 2
remove the belt loop. this will cover up the seam line that will extend through the waist line. If there are two belt loops on either side I take them both out and in the end replace it with just one in the middle.

Step 3
cut through the waist bandStep 4
seam rip thought the bum line and all layers of top stitching until you are one inch from the crotch seam (wear the inseam, front seam and back seam all come together between your legs).

Your should now be left with a huge hole and totally commitment to this project. Tomorrow we will put them back together.