Flat Look Elastic Waist Application
from
Londa
Garment (skirt or pants)
· I recommend one with darts – at least at the back. This will give you a better fit and also decreases the amount of fullness at the waist for a flatter look ultimately. Cut the sides fairly straight up. Measuring the fullest part of your hips (honestly), make sure that the finished circumference of the top of the garment is at least that measurement plus a bit – you need to be able to get the garment up and down.
· Allow the width of the elastic (I like 1”) plus ¼” or so in addition to where you want the top of the garment to ultimately rest.
Elastic - (I like firm, knitted 1” elastic as I sell on my website)
· Pull elastic around the fullest part of your hips, making it as snug as you can get up and down over your hips. Do NOT allow extra for lapping!
· Stitch the elastic into a circle (making sure you don’t twist the elastic), butting the ends of it together over a scrap of lightweight fabric (I’ll bet you have something in that wastebasket!). Securely zig-zag over the butted elastic ends with the fabric scrap below. Make sure this is secure – go forward and backward several times over each end and the juxtaposition of the two ends. Do NOT lap the elastic when doing this. This makes for a much softer, more flexible joining. Trim away any excess scrap fabric.
Application
· Quarter the elastic and mark it securely somehow – with pins, or a marker.
· Quarter your garment edge. This may well not be center front, back, and side seams – as most of us are larger in the front than the back. Find the quarters accurately at the ‘sides’ by matching the center front with center back, then where there are folds at the sides, THAT is what you mark – again do so securely so you won’t lose the marking.
· Placing the elastic circle on the WRONG side of the fabric, and ¼” or so away (down) from the cut edge (unfinished at this point, by the way), key or match and securely pin together at the quarter markings you have just made on the elastic and the garment. I put the joining of the elastic at the center back of the garment.
· Elastic side UP at the machine, and with machine set for a LARGE, WIDE zig zag – Stretch the elastic to match the fabric and stitch, along the edge of the elastic, but ON the elastic. You should be leaving that ¼” of garment fabric sticking out. I say a WIDE, LARGE zig zag, because you want to penetrate the elastic as little as possible, yet secure it. Penetrating elastic will make it stretch out.
· Trim excess close, OR, if you have a serger – with elastic UP at the serger, serge off the excess garment fabric – taking care NOT to allow the serger blade to cut into the elastic.
· Flip elastic to the inside (wrong) side of the garment, and STRAIGHT stitch at the Center Front, Center Back, and Side Seams – ‘stitching in the ditch’.
This should result in a smooth, non-elastic-looking waistband application for you! It can be adapted easily so that the garment top edge ends up wherever is desired during the first ‘fitting’ of the garment to allow just the width of the elastic + ¼”. I’ve made my 23 year old happy with this application…J
J Smile! J