I have worn jeans all my life. After having a baby I went from a size 10 to a 12. After a lengthy illness, I lost a lot of weight. Now after gaining my weight back, my jeans no longer fit. I kinda got caught in the middle age spread :{
As all of us do, I was so upset over the fact my jeans were way too small in the waist, but fit everywhere else. So I decided to tailor them to fit my figure :}. I bought a yard of stretch denim, cut the sides of my jeans about 4 inches down from the waist, cut the denim 4 inches wide and 6 inches long. Sewed the piece into the splits I had made in the sides of my jeans expanding the waist 1 inch on each side.
By Betty from East TX
This is a great idea! I have the same bothersome problem as you. At age 59 my hips and waist measure the same, I have a very flat behind and very skinny legs. I'm built like a thin board! If I buy jeans for my waist size the hips and legs are huge, buy for the hips and I can't zip or button my jeans. Either choice I make is a cause for tedious altering which I do myself. The suggestions of wearing lower waist jeans just doesn't work for me as my tummy bulges over the top, and the waist would have to be extra tight or they will shimmy down over my flat rear end! I've tried mens jeans and they just don't feel comfortable on me (in the crotch area), and usually the legs are too big, so altering would have to be done there, too. *sigh*
I'm famous for using black hair elastics, the thinner ones that are a bit thicker than a rubber band, to give me an inch of ease on long shirt days! ha..I've tried the 'add a button' things they sell now, but found the little clasp part that attaches on the shank of the new button on the inside digs into my stomach. I've thought about making a strip of denim about two inches long, waistband width, a button on one end and a buttonhole on the other end. The buttonhole would go over the existing button on the jeans, and the button on the strip would go into the existing buttonhole giving about one and a half inches of give in that tight waistband and it could be used on all my jeans. I think they sell them already made in the Carol Wright type catalogs. It's just so hard to find jeans and pants, and I hate to throw or donate perfectly good jeans away, so thanks for the great idea, I'm going to try it. Pam~Louisiana
