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Knowing how to replace a waistband on a pair of elastic or drawstring waist pants isn’t something that comes up every day, but it sure is satisfying to do if you need to do it.
Saving the Best Pair of Pants
I have this pair of pants (they’re old old Gillian O’Malley pajama pants from Target) that I LOVE. There is no other way to describe it. They’ve been my favorite lounge pants for years and I’d already stitched some bias tape to the top edge because it had gotten all worn and holey.
Recently though I noticed there were actual tears in the fabric at the bottom of the waistband, and the ribbon tie was practically shredded.
I considered just tracing them to make a pattern so I could sew some new ones, which I will definitely also do, but I figured I could also replace the waistband and give myself a little more time with them.
It’s not hard to replace a waistband, but it does take a little bit of time and care. Here’s how I did it.
Removing the Old Waistband
First you’ll need to get rid of the old waistband so you can sew in the new one. I just cut it off along the lines where it was already tearing. You can cut yours along the stitching line or just below it.
If your pants have pockets, be careful not to cut them if they aren’t sewn into the seam, and to just cut what’s in the seam if they are. If your pants don’t have pockets, now might be a good time to add them while you’re in there.
Because this was an elastic waistband, I wanted to save the elastic since I know it fits me and feels good, and there’s no reason to waste it. So I got out my handy seam ripper and removed the stitching at the bottom of the old waistband. You may be able to just cut away the fabric, but mine was stitched to the elastic in a few places (and all the way along the top where I’d sewn on the binding) so I just ripped it out by hand.
Do you know the trick of using the seam ripper backwards to tear out a seam more quickly? It’s messy but super helpful at a time like this when you don’t have to be careful with the fabric. (Pro tip: a giant lint roller can help you pick up all the little thread crumbs.)
Note: if the waist on your pants is currently too big, you can cut the elastic (or use a new piece of elastic) and make it smaller. If the change is only a couple of inches this will probably not make the fabric too bunchy at the waist, but you may get a bit of a paper bag effect if you go too far without also altering the pants themselves.
How to Replace a Waistband
Once you have the old waistband removed, iron the top of the pants so that you can accurately measure the waist. Measure the width of the elastic and double that, then add a little more length and width for your preferred seam allowance. My pants had 2 inch/5 cm wide elastic, and I made my piece about 5 inches/12.7 cm wide.
I actually have two strips because the piece of fabric I had wasn’t long enough, but I wanted to use dots so I just have an extra seam in my new waistband.
Sew the short ends of your fabric together with right sides facing.
Press the seam open, then fold the fabric in half widthwise and press. This makes it easier to see where the elastic fits.
Using the elastic as a guide, fold the raw edges to the inside of the waistband and press.
Once you’ve done a little bit you can measure how big your fold should be and use a hot ruler instead of moving the elastic around as you go.
When your pressing is done you should have a long loop of fabric that looks like a waistband with all the raw edges hidden.
Getting Ready to Sew
The tricky part when working to replace a waistband is getting the waistband pinned to the pants. That’s because the elastic is shorter than the waistband so you have to do some fussing to get it to lie flat.
I’m usually a big fan of sewing clips, but for this one you really do need pins. Place the elastic in the waistband so it’s flush with the fold at the top.
Insert the fabric of the pants at the bottom of the waistband.
Pin through all three layers.
As you work your way around you’ll want to pull on the elastic and bunch up the are you’ve already pinned so you can pin the rest flat.
If your pants have pockets that aren’t sewn into the waistband, make sure you’re not pinning them in or sewing over them when you replace the waistband. If they do go into the waistband, make sure they are pinned in place smooth and flat and facing the way you want them to be when you wear the pants.
Sewing a Replacement Waistband
Sew your waistband using coordinating thread and a short, straight stitch for durability. Try to stay close to the open edge of the waistband so you’re not sewing over the elastic.
Likewise here as you sew around you’ll want to stop about halfway through and adjust the waistband so the part you still need to sew is lying flat. It’s OK if it’s not perfect because the fabric will be bunched up when you wear them anyway.
Adding a Drawstring
These pants originally had a drawstring as well as an elastic waist, and if you want to replace a waistband you can add a drawstring where there wasn’t one, or exchange a drawstring for elastic or vice versa.
If you’re adding elastic where there wasn’t any before, measure your waist where you want the pants to hit and cut your elastic about 2 inches/5 cm shorter than that. Sew the ends together in a loop and add your waistband as above.
If you want to add a drawstring, with or without elastic, decide how long you want it to be and cut it to length. Before you pin the waistband in place, mark where you want the openings to be for the drawstring (a couple of inches apart at the center front should work).
On my pants there was a little bit of felt on the back to stabilize the buttonholes as shown above, but depending on the thickness of your fabric that might not be necessary.
Use your sewing machine’s button hole maker if it has one to sew button holes just through what will be the front side of the waistband. Cut the fabric away from the holes, finish the waistband as above and then work in your drawstring.
If you don’t have a machine that makes buttonholes, you can also make them by hand.
Now you know how to replace a waistband or even change one up if you need to. I hope this will come in handy if you want to save your own favorite pair of pants!
