How to Fix “Plumber” Pants and Make the Most of Your Wardrobe

So I wasn’t sure how to delicately title this tutorial as the latest in the Make the Most of Your Wardrobe series.

Basically, this is a sewing trick for how to fix any pairs of pants you have that, when you bend over or kneel down or even just sit down, slip down too low and end up creating “the plumber” effect that shows off the top of your underwear or worse.

It really is the unfortunate consequence of all the “low-rise” pants out there that sit low when you’re standing up straight but dip even lower if you move too much this way or that. Of course it can be hard to find decent pants that aren’t low-rise, so sometimes you just have to make do with what you have.

Hence, this tutorial which can help keep those low-rise jeans from riding down.



You’ll need your low-rise pants, a piece of wide braided elastic (mine was 3/8 inches wide, you can find the same size online here), thread that matches the color of your pants, sewing pins, and a sewing machine.

Start off by cutting a length of elastic that, when unstretched, will measure about half the width of your pants. Center and pin it into place along the interior of the back of the pants about every inch or so, keeping the elastic stretched out as you pin. (Note that while you need to stretch the elastic as you pin, there’s no need to stretch the pants as you pin.) When the elastic is not stretched, it will bunch up like this:





Once it’s pinned, you will sew it in place. (By the way, here’s a newer version of the sewing machine I use.) For mine, I used a white thread for the top-stitch (to match the elastic) and a gray thread for the bobbin (to match the shade of the pants). Just make sure that the thread you use on the bobbin matches the pants.



Make sure to use a stretch stitch, like a zigzag (see photo below). As you sew the elastic into place, make sure that it remains stretched out (see photo above). You might need to guide the pants through the sewing machine with one and use your other to keep the elastic pulled taut.



Note: If your pants have belt loops that the piece of elastic overlaps, don’t sew over the loop. Instead, sew as close to the edge of the loop as you can get and then stop. Then skip over the loop and start stitching again on the other side of the loop. This way, you can still wear a belt if you like!

Once you’ve completed sewing the elastic into place, you can cut the thread and remove the pants. Here’s what the pants will look once they’re completed, from the inside and outside:







And that’s it! The elastic will act kind of like an invisible belt to help hold the pants closer against your back whenever you bend at the waist. Depending on how bad the “slippage” was before, the elastic may not completely eliminate the plumber effect, but will definitely make it a lot less extreme.

And, in case you've missed any, you can check out all the tutorials in the Make the Most of Your Wardrobe series here.


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Bring Some New Life to Your Button-Up Shirts & Make the Most of Your Wardrobe

Sometimes, it only takes a couple of stitches to bring new life to your clothes. For this tutorial in the Making the Most of Your Wardrobe series, you don't even need a sewing machine!

I wanted to show how small changes—like swapping out the buttons on a top—can breathe new life into an article of clothing.

For instance, here's a top I've had for a couple of years but, while I loved the funky-ness of the heart buttons, I didn't like that it felt uber-patriotic against the navy-and-white polka dot pattern. I didn't like feeling like a walking American flag!


So I decided to find some more understated buttons to use to give the top the kind of laidback sophisticated style vibe I've been going for with my wardrobe. I picked up these pearlescent buttons for a whopping $0.67! (When picking out your buttons, try to aim for ones with a diameter as close as possible to the button-hole opening.)



To get started, I carefully snipped off the old buttons (and added them to my button stash, because I totally plan on repurposing them!). And then, with a couple threads of my needle, I fastened the buttons to the shirt, making sure to place them in the same spots where the original buttons had been.

While I was at it, I also decided to stitch the ruffles on either side of the buttons down in place. (They never seemed to look decent, even after ironing them again and again.) Every inch or so, I just added a couple of tiny stitches along the ruffle, arranging the fabric as I went to get it to lay as naturally as possible. (For this part, I chose a navy thread that matched the blue of the shirt so it'd be nearly invisible.)

All in all, it took less than half an hour to make these simple updates, but look at the difference they made:




And, in case you've missed any, you can check out all the tutorials in the Make the Most of Your Wardrobe series here.

 

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How to Hem Your Jeans to the Perfect Length and Make the Most of Your Wardrobe

Finding jeans that fit can be a difficult enough task without trying to get them the right length, on top of fitting every other part of your body. Fortunately, though, hemming your jeans is really simple and one I've done multiple times.

This tutorial is pretty simple, simply measuring, pinning and sewing a straight line. I've seen (and tried) much more complicated tutorials for hemming jeans (including keeping the original hem in place) but I was never satisfied with those. (The one for keeping the original hem in place? It looked great...until I washed the jeans and then it was always too wonky, so I never wear them anymore.)

Like they say, less really is more, sometimes.

So, without further ado, the latest tutorial in the Make the Most of Your Wardrobe series (and you can check out all the tutorials here if you've missed any).

 

First, you'll need to find some pants (obviously they don't have to be jeans, but that's what I end up hemming most of the time!) that are too long. Here is the pair I chose for this tutorial:




Step 1} The first thing you'll need to do is turn your pants inside out. Then, try them on and fold them up (just once) at the point where you'd like the new hem to hit. Pin them in place. Make sure to keep the cuffs even and straight on both sides.



Step 2} I am a big believer in double-checking your work (always served me well in math class, too!), so I'd recommend turning the jeans right-side-out and trying them on to make sure that you're happy with the hem placement, being sure not to poke yourself on the pins. If the hems aren't lined up or don't hit exactly where you want, take the time now to remove the pins and go back to step one, tweaking until you get it looking just right. Your patience and persistence will pay off in the end! Once you're ready, turn the pants inside out and get ready to start sewing!



Step 3} One of the key elements to a successful hem job is using thread that matches your pants as close to perfectly as possible. You want the thread to disappear into the fabric and barely be noticeable. Compare a variety of thread colors until you find the closest match!

With that in place, set up your sewing machine. (Here’s a newer version of the sewing machine I have. It’s computerized so it makes everything so much easier!)

Starting at one of the edges where the front and back of the pants meet, sew a straight line either just above or just below the original bottom of the hem. (In the pictures above, you can see that I sewed just above the original hem, but your original hem might be skinnier, in which case I'd recommend sewing a new line just below that.)

Because my new hem was pretty wide, I also sewed a second line about a quarter of inch from the bottom of the new hem. (Visible in the right-most stitching in the photos above.) I did this just to ensure that the new hem would lay flat and crisp. If you're only hemming your pants a little bit, this isn't necessary and is purely optional.



Step 4} Turn your pants right-side-out and check out how you did on your hemming job. If you aren't happy with how they turned out, you can always use a seamripper and carefully pull the stitches out and start over. It might be time-consuming, but it's worth it to get it right!


Finally, admire your new jeans! If you like this tutorial, you can bookmark it on Pinterest. You can also follow me on Pinterest here.

P.S. If you are new to this blog, thank you so much for stopping by! You can feel free to browse all my other posts about my journey toward a lifestyle of simplicity and DIY, as well as some of the ways my husband and I are learning to save money. I also write about my faith, my marriage and everything in between, which you can explore in the archives.

If you like this recipe, click here to pin it to Pinterest. You can also follow me on Pinterest here.  


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How to Fix a Low-Cut Top and Make the Most of Your Wardrobe

I’m so excited to kick off this new series, Make the Most of Your Wardrobe, with one of my standby alteration techniques!

There are so many times when I’ve come across a shirt that fits me in so many ways—the perfect color, a good price and not too tight or too baggy—but is too low-cut for my tastes. That can be such a bummer. But fortunately, it doesn’t have to be.

If everything else about the shirt is right but the neckline dips too low, usually fixing it is as simple as a single stitch.

I’ve used this alteration technique multiple times and, in doing so, taken a shirt that would have otherwise been condemned to the back of my closet or to a life of layering and given it a second chance in my wardrobe.

Let me show you how you can do it, too.

First up, the prerequisite before shot of the shirt I’ll be using for this sewing tutorial:




1. Using a top that is lower-cut than you’d like, turn it inside out and lay it on a flat surface. Hold it at the top of the shoulder seams and smooth it out flat. Place a pin along the neckline near each shoulder seam so that they stay lined up.


2. Next, you’ll want to pin a straight line from the corner of the shoulder seam to the neckline. The farther (or deeper) down the neckline you take this line, the more material you’ll be removing and the higher up you’ll be pulling the neckline. So if the neckline is only a smidge lower than you want, this line should only go a short ways down the neckline. I wanted to take off about an inch and a half, so mine is deeper.

3. Once you have your pins in place, I’d recommend trying the shirt on (keeping it inside out) and being careful not to prick yourself. Once it’s on, make sure that you’ve placed the pins properly and that the neckline falls where you want. (I put a necklace on to help me judge where I wanted the new neckline to fall.) If necessary, unpin and repeat steps 1 & 2. It’s better to take the time and get it looking right now rather than once you’ve already sewn it in place!


4. Now it’s time to sew. You’ll be sewing along the line that runs from the neckline to the shoulder seam (keeping the shirt turned inside-out), and I’d recommend starting at the neckline. I just used a standard straight stitch and you can see the settings I used on my sewing machine in this photo:


Depending on the type of fabric you’re using, you might need to adjust your tension and length settings accordingly.

(By the way, here’s a newer version of the sewing machine I have. It’s computerized so it makes everything so much easier!)

5. Once you’ve finished stitching the line from seam to seam, you can clip the thread and remove the pins. Your shirt should look like this:



Now, flip the shirt right-side-out and try it on, to make sure you’ve sewn it correctly and it fits how you want. (If you have made a mistake, you can use a seam-ripper to carefully remove the stitches and start over. It might take a little while, but it’s doable!)

6. Once you’re happy with the stitches, take a pair of scissors and cut off the excess fabric. Make sure that you cut off the material above the stitch you just made, like this:


7. Now, try it on again and admire the handiwork of your new top that now fits you more appropriately! Here’s how mine looks now:



And really, the only place where the alteration is noticeable is at the shoulder seam where there’s a slight tuck, which you can see here:



But that’s not really a big deal to me and is worth it to have a top that I don’t have to layer over tank tops just to be able to wear out in public!

P.S. If you like this tutorial, please click here to pin it to Pinterest! You can also follow me on Pinterest here. 

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Getting Crafty: A Look Back at Our First Monthly Girls' Craft Night

I told you that lately the itch to craft has been nagging at me. Coupled with my recent reorganizing spree, I've found a whole list of crafting prospects hiding throughout our house.

The truth is, there's always some craft vying for my attention. It's just a matter of whether I act on that compulsion or not. For the past few months I haven't. Which is why a couple of weeks ago, I gathered a group of wonderful lady friends and we had our first Monthly Girls' Craft Night.

In my living room, there were four sewing machines (and only six gals!), a huge bag of yarn, fabric scraps, needles, floral tape, patterns, even an ironing board and iron. All in the name of ladies getting around to make things with our hands.

We spent the night cutting and stitching, bouncing ideas of each other, and creating. Albeit, progress wasn't all that fast, given the fact that we were also getting to know one another even more and chatting the night away. By the end of the night some paper flowers, a curtain, some cloth napkins-turned-dish rags, a blanket and an apron in-process told the tale of our evening together. For myself, I made one of those thick belt that you wear at your natural waist, out of some fake leather and, MacGuyver-style, a paperclip. (I'll show you all that soon, I promise.)

Getting these friends together and seeing their projects was such an inspiration to me, and one that hasn't worn off yet. My mind has been brainstorm craft after craft ever since, which is exactly why I needed this to look forward to each month. Pure and simple motivation. (And of course, an excuse to gab with some lovely-hearted women!)

When Michael came home later that night (our male counterparts nabbed the opportunity and enjoyed a night of boys-only Settlers of Catan), he was telling me about how it was hanging out with the guys. And he told me about one of their conversations, where they said, "I thought our wives would have outgrown this crafting thing by now?" That made me laugh that they think that crafting is something you can ever outgrow, so long as your knuckles and joints can stand it.

I hope this isn't overspiritualizing it, but I always go back to the Proverbs 31 woman, who is called by the NIV translation: The Wife of Noble Character. Not only does this passage of Scripture praise her for her love of the Lord and being a servant to all, but it also points out her industrious spirit—and her crafting.

She selects wool and flax
       and works with eager hands. (verse 13)

In her hand she holds the distaff
       and grasps the spindle with her fingers. (verse 19)

So perhaps this crafting is not something we're meant to outgrow. Maybe it's something that's good for us to cultivate and revive? Perhaps there's more going on than just making things pretty...

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I've got a sewing itch that needs scratching...

When I was in high school, I was really into "t-shirt surgery" or "reconstructing" clothes, where I'd go to a thrift store, find some cheap but promising article and stitch it into shape. I did this mostly with
vintage t-shirts that were well-worn in all the right places, usually just five sizes too big. There were also some skirts and dresses and occasionally a pair of pants (but that didn't go well...inevitably they'd literally bust at the seams).

But it's been a very long time since I've pulled my sewing machine out. And I'm starting to miss it...

Mostly it's because I haven't been shopping in a very long time, either. I've found that the shopping sprees of post-college still suit me quite well, and since our income has been questionable, I haven't
felt right going shopping for things I am too well aware that I don't need.

But the itch to create and tweak and personalize and transform has been begging for my attention more lately, as I get visions of decorating cardigans with little bouquets of felt flowers or turning a scrap of fabric into a fun belt or dreaming up some high-waisted skirts.

So, I decided to invite a couple girlfriends from church over to a monthly craft night. We'll get together, bring whatever projects we're working on and catch up with each other while catching up on our creative endeavors. I'm really excited about this, and it will be a great motivator for me to scratch this itch of mine. (And to finally get around to #13 on my List of 27 Things To Do While I'm 27: "Undertake a new craft.")

Our first get-together will be next week! In the meantime, I think I'm going to dig through my closet and see what items I discover that are ripe for scratching this nagging itch of mine...

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