Higher waist trousers

I have looked very much forward to show you this refashion. This exact type of refashion is a first for me.
I have been looking for trousers for at loooong time, which fit me (wide hips, narrow waist, long seat). When I found these, that fit me really good, I bought four pairs.

But then I wore them for a whole day. And when I moved around, they fell down to the widest part of my tummy, and squeezed my hips. It might not look too bad in the picture, but it didn't look good. Also they were very uncomfortable across my tummy. Nothing worked, except pulling them up constantly.

But I don't give up like that. Here come me and my sewing machine. It is easier to remove something when refashioning, making something smaller, shorter, lower. To add something is more of a challenge. And I like a challenge.


I removed the waist band and with it the belt loops.

The added piece would be visible anyway, so I decided to make it stand out by choosing a shiny sateen for the strip of fabric.
- I measured how much extra height I needed, it was 5 cm.
- I cut the strip 7 cm wide (5 cm + 1 cm seam allowance at each side). The length was the circumference of the trousers + 8 cm.
- I folded the short ends of the strip back, 4 cm each, so they matched the area by the zipper, and stitched them.
- I stitched the strip onto the waistband.
- I stitched this combined piece to the trousers.
- I stitched the bottom of the belt loops to the sateen strip. and with it the belt loops.
- I had the challenge that the sateen strip didn't have closure. I bought a pack of jeans buttons for this purpose.
- I removed the original button from the waistband.
- I put one button where the original button had been, and one on the sateen strip. Since the buttons are identical, the whole thing looks more like it has always been like this.

I like these so much, I am very pleased with the result. But there are room for improvement: The fabric puckers a bit, particularly in the front. I think I will add three buttons instead of two to the next pair of trousers. And the sateen fabric is slightly less stretchy than the trouser fabric. Although this gives a nice shape-up effect, I will try to find a fabric that matches the stretch of the trousers even closer for the next trousers.

Now all I need is to do the same with the remaining three pairs of trousers....

Loads more refashions at my blog: http://www.sagaifarver.dk Check archive for overview.