If your favourite skirt is too tight around the waist, there are ways to fix that. Let me help you! If you have a lot of fabric left in your waistband, you can use this method to increase the size.
1
Measure the current circumference of the skirt’s waist and calculate how many centimetres or inches you want to widen it.
2
Cut out the stiches of your waistband, around 3 to 6 centimetres from the closure. Make sure that you open up the waistband at the backside as well.
3
You can separate the skirt’s fabric from the waistband, so that the waistband can be cut through.
4
Cut through the thread that creates the folds in the fabric. You can now loosen the wrinkles and create more space.
5
Make sure to do steps 2 to 4 mirrored on both sides in the back.
6
Let’s make an extension for the waistband. Find a new, similar fabric (with the same colour and weave density) and cut it until you have 2 pieces in the appropriate size. Make sure you have 1 cm extra at the bottom and top, and 2 cm extra at both sides. This is for the hem and a 1 cm overlap with the old waistband.
How to calculate...
Let’s say you want to widen the circumference of your skirt with 12 centimetres. Then you should make sure both pieces are 6 cm + 2 cm on both sides = 10 cm wide. Their height should be twice the height of the waist band + 1 cm at both the top and the bottom. So. if the waistband is 1,5 cm high, the fabric should be 1,5 cm*2 + 1 cm*2 = 5 cm high.
7
Iron the pieces in the preferred shape, including the hem. Create a fold down the middle as a guide for later, when you will want to wrap the piece around the back.
8
Put the new piece onto the old waistband with a 1 cm overlap. Keep your finger behind the fabric so that there’s space left for the skirt
9
Sew the overlap on one side of the old waistband, both at the front and the back. Use your finger to keep the inside of the waistband open. Make sure to use a thin needle that can go through the fabric easily.
10
Sew the other side to the old waistband as well. Now you know how much of the skirt needs to folded nicely so that it can fit in between.
11
Let’s create the folds! Attach a thread on one side and start lacing a line through the skirt with double thread.
12
Now you can put the skirt in within the new part of the waistband and sew it shut.
13
In this case, the top of the waistband was stitched shut as well, so I sewed the extension similarly to match. But this is not always necessary.
14
Repeat steps 8 to 13 for the other side of the skirt. And now you’ve expanded the circumference of the waist of your skirt!
