How to Replace Waistband Elastic to Sleep Pants

Introduction

With a few basic sewing skills, you can replace the elastic waist band of your favorite sleep pants or loungers. By adding elastic to a pair of sleep pants, you are able to obtain a different fit than the manufacture provides. This guide works on pants where the elastic is inside of the waistband; this is called a casing.

What you need

Step 1 Waistband Elastic

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Measure your waist by wrapping the cloth measuring tape around your body about two inches above your hip bones. Make sure the tape lays flat against your body.
Where the tape overlaps is your waist measurement.

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Step 2

Measure the elastic to waist measurement plus one more inch to ensure room to sew. Mark the elastic for cutting.
Cut the elastic. Cut on the side away from your measured length.
Extra length is better than too little elastic.

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Step 3

At the back of the waistband, use the seam ripper to break the threads of the waistband to create an opening.
Through the opening, pull out any ribbon or old elastic your are replacing.

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Step 4

Tape the elastic to the end of a pencil or another straight object to guide the elastic.
Carefully insert the pencil and elastic into the casing through the opening you made.
Pin the back edge of the elastic to the sleep pants. This stops the entire elastic piece from going through the waistband.
Push the entire length of the pencil into the casing until the elastic starts going through the casing.
Continue to pull gently, until the pencil and elastic are out of the other side of the opening where you started.
Remove the pencil and tape from the elastic.

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Step 5

Overlap both ends of the elastic the extra inch you included for sewing. Secure with two pins.
Using thread and a needle to sew the elastic together.
For strength, overlap two stitches to form an X pattern. Repeat the length of the elastic.

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Step 6

Before sewing the seams closed, distribute any bunched fabric.
Remove bunched fabric by: pulling your hands apart gently and stretch the elastic to the full size of the cloth waistband.

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Step 7

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Stabilize elastic from moving by stitching at the vertical seams. Add one or two stitches at the seams to hold the elastic from moving within the casing.
Sew the opening you made closed.

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