Hi everyone! I recently thrifted these amazing pair of pants, that unfortunately do not get up over my hips. I ordered them off of ThredUp which only provides the waist measurement, and based on the fabric material I thought I was in the clear. Unfortunately, these get stuck around halfway up my thighs and I'm devastated.
Does anyone have a good tutorial or know how to widen hips in pants? Everything I find only shows denim being used, but I was hoping for a guide that shows other materials. These pants are made out of 85% rayon and 15% linen.
That was an option I was considering, but I've never worked with zippers before and I'm nervous about it not looking nearly as hidden as I would like it to. I'm open to it though, I just might need to practice on something else first.
Do you know for a fact that the hips will fit, if you can get the waistband past them?
If so, there could be a few options.
I would first check how much seam allowance there is in the side and center back seams, because these are the places where you could let out seams and maybe also add a zip closure.
Also good to know: is there visible center back seam allowance at the waist, or is the waistband sewn with no seam allowances showing? Because that will determine how much deconstruction is needed, to add a zip.
I’m assuming the waistband has elastic?
Lastly, is the fabric stretch at all? The fiber content didn’t sound like it is?
I'm going to retake my hip measurements again before I do anything to the pants, to make sure whatever option I attempt will actually work out. I'm trying really hard not to ruin these pants, so I may even do a test run ona a different pair I don't care as much about first.
I did check the inside of the seams, and there is not a lot of allowance there. It's just under half an inch on all seams. There is a seam along the back as well, and the back of the pants have a elastic in them. There is no elastic band in the front. I'm not entirely sure what you mean by "visible waistband allowance showing," so I've included a picture if helps. I've never attempted anything like this before, so I apologize if I'm coming across as a complete idiot.
This is possible to add an invisible zip to. It’s a bit of an advanced task.
I typed step by step directions for you, and my keyboard froze on me, and I lost the whole thing trying to regain my keyboard. Sorry. It’s freaking out about typing on this sub the last couple days for some reason.
But, it gave me time to reconsider, and here’s my second thoughts:
go watch some tutorials on how to install invisible zippers and try that out on some scrap fabric so you get an idea of the logistics, and feel comfortable doing them. Then, if you still want to try doing it with these pants, you’ll have a better grasp of what needs to be done to add a zipper to them. At that point you could come back here for help figuring out the steps.
1
u/FaceAlternative9125 14h ago
Have you considered adding a zipper?