r/WatchandLearn • • Aug 14 '18

Decrease the waist on jeans

https://gfycat.com/FrenchDistortedHarvestmen
22.3k Upvotes

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u/justcougit Aug 15 '18

Thanks!!! I've dropped a bit of weight recently and only have one pair of slacks, yet I am still too big for most pants in this country so I'm not trying to find more because it's a nightmare. I'm gonna try this!

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u/FrancoManiac Aug 15 '18

My pleasure! It'll create a little sail on the inside of of pants which might bother you. You can just cut it out. The point of the little sail will be the area to reinforce if you're using conventional sewing thread, as it'll be under the most strain.

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u/justcougit Aug 15 '18

Honestly the lump is not an issue. I just need it to not have my ass shown in front of a class of students lol

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u/movielooking Aug 15 '18

are you saying that if you cut off the sail, the dart will be under more strain or less?

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u/FrancoManiac Aug 15 '18

Neither. Cut it off if it irritates you. Do you see how the sewing thread makes a triangle, ending in a tapered point? That point will need to be reinforced.

You can add another dart or two if it's a lot to take in, as well. If you do one giant dart, it can mess with the construction and cause it to lay awkwardly.

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u/movielooking Aug 15 '18

oh i see, thank you :) how do you reinforce the point?

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u/FrancoManiac Aug 15 '18

Just sew is a lot, haha! Denim being a pretty damn strong cotton weave pattern, the stress will be on the sewing thread. Having multiple stitches in a high-stress area spreads the load on the threads out.

*With a machine, this is done by backpedaling the stitches. You press a little lever down and the dog/foot of the machine (which advances the fabric while sewing) runs backwards.