Turn a Pair of Jeans into Maternity Jeans

Or pants...or skirts...or whatever. 

Jeans on left are store bought, jeans on right are DIY

I will never buy a pair of maternity jeans again! I spent $40 on a pair of maternity jeans a few weeks ago. I was getting to the point where I had to stop zipping my jeans because the waistband cut into my belly. The maternity jeans fit okay but kept sliding down my waist. I discovered a strip of elastic with slits that was supposed to act as a belt, but it didn't help the pants stay up very well. And then the elastic started unraveling...



Here it is - in pictures!

1. Remove the waistband from the jeans

If you pull the right loop, the machine chain stitch will come off quickly.

To remove belt loops, pull stitches from inside first

Serge the raw edge. Serge over the zipper flap, and avoid the rivets.

2. Make a stretchy waistband

Cut 1/3 of a yard of 54 inch wide fabric. Cut again on the folded edge for a 27-inch wide piece.

Fold the rectangle in half. Now it is a square!

Serge the raw edge of the square OPPOSITE THE FOLD

Fold in half, turning the seam inside and joining the raw edges. Serge the raw edges together.

3. Join the stretchy waistband to the jeans.

Mark centers and side of waistband (the seam is your other side)

The stretchy waistband "tube" goes over the jeans. Match serged edges and centers/sides of jeans with waistband centers/sides. The waistband will be smaller than your jeans, so stretch it as you pin.

On your sewing machine, sew stretchy waistband to jeans. I use a thick (100/16) needle. If you have a serger that does chain stitch, that would work also and the waistband would have more "give."

Tricked you! It's a skirt!

I have tried this with three pairs of jeans, one pair of pants, and one skirt. At first, I serged the waistband onto the jeans instead of sewing it (like Step 3 shows). I will wait and see which method holds up better after wearing and washing several times. 

Note: Sewing over the Zipper
After I pulled off the original waistband, the jeans were stretchy enough (2% spandex) to pull over my hips with the zipper zipped. I kept it zipped when I sewed on the stretchy waistband, but made sure to push the zipper pull out of the way when I serged and sewed. My skirt is only 1% lycra (stretchy fabric), so I have to be more careful with it. 

My first method (serging the two together instead of sewing in Step 3) also allowed the waistband to be more stretchy.

I spent $27 on three pairs of name brand jeans at our local Dirt Cheap. I bought stretchy fabric for $9 a yard (I could've gotten it cheaper). I made four stretchy bands out of one yard of fabric. Each pair of jeans ended up costing about $12. You may find maternity clothes at a second hand store for less, but the ones I've seen look like they've gone through three pregnancies already. 

Name brand maternity jeans for $12 a pair? I think yes!