Repair a Loose Waistband Seam

What you will learn

• Finding the original stitch line
• Matching old stitching
• Reinforcing a seam

Materials and tools

• Garment
• Matching thread
• Hand-sewing needle, sharps size 8, or machine with a 90/14 needle
• Pins
• Seam ripper
• Iron and board

Before you start

• Turn the garment inside out and find the extent of the opening.

1. Examine the seam. Check whether the thread has broken in one place or the whole seam has frayed. Check the fabric edges. If they are torn or frayed to nothing, this repair will not hold.
2. Remove any loose, broken threads with a seam ripper or by pulling. Stop when you reach stitching that is tight.
3. Press the fabric edges back to where they were, at the heat on the care label. Match the stitching holes, since they show the original seam line.
4. Pin the waistband and the garment together along the seam line, with pins at right angles to the seam.

5. Sew by machine along the old stitching line, with a 2.5 mm stitch length, overlapping the old stitching by 1/2 in (12 mm) at each end. Backstitch at the start and end.
6. To sew by hand, use backstitch with small stitches, 1/8 in (3 mm) long, working along the original holes. End with a knot.
7. If the fabric is weak or frayed beside the seam, sew a second line of stitching 1/8 in (3 mm) inside the first line.
8. Press the seam and try on the garment. Check that the waistband lies flat.

Tips for a neat result

• Use a stitch length that matches the original, usually 2.5 mm.
• If the thread keeps breaking, switch to a stronger thread such as heavy-duty polyester.

Common mistakes and fixes

Check your result

• The seam is closed and flat, and the waistband sits correctly.
• The stitching matches the original line.