By CraftingStepByStepPublished
Based on a video by Threads Sewing.
Most elastic waistbands are made the slow way: sew a channel, then fight a safety pin through it for ten minutes. Nick Coman of Dragonfly Dye Works in Los Angeles shows Threads Magazine a faster method with no casing at all. The elastic goes straight onto the raw edge with a zigzag, the edge folds over once, and one row of straight stitching finishes it. The result lies flat against your body with no seam allowance bunching up inside.
You need a sewing machine, knit elastic, a garment with an unfinished waist, a few pins and a steam iron. Plan on about 30 minutes.
A casing is a folded tunnel with the elastic loose inside. It is easy to swap the elastic later, which is why pyjama patterns love it, and it is the same idea as the channel on a drawstring bag. The trade-off is bulk and a waistband that twists in the wash.
The no-casing method stitches the elastic to the fabric along its full length. It cannot roll or flip, and it looks like a ready-to-wear waistband. The catch: once it is sewn, changing the size means unpicking two rows of stitching. Measure carefully.
Nick uses anything from 1/4 inch up to 1 1/2 inches wide. Narrow elastic suits skirts and children's clothes. For trousers and lounge pants, 3/4 inch to 1 inch is the comfortable middle. Wider than that, buy non-roll elastic, which has ribs that stop it folding over on itself when you sit down.
Knit elastic stays the same width when stretched and takes needle holes well, so it is the safest pick here. Braided elastic narrows as it stretches and can lose grip once stitched through. Save it for casings.
Patterns print a length, but Nick prefers a personal measurement. Pre-stretch the elastic, wrap it round your waist so it is snug but not tight, mark where it meets, then cut about 2 inches shorter. Before you sew, pull the loop over your hips. If it will not go, add an inch back.
Sewing for someone else? Measure them, not the pattern. Two people who wear the same size can need elastic several inches apart.
Knits are the natural match: jersey pyjama pants, leggings, lounge shorts, a pull-on knit skirt. Use a ballpoint needle, which slips between knit fibres instead of piercing them. Lightweight wovens like rayon challis or cotton lawn also work for a gathered skirt. The rule from the video holds for both: stretch the elastic to full length and the fabric edge should pull flat with it. If fabric is left over, the waist is too big for this method.
New to the machine? Get comfortable with using a sewing machine and wind a full bobbin first (here is how), because running out halfway round a stretched waistband is miserable. If you want an easy elastic warm-up, a scrunchie uses the same stretch-and-sew feel in a ten minute project.
9 steps · about 9 minutes.Check off each step as you go and your progress saves automatically.
Pull the length of elastic firmly between your hands a few times. Elastic straight off the roll is stiff, and if you measure it that way the waistband ends up tighter than you meant once it relaxes. Any width from 1/4 inch to 1 1/2 inches works for this method, so pick the one your pattern or your comfort calls for.
Tip
Choose non-roll elastic for anything wider than 1 inch. It keeps the waistband from folding over when you sit.
Loop the elastic round your waist, snug but not tight. Mark where the end meets the other side of the loop. Go back about 2 inches from that mark and snip. That shorter piece is sized to your body, not to a chart on the pattern envelope, which is why the waistband stays up without digging in.
Tip
Pull the loop over your hips before you sew anything. If it will not pass, add an inch back.
Working flat, lay the elastic on the wrong side of the fabric right at the raw top edge. Move the end of the elastic a little into the side seam allowance and pin it. If your garment is already sewn into a tube, overlap the elastic ends and stitch across them several times to make a ring first. That join sits at the back.
Tip
Keep the elastic edge flush with the fabric edge. Any gap here shows as a wobble on the finished waistband.
Fold the elastic into quarters and mark each fold. Do the same on the garment waist. Pin the elastic to the fabric at each matching quarter and nowhere else. Now stretch the elastic between two pins: the fabric should pull flat with it. If it does not, you need a longer piece of elastic or less ease at the garment waist.
Tip
Four pins is the whole point. More pins stop the elastic stretching evenly as you sew.
Turn the stitch selector to zigzag and set the width to about 2.5, then nudge it up a touch. Put the elastic under the presser foot and turn the hand wheel toward you until the needle is down in the elastic. A serger works for this pass too, if you have one.
Tip
Sewing a knit? Fit a ballpoint needle before you start. It stops skipped stitches on stretchy fabric.
Hold the thread tails behind the foot and grab the elastic halfway to the next pin with your left hand. Stretch it so the fabric lies flat, then sew. The right swing of the needle should land a hair past the edge of the elastic. Stop, reposition your hands, and work round one quarter at a time until you reach the start.
Tip
Tension on the elastic, not the fabric. Let the feed dogs move the fabric along.
Take the waistband out from under the foot. It will be gathered on the right side and show the zigzag along the elastic on the wrong side. Fold the elastic down once, exactly on itself, so the fabric wraps it. The elastic is now your seam allowance. If you started with the elastic end in a side seam allowance, keep that allowance free as you fold.
Tip
Finger-press the fold as you go. There is no need to pin it.
Switch back to a straight stitch and lengthen it slightly. Hold the thread tails behind, pull the elastic in front, and stitch right down the middle of the zigzag row. Stretching it while you sew builds ease into the straight stitch, so it will not pop when the waistband stretches over your hips.
Tip
A straight stitch on elastic sounds wrong. It holds because you sew it stretched to the full length it will ever reach.
If a small bump forms near the top edge, give the fabric a firm tug and it will settle. Take the waistband to the ironing board. Hold the iron over it, not on the elastic, and give it a heavy shot of steam. The elastic shrinks back to its normal size and the gathers even out.
Tip
Never press the iron down on elastic. Direct heat can melt the rubber and kill the stretch.
Keep going
How to Make a Drawstring Bag
How to Sew an Elastic Waistband Without a Casing
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