Stretch Fabric Waistbands
Lycra blend knit fabrics make excellent waistbands, helping achieve a wonderfully smooth transition at the waist without casings, pins or topstitching involved. A simple alteration is all that is needed to make the change to your pattern. By removing a portion of the garment and replacing it with a band the garment will still fit properly, just smoother. Depending on the desired width of the band the pattern alteration varies.
For the most accurate and comfortable fit, use body measurements rather than finished garment measurements when replacing elastic with a fabric waistband. A fabric waistband needs to stretch over the hips and recover snuggly at the waist. Soft-hand, jersey type LYCRA blend fabrics with at least 100% crosswise stretch and good recovery work best.
Length Calculations
This is to ensure the correct “tightness” of the band (also known as negative ease). Using the calculation below is a good start but is only an approximation. You will need to experiment with your fabric’s stretch and recovery to find the perfect fit. Before sewing the band, try it on! You may need a longer band length if your fabric has less stretch or a shorter band for a fabric with plenty of stretch but poor recovery.
Calculation: (Waist Measurement x 75%) + (seam allowance x 2) = Waistband Length
For reference, we have already done the calculations for you using seam allowance of 5/8”.
Instructions
Instructions are written for the using the attached waistband pattern. If you make changes to the width of the waistband, make sure to adjust the instructions accordingly.
1. Trim the top of the pattern pieces by 4-3/4” for the wide band or 3-7/8” for the narrow band following the curve of the pattern.
2. Construct the pants or skirt per the instructions, eliminating the elastic at the waist.
3 Serge the two short sides of the band together to form a tube. Fold the tube in half with the wrong sides together. Edge serge the raw edges together.
4. Quarter the band and quarter the top edge of the pants or skirt. Serge the band onto the garment with the band seam at the center back.
Lycra blend knit fabrics make excellent waistbands, helping achieve a wonderfully smooth transition at the waist without casings, pins or topstitching involved. A simple alteration is all that is needed to make the change to your pattern.
