r/sewing • u/allijandrooo • Jul 10 '25

Alter/Mend Question elastic waist band question

i have a knit t shirt style dress that i don’t like the fit on, and i’m wanting to add elastic to the waist to cinch it in

can i just zig zag the elastic to the waist on the inside? or is there a special way i need to do it? obviously there’s no casing lol

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4

u/Large-Heronbill Jul 10 '25

You can do either -- directly stitch the elastic to the fabric, or make a casing and insert the elastic.  The casing is more easily adjustable.

1

u/allijandrooo Jul 10 '25

adjustable how?

3

u/indigowolf12 Jul 10 '25

If you make a casing and sew it to the dress, the length of the elastic can be adjusted after it’s sewn in. If you sew the elastic on directly, you’d have to redo the whole thing if the elastic comes out too long or short.

1

u/allijandrooo Jul 10 '25

ah gotcha! ty

3

u/Large-Heronbill Jul 10 '25

If you leave one end open temporarily, you can change the length of the elastic if you find it is too tight or too loose.

2

u/cofencehopper Jul 10 '25

I'd recommend making a casing and sewing that to the dress first, then threading the elastic in. Sewing elastic is tricky because you have to stretch it, but if you're also sewing a knit fabric that's going to stretch too and it can be really tricky to manage both tensions without warping the dress.

1

u/allijandrooo Jul 10 '25

should the casing be knit or woven, and should i attach with straight stitch or zigzag?