How to increase the waistband for slacks with front and back center seams

[the_professors_assistantKeymaster]

Hello,
I watched your video on increasing the waistband of a commercial pattern for a skirt or slacks with side seams. My pattern, however, only has center front and center back seams. I tried making the pattern alterations shown by simply substituting the center front and back seams for the side seams as shown in the video. However, the new waistband did not fit the slacks or match up with the notches and was a little too short. I’m not sure if I just made a mistake or if the technique isn’t the same for slacks with front and back center seams. I’d really appreciate any help or suggestions you could give! Thanks!

[the_professors_assistantKeymaster]

is the front and back pattern together in 1 pattern? I’m trying to imagine what that looks like. Can you upload an image of your pattern? thanks!

[the_professors_assistantKeymaster]

Thank you so much for your reply. I’m sorry for not explaining my problem clearly. My waistband pattern does not have the markings where the pants side seams should be attached. There are just marks on the it to show where the center front and center back seams of the pants should be attached. There is a pattern piece for the front of the slacks and a pattern piece for the back. Two of each are cut, and they’re sewn together in the usual way.

[the_professors_assistantKeymaster]

ok, it may not be marked but you have the side seam and it’s directly across from the Center Front (or Center Back). It usually has a slight curve at the top for the hip curve. You can do this same way that I do mine. Is your waistband just a rectangle shape? If you have a notch that matches up with an area of the pants, like the center front, you can measure to get the same distance to the original side seam, draw a line here, cut along this line and then spread apart the same amount that you’re increasing your waist by. This should mean that the notches will still match up will the new alteration. Don’t forget to make a muslin to test your pattern. Hope this helps.

[the_professors_assistantKeymaster]

It definitely helps! Thank you so much!

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