During the first months of the pandemic, when we were self-isolating, we didn’t get a chance to wear our jeans. To be more precise, we didn’t even get the chance to take off our pajamas – we endlessly doom-scrolled in our pajamas on our favorite couch for long periods of time, we binged shows while rubbing the grease of the chips we’d been eating on our pajamas, and we cooked lots of bread and other viral food and drink trends like Dalgona Coffee, all in our favorite pajamas.
And we never even considered that, as a result of this forlorn gluttony, the jeans we have ignored so far would ignore us in return once the isolation ended after months and we sought a way to get into them before venturing out of our homes to socialize once more.
Gluttonous self-isolation or not, if this happened to you, you’ve probably conducted your fair share of research on how to make jeans bigger or how to stretch them so far, and yes, doing squats in your jeans or getting into a bathtub filled with hot water with your jeans on are two of the methods you can try.
However, if you already have a problem getting into your jeans, that might imply doing squats is not a realistic option for you let alone doing squats in jeans you can hardly wear anymore. I personally would never say no to a good hot bath either, but bathing in jeans? I can understand why you would immediately scroll past that idea in search for a more viable solution as a human being with dignity.
Thankfully, there is a more viable solution – one that includes you sewing patches around the seams or directly on the waistband. I’ll provide you with guides for both as well as methods that don’t include sewing.
How to Make Jeans Bigger All Over: A Step-by-Step Guide
You don’t necessarily have to follow this particular one because this one’s for those who cannot get into their jeans at all – for those having difficulty even while putting one leg in. I am going to get into other methods once we are done with this one.
Step 1: Get Your Measurements
It doesn’t matter whether your jeans are skinny fit or regular size, you just have to take measurements of both your jeans and yourself at waist, hips, knees, and calves. That way, you’ll be able to see which areas are in need of an extension.
You probably know how to measure your own body, but you might have some hesitancy when it comes to your pants even though it’s pretty obvious. You have to button and zip it up, so you get an accurate measurement as if you had put it on.
Step 2: Find or Create a Patch
Again, a straightforward instruction, but one that’s not totally exempt from controversy.
How do you find a patch? Need it be a perfect fit in terms of color and texture to the fabric your jeans have or can you cut a part from your worn and torn shirts that have cute little kittens printed on their fabric? If you choose the latter option, will you (or whoever wears these jeans) be the topic of derogatory talk at your school, social club, or local bar?
Thankfully, we are not living in a movie made in the 1950s where everyone smokes coolly in tailor-made suits and fancy dresses, but in a society that has learned to respect and glorify diversity. Therefore, whichever option you prefer will work.
My opinion? Be as creative as you can and make a mark while you’re at it.
Step 3: Cut Your Jeans
You have to cut your jeans where you want them to be extended and you have to do it carefully to prevent further patchwork. It’s better to do it on the seams, and if you have to patch through the whole length of the legs, the end result has a potential to be fabulous because you’ll have two seams on each leg with a different fabric prevailing between them. I might even say that you’ll bring your own sense of fashion into the restricted zone of jeans style.
Step 4: Sew the Patch
First, turn the jeans inside out and affix the patch onto the pants by using ample pins. Then, start stitching it on the edges by leaving a ¼ seam allowance on each edge.
The question whether you are working on a big patch or a little one is inconsequential and stitching a patch is actually quite a straightforward process, but if you have any reservations or questions about it, if you are unsure of yourself, or if you think doing some further research on the topic would be better, you can head to my guide on how to sew on a patch and learn all about it.
Also, if you have a serger machine, use it for this divine purpose. If you don’t have a serger, it’s still okay. You can just do an overcasting stitch and accomplish as great a result as if made by a serger.
Step 5: Iron It
Iron it as it’s still turned inside out. Then you can turn it back to the side as it’s supposed to be worn, and wear it.
How to Make Jeans Bigger on the Waistline: A Step-by-Step Guide
There are a couple of methods for making jeans bigger on the waistline, and all of them are going to look weird, so I recommend this for those who have no choice – like, when you are on vacation and these are the only jeans you have and, inexplicably, you cannot fit into them overnight, or, like, you have a special bond with the jeans in question so you can’t just give it away, or, like, someone is holding a gun to your head to make you wear the jeans and you have an hour to comply with their kind request.
One of the methods is completely cutting the tight waistline off carefully on the line that meets the rest of the fabric and seaming an altogether new waistband in its stead. It’s even better if the new waistband is made of elastic material so that getting into it is easier.
Another method would be replacing the part above the thighs with another fabric and seaming it there. Fashion-wise it might be either weird or awe-inspiring if you can get it right, and it’s as straightforward a process as the one above.
The method I am going to provide a guide for, though, will look less weird and require more from you. It is making an extension at the center back of the pants.
Step 1: Cut Through the Center of the Hip
There should be a seam line in between the two hips of the jeans – if there is a belt loop in line with that seam, cut it off, and then cut through that seam.
Step 2: Find or Make a Patch
Having a patch of different color and fabric at the center back of your jeans could be a fun idea if you have a social circle that can laugh with you, but we are all serious people here, and that’s why I will recommend using fabric in identical color and texture for this particular method – in other words, you should use a patch acquired from other jeans.
Step 3: Stitch the Patch
Just like we did in the fourth step of our first guide above, we have to turn the pants inside out and attach the patch in place with enough pins, and make sure that we have created enough allowance on the waistline for our body to fit into. Then, we have to stitch it, but this time, we are not using an overcasting stitch – neither for sewing by hand nor for a serger. Rather, we are going to go for a zig zag stitch to finish it.
Please note that the stitches should be made close together, so that the patch we are making not only is sturdy but also has a natural look to it.
Step 4: Finishing Touches
Cut off the extra thread and extra fabric. When you make a patch at the center back of pants and you don’t cut the extra fabric that’s probably loose out there, it will be very uncomfortable when you put them on..
Also, as you should whenever you patch an item, you have to iron it.
Methods for Making Jeans Bigger Without Sewing
In the introduction part of this article, I have already mentioned two methods the experts recommend for making jeans bigger. Now I am going to detail them further in the name of thoroughness.
Doing Squats in Your Jeans
Needless to say, this one’s for those whose jeans are not critically unwearable as of yet. You might have a little bit of difficulty getting into them in the first place, and the first couple of squats may turn out a little bit more difficult than you’d expect, but once you get into the groove, you’ll reap its benefits. If you do three one-minute sets of squats with a minute of interval with your jeans on, not only will your jeans perfectly stretch, but also you’ll be as fit as a fiddle.
Getting Into a Bathtub with Your Jeans On
Similar to the technique above, this one’s for those whose jeans are still wearable albeit uncomfortably so. If that’s the case, putting them on and getting into a hot tub and staying there for fifteen minutes while your jeans are on might work. Mind that you shouldn’t take them off when you are out of the tub because they have to be on you when you’re drying as well.
It’s not ideal, I know, it wouldn’t have been ideal even for Tobias Fünke, but not all of us can do squats just like it’s no matter, can we?
Wetting the Jeans and Stretching Them by Hand
This one is the most orthodox and dignified method for making jeans bigger without sewing, and it’s quite straightforward: just wet the jeans and stretch them by hand wherever they are in need of stretching. However, unlike the two techniques above, the jeans are not on you when you’re using this method, so you don’t know whether you’ve stretched them enough or more than enough. Its means might be easy and dignified, but achieving the desired result is not a guarantee.
Final Words
Now you know that you can make your jeans bigger and how. You can sew patches on them, replace the waistband, or try one of the non-sewing methods I listed above. No matter which one you opt for, in the end, being able to get into jeans that you couldn’t get into before will feel good.
Of course, it won’t be as good as the feeling of getting into jeans after you’ve lost weight, but still when you meet someone you haven’t seen in a long while and the first thing they say is: “OMG, you gained weight!”, you can point out the fact that you can still wear your favorite jeans without trouble and ask how that would be possible if their observation were true.
