How to Make Low Rise Jeans Into High Waisted (Helpful Guide)
What looks good on one woman may not look that great on another. When all you can find are those jeans that do not look good on your body, then some alteration action is called for. Change those jeans to fit you and not some skinny model.
How to make low rise jeans into high waisted: There is an easier way to make this alteration work for you. Just use a sloper that has the waistline you want. If your jeans have darts then the pattern or sloper should as well. A little tracing, overlaying and blending should do the trick.
To learn how to alter your low rise jeans and turn them into high waist jeans just continue to read our article. It has the instructions you need to know about so you can do the job without hiring someone else.
How to Make Low Rise Jeans Into High Waisted
It may look a little funny but you can turn your low rise jeans into a nice pair of high rise shorts with a little time and a very sharp pair of scissors. All you are going to need will be an old pair of jeans, your sewing machine, denim thread, buttons and a pair of scissors.
Step 1. Fold the jeans in half and make your cut mark on the legs where you want the shorts to end. Go across the full width of the jeans to make sure you have an even line.
Step 2. Once you have done that cut the jeans along your cut mark making sure both pant legs are the same size. Don’t throw the cut off material just yet. You will need to use it later.
Step 3. Now measure the circumference ad height of your waist to your hips. You may need to sew and cover the raw edge from the cutoff section of your old jeans so that you have a nice hemline at the top and the bottom of the additional fabric.
Step 4. Sew the part of the cut off jean leg you are using for your waist over the waistline of your low rise jeans. Make sure to remove the old belt loops but not your zipper button.
Step 5. Sew some buttons in a place where you want the closure to be and add buttonholes to the other side. Make sure all the rough edges are hemmed correctly so that you have a smooth fit.
Also, try to blend the lines so you have a good looking pair of high rise shorts. They may look great or you may want to wear along blouse or sweater to cover the work. That will be up to you to decide.
Turn Low Rise Jeans Into High Rise
One of the best ways to make this conversion is to take a few measurements off a pair of high rise jeans or pants you already own. These measurements will help guide you when you turn those low rise jeans into high rise alternatives.
The key measurement will come from the crotch seam. Once you get that measurement you should be able to adjust your pattern to make all the other modifications you need.
Then you should measure the yoke on those same pair of pants as well as your low rise jeans. This is done because you need to make adjustments to the yoke on the low rise jeans in proportion to the addition you are adding on.
At one point, you are going to have to decide on the zipper. You can convert the altered jeans into using buttons up to the waist but this would require you to add in buttonholes all the way up as well.
Of course, you can leave the original zipper in place and the original button closure then add more buttons up both but this might look a little weird especially if you do not use the same style of buttons.
If you go the button route make sure you have enough of the same kind to finish the job. The final option would be to simply move the original button up to the top and remove the old zipper, replacing it with a newer longer version.
How you do this will be up to you and how you will look when you try the new jeans on. It will also depend on how the new jeans will look as well. Don’t forget to remove the old belt loops as they will be in the way of the additional fabric.
Making Low Rise Jeans Higher
One of the first considerations you have to take into account is the difference between the two rises. Low rise jeans are generally labeled that because the rise in them only goes between 5 and 8 inches.
You can get ultra low rise jeans which only rise between 3 to 5 inches but those won’t be considered here. Low ride jeans sit below the hips and well below the belly button. Unfortunately, most women tend to get unsightly bulge when wearing low rise jeans.
High rise jeans come usually with a 12-inch rise that stops a few inches above the belly button. These jeans also look a little boxy while cutting the waist in half as it flattens your rear end.
So if you are going to turn a pair of low rise jeans into a pair of high rise ones these are the issues you have to deal with. You are looking at anywhere to an increase of 7 to 4 inches in the rise s you need to have the right amount of material on hand.
Then you do not have to go as high as high rise jeans and can stop somewhere in the middle. This alternative only adds about 1 to 4 inches on top of the low rise measurement if starting at 8 inches. Add more if starting with lower rise low rise jeans.
Mid-rise jeans tend to fall at your belly button and keep you looking good. Their rise is usually between 8 and 12 inches. Whichever way you go, pick the higher style that fits your body style best and flatters you the most.
DIY Low Waist to High Waist Tips
There are more DIY instructions for when you want to go from high rise jeans to low rise than there are in the reverse. We have given you one DIY option above and to be honest, while it works and is very practical it may not be a popular method to use.
To start with your DIY option, you will need to draft your pattern. You do this by taking those pair of pants that you like the most and fold them in half. After that, you lay the folded pants on some pattern paper and trace around the edge.
But before you do this, put your pants on and measure from where the waist stops to your natural waist. You are going to have to make a few adjustments in measurement depending on the style of pants you are using to draft your pattern.
To make the pattern for the waistband make sure you add in your seam allowance. Once done you should end up with 3 pieces for your pattern. Cut out your pieces and zig-zag stitch the side, crotch and inner seams.
Add in your darts if you are going to have them. Once you have stitched the seams you should try the pants on to make sure they fit the way you want them to. After the fitting, add your waist piece to the pants and attach your zipper.
The only cautionary word here is to be careful not to stitch too close to your zipper. The final step will be to hem your pants and then they will be ready to wear.
Some Final Words
You may have gotten to that age where modesty has taken over for youthful enthusiasm and carefree thinking. At that point, you may start to rethink your low rise jean wardrobe and look to make those jeans into something more modest and appealing to you.
The good news is that you can make the alteration yourself and turn your low rise jeans into high rise ones with little difficulty. Just remember to take accurate measurements before you get started.
The rise of the jeans, the yoke measurement, and the waist circumference will be your most important numbers to use. You can just attach a few buttons and a little fabric to the waist of your low rise jeans but the results may not always be what you expected.
Take your time and make sure you blend the lines and use the right buttons to keep the look of the jeans how you want them.
