Next up in our Virginia construction is the narrow waistband. This is shown in views A & C, but can be used on any version you make. Don’t forget to cut your 1″ wide elastic to the length suggested in the sizing chart!
To start, fold the narrow waistband in half length ways with the right sides together so that the short edges are aligned.
Sew 1/4″ from the raw edge along the short edge.
Press the seam open. Now set your waistband aside for one minute.
Grab your 1″ wide elastic that you’ve cut for the length provided in the sizing chart.
Overlap the cut edges of the elastic by 1/2″ and sew together with a zig-zag stitch.
Divide the elastic into quarters using pins. To do this, start by finding the halfway point from where you just sewn the elastic together. this is the center front and center back marks.
Then pin mark the halfway point between those two, and now you’ve divided it into quarters.
Make sure you have marked the notches on your waistband.
Fold the waistband in half and insert the elastic in the middle. Align the notches on the waistband with the quarter marks on the elastic.
The waistband should be encasing the elastic, with the raw edges of the waistband aligned and and extended slightly beyond the elastic.
With everything aligned, carefully pin the elastic and waistband together to hold in place.
Attach the elastic to the band by overlocking or zig zagging along the raw edge.
Place your leggings down in front of you with right side facing out. And make sure your waistband still has those notches marked.
Place the waistband over the leggings ensuring that the waistband seam lines up with the center back seam of the leggings, and the waistband notches are aligned with the legging waistline notches.
Pin in place.
Sew the waistband to the leggings by sewing 1/4″ from the raw edges using an overlocker/serger or zig zag stitch.
When sewing the waistband to the garment the elastic will be caught in the sewing by 1-2mm with the rest of the seam being fabric alone. This will ensure a smoother seam profile and result in a wider looking waistband.
Flip your waistband up and press the seam allowance down towards the leggings.
Optional : Topstitch next to the seam on top of the seam allowance (on the garment not the waistband) using a zig zag stitch or twin needle to secure.
LOOKING FOR MORE VIRGINIA POSTS?
Here’s the full list of Virginia tutorials :
- Sewalong : Seams
- Sewalong : Narrow Waistband (this post!)
- Sewalong : Wide Waistband
- Sewalong: Cuffs
- Sewalong : Hem
We absolutely love seeing what you make, so don’t forget to tag your creations with #MNvirginia and @megannielsenpatterns when sharing on social media, and check out what everyone else is up to!
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