In this sewing tutorial, I will show you how you can take any pair of jeans and turn them into comfy DIY maternity jeans that will actually stay in place! These have a full panel that is made of two layers of stretchy fabric and has an elastic band at the top for extra reinforcement and holding power.
Supplies and materials
- Jeans – either some of your own or some thrifted ones
- Stretchy knit fabric – make sure it is very stretchy with good recovery. I used jersey that is 95% cotton/ 5% spandex. But an even higher spandex content would be better!
- 1/2 inch braided elastic, about 3 – 4 feet
- Sewing machine
- Heavy duty sewing needle
- Measuring tape
- Scissors
- Pins or clips
- Thread
- Chalk or marker to mark your fabric
Prepping the jeans
Step 1 – First choose the pants you’re going to alter. Try them on and take your piece of chalk and mark the top of your pelvic bone. This is basically where we want the jeans part to end, because anything higher than that isn’t going to stretch and will sag down.
Step 2 – Next you need to seam rip the fly/zipper out and then cut your pants to shape. You need to seam rip first, because you won’t be able to cut through the metal zipper. I only seam rip what’s below the mark I made in the first step. I also remove the flap of fabric that goes behind the fly. Try not to rip any of the top stitching, but if you need to in order to remove the zipper, you will just need to sew over it later.
Once the seam ripping is done, you can cut a curved shape something like this, making sure to leave a 1/2 inch seam allowance above the mark that you made and all around. I’ve done this many times with slightly different shapes, and it all works. Just be mindful where you cut so that you won’t be sewing over any metal rivets or belt loops.
Step 3 – Then pin and top stitch the pockets and fly area closed. I used my most heavy duty needle (90/14) for this whole project. You can switch between heavy duty and stretch as needed if you want. I also trimmed the pocket bag away.
Calculating the panel and elastic size
Step 4 – Next you need to take some measurements of your belly. Make sure to write everything down!
- Measurement A: pelvic bone to sternum
- Measurement B: circumference of the top of your belly (just under your ribs)
- Measurement C: circumference just below your belly
- Length of fabric in inches: A + 1
- Width at top in: B x 0.87 *see note*
- Width at bottom: C x 0.87 *see note*
NOTE: For B and C, you can multiply by anywhere from 0.87 – 0.9. I did 0.87, which I really like. But if you wanted it a bit looser and to have lots of room to grow, you could go closer to 0.9.
Step 5 – Either way, you will want to cut your elastic as (B x 0.87) +1, because you want it to be good and tight or your pants just won’t stay up well.
Cutting the panel pieces out
If you’re new to sewing with stretch/knit fabric, you can check out my post here on sewing with knits for lots of helpful tips!
Step 6 – Fold your fabric in half along the grainline. For the widths at top and bottom, divide in half, seeing as you will be working on the fold. Mark them out and cut your piece out, then cut another piece exactly the same.
Sewing the panel
Step 7 – Sew the back seam closed on both pieces, being sure to use a stretch stitch.
Step 8 – Then lay them on top of each other and cut the top in a curved shape, like this. The back should be about 2 inches lower than the front. At this point you can mark notches for center front and quarter points, to help line up the two pieces later.
Step 9 – Take your elastic and lay it along the wrong side of one of your panel pieces, 5/8 inch from the top edge. Below you can see that I started just past the back seam with about a 1 inch tail. As you sew, pull the elastic ever so slightly (stretch it more if you went with the 0.9 measurement for your fabric). Sew all the way around to where you started. Your elastic should overlap by approximately 1 inch. I didn’t use pins, but you could if you’re not sure how much you should be pulling the elastic.
Step 10 – Then sew your other panel piece to the one you just sewed, right sides together, with the elasticized panel up so that you can be sure to sew 1/8 inch from the edge of the elastic. Don’t mind my serger tail in the picture below!
Fitting the maternity panel to your body
Step 11 – Now turn your panel right side out (right side is the side with the elastic sewn directly to it) and try it on. Position it exactly how you want it, making sure it is high on your belly. Pull your jeans on over the panel, again making sure everything is sitting exactly how you want it: no wrinkles in the panel, no sagging jeans, etc. Take your chalk or marker and draw all along the top of the jeans. Also make marks on the panel where your jeans side seams and front seam should match up to it.
Step 12 – Remove it and cut, leaving a 1 inch seam allowance (this allows 1/2 inch for the panel and the jeans). I went over my chalk line so you can see it better, and you can also see the blue line for the side seam.
If the front portion is too narrow and long, just cut it up to 1 inch shorter. Even if it does match your jeans perfectly, it will just be too narrow to really give any good support. If you try them on after sewing and the panel seems to sag there, you can just seam rip that part and redo it. I probably should have trimmed mine a little shorter, but they’re ok so I’m not changing them.
Sewing the panel to the DIY maternity jeans
Step 13 – Now turn your jeans wrong side out, panel right side out, and put the panel inside the jeans and pin or clip everything together, matching the marks you made on the panel to the jeans seams. If you’ve already got a decent sized belly like me, then there will naturally be more fabric in the front to accommodate for your belly. So, the panel will be more stretched across the back, and you almost won’t need to stretch it at all in the front. That’s good, because it means you have more fabric where you need it! Now simply sew together with your 1/2 inch seam allowance, taking your time over the jeans seams.
And you’re all done your DIY maternity jeans!
What do you think? Have you ever made some DIY maternity jeans only to have them fall down all the time? Then maybe give this method a try, and be sure to let me know if you have any questions!
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