Adding an elastic tie inside your waistband …. getting that customized RTW feature!
by Mary Cheddie
We just finished testing the GS Moxi shorts for the re-release and I live in these shorts! Prior to Moxis, I wore similar styles from some very high-end ready-to-wear companies. One feature the RTW companies feature is a secret elastic tie inside the waistband. This secret tie, I use quite a bit and just love it (as we know, RTW is not a perfect fit and being female with weight fluctuations often I need to tighten up the waistband while other times I don’t).
Naturally, when testing the Moxis, I asked if I could add this to mine and was delighted to get the go-ahead. You may also easily add this secret tie inside your Moxis, or inside any waistband!
After you have selected your fabric (or fabrics), next select what color elastic you want for your secret tie. My fabric has many different colors, and the waistband is a beautiful blue. I wanted a contrast color and with the assortment pack of 3/8” knit elastic that I purchased, I decided the best options were orange, black, yellow, purple, or bright green. You may also use ¼” knit elastic if you prefer.
I selected the orange elastic. What do you think? Is orange the color you would have chosen?
On the waistband front pattern piece, I measured from the center front fold going horizontally 1” and made a mark. Then I measured down from the center top of the front waistband 1 ½”. Next, join the two marks. On the pattern piece, you’ll see that X marks the spot.
Mark a “dot” on your INNER front waistband to match the X on the pattern.
Make sure you place two “dots” on your INNER waistband piece.
Now you’ll make two small buttonholes to create the openings for the secret elastic tie. I used a 3/8” button as my guide for the buttonholes.
Carefully open the inside of the buttonhole. This is where your secret elastic tie will emerge for you to access it.
Measure your elastic across the waistband and the same depth of the buttonholes. You want your elastic to side inside the waistband without any ease. Add ½” to the measurement and cut the elastic.
Insert the elastic through the two buttonholes keeping in mind that the smallest amount of the elastic needs to show on the side of the INNER waistband that touches your skin. The rest of the elastic is inside the INNER and OUTER waistband pieces (and you will not see it). Then stitch your elastic ends together (to make a circle). Be really careful when you do this to ensure that the elastic does not twist inside the waistband.
I then pinned the elastic inside the waistband (BUT my pins were on the RIGHT side of the fabric). I wanted to ensure that when I attached the waistband that the secret elastic tie did not fall down into the seam allowance for the waistband attachment. By having the pins on the RIGHT side of the fabric, you can remove them once the waistband is attached. If the pins are on the inside, well, you’ll need your seam ripper as once that waistband is attached you no longer have access inside it.
This is how the waistband looks before attaching. This is the right outer side and the secret elastic tie is on the inner side. For this picture, I removed the pins I had placed on the outside to hold the secret tie in place before attaching the waistband to the shorts.
Attached your waist band to your shorts or leggings, complete any waistband topstitching, and you are ready to wear!
A peek inside. Only you know the secret elastic tie is in place. When you need to use it, simply pull on the elastic that is showing, and loop tie it to your preferred tightness.
The secret tie has been a real saver for me during my CrossFit and Olympic weightlifting workouts and now that I have the secret elastic tie in my Moxis, I’m a really happy camper!
Enjoy!
