Here's how to take in your jeans waist in minutes without sewing

Mar 13, 2024

Thu, August 03, 2023 at 8:00:00 AM EDT

Jeans rarely fit perfectly off the rack. It’s harder to alter a pair of pants that’s too small than it is to customize a pair of jeans that’s a bit baggy. In this installment of Pretty Beautiful, beauty and style expert Lisa Azcona shows us how to take in your jeans waist without sewing and how to shorten pants that are too long in the legs with simple, no-sew hacks.

It’s possible to take in your jeans waist without breaking out a needle and thread. (Who can ever find their sewing kit?)

For this jeans alteration hack, you’ll need your baggy jeans of choice and an extra jeans button replacement, which can be purchased on Amazon.

Here’s what Lisa’s jeans looked like before she used this hack to take the waist of her jeans:

Now, here’s a three-step tutorial on how to adjust the waist to perfectly fit your frame with just that simple button pin.

First, separate the button from the backing just as you would an earring. This will show in the front, after you’ve completed the process, as your new button.

Next, insert the pin a few inches to the right of your old button. This distance will be dependent on how snug you’d like your new waist size to be, so play around with it until you’ve found your desired distance.

Once you’ve settled on a spot, attach the back to the pin to keep it securely in place.

Next, simply pull your new button through the original button hole and your jeans will fit perfectly — no sewing necessary!

Take a look at the end result below.

This method applies to any jean thickness and can save you hundreds of dollars in alteration fees. If you’ve been dying to figure out how to take in your jeans waist without sewing, this is the ultimate solution.

Our second hack is for those trousers with hook and eye closures that are just a bit too loose in the waist. If you’re trying to find a way to make them a bit more fitted, all you need is one common household item — a safety pin!

Before getting into this simple two-step process, below is a look at how loose the trousers sat.

To achieve a more fitted silhouette, follow the two steps below.

Just secure the safety pin on your trousers’ waistband in a vertical position with the pointed part exposed.

Next, secure the hook to the pin and your trousers’ waist will immediately be slimmer and more fitted. Just take a look at the end result below!

The hacks don’t stop here! If you have a pair of jeans that are just too long and you don’t want to hem them yourself, try this quick and easy hack.

Here’s how our jeans looked before the magic:

This tutorial’s just one step long and all you need is a rubber band or hair tie. Get a bunch for under $8 right now on Amazon.

All you need to do is loop the rubber band over the bottom of your jeans legs, above your ankles. Once you’ve placed it at your desired length, pull the extra fabric up and under so the tie isn’t exposed.

Do a quick fluff to make sure both legs are even and you’re done! No more dragging denim.

Also, if you learn better from videos, see the one below that shows you how to perform all of these sewing-free hacks, step by step.

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