Alterations

One of the advantages (or drawbacks?) to being the youngest of 6 kids was lots of hand-me-down clothing. Being somewhat of a tom-boy during high school, that included grabbing whatever I could from not only my older sisters, but my brothers as well (loved his hand-me-down boy scout pants - wore those a lot!!!)

Of course being short with an over 6 foot tall brother - this also entailed learning at a young age how to hem a bit here, take a tuck there, and generally make clothes fit the way I wanted them to.

So when I found a few pairs of pants early this spring on a clearance rack for $1.99 each that fit nicely in the hips but were either too long in length or a bit wide in the waist, I did not hesitate a bit in snatching them up - knowing I could make them comfy with just a few stitches here and there.

Of course then procrastination and distraction set in - and it was not until we hit a few days of very very hot weather and I was looking for some hand-sewing to do that I remembered the bag of alterations that needed to be done. And just my luck -two pairs of the pants were for summer - oh well, now I will have them for next year.

Another to-do off my list. Now to find some more projects - it's hot again today.

'Cause I just gotta modify things...

When I first looked at the pattern for the AeroPacs, I thought they were pretty cool - but I was a bit apprehensive about all that bias tape - especially since I was multiplying it by 12.

So true to my typical form - I changed the pattern a bit. I cut all the pieces about 1/2" wider than the pattern indicated.

On the angled pockets I topstitched for stability instead of adding bias binding.

On the straight pockets I used Velcro Fusion so I could just add it in later.

I created a strap from 2" wide fabric - pressing it in half, pressing each side in, and then stitching once down the middle.

I basted the top velcro flap to the top of the front, and the angled pockets to the side of the back.

I omitted any batting.

To assemble, I pinned the strap in place at the top front, about 1/2" in from each side, and then lay the back on top of it, wrong sides together. I started stitching at the strap, back-stitching for strength, and stitched 1/4" all the way around. I trimmed with pinking shears and turned right side out.

After pressing I top-stitched just along the top edge of the pouch to close the seam allowance.

No bias binding, no fuss, no muss, no bother - just a bit more bulk at the sides.
I would do it again this way.