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Member since 5/31/08
Posts: 39
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Posted on: 7/2/08 4:28 PM ET
i'm trying my first pair of pants for my toddler. i've gotten most of my muslin basted together, but have gotten to a part of the directions that have me stumped. the front of the pants has a facing and the back has an elastic casing. the back pieces also have an extension that sticks out on the sides. this extension somehow gets folded in to form a back facing, and then the waist back side seam gets "lapped" over the front. i don't understand this part of the instructions (starting with picturing how to turn that extension flap into a facing) and am having trouble visualizing what's supposed to be going on here since i haven't done pants before. help!
-- Edited on 7/2/08 4:29 PM --
  
Member since 5/19/06
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Posted on: 7/2/08 10:15 PM ET
In reply to montecore
The back extension at the top of the back piece is a cut-on facing. You could cut it off, make a back facing piece similar to the front waistband facing, and finish the back waistband with that instead. If there is not elastic, the back waistband facing would be interfaced instead, and you'd probably have buttons or a zipper opening instead. The extension saves time because you simply fold it down, wrong sides together, and sew it down to make a space for the elastic. The right side of the extension shows inside the back waistband, and you now have a tunnel through which you pull the elastic for the back waist. The extension you are folding down may not cover the entire width of the waistband and may only be wide enough for the elastic (plus a little for finishing so there won't be a raw edge). You probably want to edgestitch the top of this created waistband/channel for elastic; this makes the elastic less likely to twist when the garment is worn or washed.

I think that the last time I made one of these, I made the back casing by folding the extension to the inside of the back piece and sewing it so there is a channel for the elastic, pulled the elastic through, made sure the elastic wasn't twisted and anchored it at the side seam allowances. Then I sewed the interfaced front waistband facing to the front with right sides together (so there is a seam at the bottom of the band attaching the waistband to the body of the garment and a seam holding the facing to the waistband at the top of the band). I trimmed the seams, opened out the facing stuck up at the top of the waist (so it looked kind of like the back extension did before I sewn it down in place), then put the front and back pieces right sides together so the side seams could be sewn, BUT folded the front waistband facing over the back of the waistband so that when I sewed the side seams, the back waist elastic anchorage was caught in the side seam. This looks like everything is wrong side out (the right side of the facing is folded over to meet the wrong side of the back waist, and there is no opening at the top until the seams are sewn and the facing is folded to where it belongs). I sewed the side seams, then turned the front waistband facing over to the front, and the back waistband seam allowance and elastic ends were enclosed in the side seam of the waist band. I stitched in the ditch of the side seam and waist seams to finish it off, but it could also be hand sewn with a whipstitch or a slipstitch.

Clear as mud? I'm guessing that you pattern calls for the back extension to be folded over the front waist band instead of the other way around as I did it, so that when the side seams are sewn, you would fold the back extension over the front to finish it. Somehow you have to get the elastic in there, but you don't say what the directions want you to do to achieve an elastic back waist. Ask again if that part isn't clear.
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Fictionfan
  
Member since 5/31/08
Posts: 39
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Posted on: 7/5/08 9:48 PM ET
thanks! i got it figured out!
  
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