Restyling Thrifted Drawstring Linen Pants with Elastic

I don’t like drawstring pants or sweatpants. I just don’t. I don’t like the bulk of the knot under my t-shirt or having to untie and tie for bathroom breaks.

After a year of buying very few clothes, my favorite garden pants are reaching the stage where even mending is not going to be worth my time. I made a trip to the thrift store, and found these 100% linen drawstring pants. I wore them once, but knew if I didn’t change out the drawstring, I probably wouldn’t reach for them often. And, over the last year, well, actually it’s been more like a year and a half, I’ve become more conscious about not shopping just to shop and not filling up my closet with clothes that I won’t wear often.

I’ve been sewing for well over 50 years, so changing out the drawstring with elastic is an easy task for me. But, I’m writing about it, because if you haven’t sewn a lot, you might have questions. It’s pretty straightforward, but I’ll share a couple of tips.

After making sure the pants fit, the first step is to take out the drawstring.

Step 1: Take out the drawstring. In this pair of Mosimo linen pants, there were 6 stitches at the center back seam to keep someone from accidentally pulling the drawstring out. Those were easily picked out and I pulled the drawstring out.

Next: Elastic. The elastic should fill the casing with just a little extra wiggle room. This casing was shy of 3/4”, so my 1/2” plush lingerie elastic fit just right. If I had had some, a braided elastic would have been my first choice, but, I have a whole spool of this elastic that I bought for a song last year when I was making underwear. So, that’s what I used.
For a few minutes, I thought about adding a wide linen casing and elastic, because it’s generally more comfortable, but decided this elastic would be fine. I can always redo later if I decide to.

Next: Pull the elastic through the casing. I have a couple different tools for putting in elastic, but the humble safety pin is my favorite for a waistband. I usually have a few in a bowl in my sewing room. I pulled the elastic through, making sure the other end didn’t escape into the casing. I stitched across the casing to secure and trimmed the elastic edge.
I then worked the elastic to even out the gathers, and stitched the other edge the same way. Since this waistband had buttonhole openings in the front for the drawstring, I didn’t bring the elastic full circle.

The safety pin, invented by Walter Hunt
Here’s a little tip! If you use a safety pin often to pull elastic through a casing, leave a piece on the safety pin, to make it easier to find amongst your pins.

Ahhhh…the humble safety pin. "Mechanic and independent inventor, Walter Hunt, secured a place in American history when he invented the useful, everyday device known as the safety pin in 1849.” [source: mit.edu]

At this point, I’m basically done. After all, these are going to be my every day gardening pants. But, I decided to use the drawstring to hide the button holes.

I could have overthought how to do this for hours, but instead, I made this simple X with the old drawstring, sticking it in place with adhesive strips that dissolve in the wash. I didn’t measure or plan. The goal was to cover the buttonholes. Voila. Done.

Last step. To make sure the elastic doesn’t twist when I’m wearing the pants, I stitched a line across the waistband at center back.

There! All done. I even pressed them lightly. Ready to wear, in less than an hour, and in my favorite fabric for pants, 100% linen! These are not premium linen and the original pair of pants was $30.
Price: $2.99.

I’m much more careful now about bringing home loads of clothes, just in case. I try to have a purpose and I really try not to buy something that “might fit some day” or that is such a great brand, but not my color or style.

During the first part of 2020, I purged over 10 big trash bags full of clothes and shoes from our closets, intending to put back a few staple shirts and pants. I still have dresser drawers that are empty. With all the lockdowns and restrictions, I just didn’t go shopping. So, it’s actually time to look for a few staple garments or make some, because I thinned out my clothes so much that the few things I’ve worn over and over are becoming rags.

It did teach me a few things, however. One of the things I learned this year was that no matter how much I love a garment on a hanger or on someone else, if it’s not a color I look good in or a fabric or style that I feel good in, I won’t wear it. Those were the first things to go. Another thing I learned is that I don’t mind wearing the same thing day after day. I’ve had smaller loads of laundry, I don’t have to hunt for hangers to hang clothes up, or try to shove something into an overfull drawer. Nearly a year ago, I made a loose-fitting jacket, with indigo over-dyed, thrifted denim, and it has been a staple in my wardrobe, almost every day. I love having a jacket to pull on, so much, that I am going to make one for warmer temps.

If you have questions, please comment below. This was a simple garment to change, and now I know I’ll wear them!

Your friend,
Anne Dovel