High waters no more!

 

Sorry, Italians, but I just can’t translate this post. For those of you who don’t know the term, “highwaters” are pants/trousers that are too short. The idea is that, if you’re in high water, your pants won’t get wet because they’re so short. It seems they are making a fashion comeback, but I’ve never been able to stand them, perhaps because, being a bit on the tall side, I often have problems finding pants that are as long as I want them and quite frequently a trip or two in the washing machine makes them too short. Like those pants in the photo above (which you can also see the 13th day of my challenge). I bought those when I was in high school (we’re talking sometime around 1994-5) and could very well be the item of clothing I’ve had the longest. I’ve always liked those rainbow stripes, but they were just way too short so I would wear them maybe once a year in the privacy of my own home. It really was a shame. But fortunately, there’s a way to fix this and it’s even pretty easy!

 

And it’s a good thing because my kids are both very thin, so we always have problems with pants being long enough but too wide around the waist, or perfect around the waist but too short. Just look what pants like that look like!!

 

Eek! And there were these other pants that fit my daughter equally badly. Ugh! So I took all these awful highwaters and turned them into fashionable capri pants/pedal pushers!

 

First, put on the pants and use a safety pin to mark where you want your future capris to go up to. I like just below the knee.

 

Place the two legs one on top of the other and use a ruler to draw a line across. If you want the new seam 2 cm above the folded hem, make your line about 3 1/2 cm below the pin. Then cut along that line.

 

Turn your pants inside out. Fold the fabric inwards by 1 cm, checking it with a ruler and steam ironing it down. Then fold it in again by 2 1/2 cm, and you will have gotten them to your desired length. Iron very well and pin. (If you have a jersey or other non-fray fabric, there’s no need to do this double fold. If you want, you can just fold once, as you can see in the photo above.) If you have tight pants or leggings, you will probably find it easier to use one of those mini-ironing boards that are for ironing long sleeves, as you see in the photo above. Then you turn the pants right side out and sew 2 cm above the fold. Don’t forget that if you’re sewing stretchy fabric (like these leggings) you’ll need a stretchy stitch (like a zig zag) or a twin needle.

 

And there we have my daughter’s three pedal pushers and my son’s shorts! Perfect for the summer! (If it’ll ever get here. Boy is it chilly!)

 

Don’t they look cool now! A lot better than with high waters!