It's no secret. It's actually pretty much the norm these days. But now that the Big Ballerina is getting close to moving out of kids' size clothing, it is becoming hit or miss. And it's always a miss. When you find a great deal. On a cute pair of shorts. That aren't too childish. Or worse yet. Trampy.
You know what I'm talking about. The adjustable waistband. That little strip of elastic sewn into the waistband that allows your kid to wear pants. Or shorts in this case. That are actually long enough.
That little piece of elastic is the first thing I check for. If it's missing, I pass it by. Until I happened upon this pair.
Not too childish. Not too short. Not too blingy. No rhinestones. No peace signs. No tie-dye. Just a nice soft, basic white denim. And less than $10. Perfect. Except for one thing.
No adjustable waistband. *crap*
I bought them anyway. Maybe. Just maybe. They would fit my 12 year old ruler. Yeah right. As always, they fell to the floor. But this time, instead of returning them, I decided to fight back.
I found this tutorial that taught me the secret. BUTTON HOLE ELASTIC! Who knew?
I hopped in my car. Made a quick trip to Joann's. Picked up a small package of this magic elastic. Unfortunately, they only had black, but nobody sees inside anyway. Raced back home. And went to town following this tutorial.
Twenty minutes later I was done. Not because I'm a great seamstress. As you can see from this photo. But because this is EASY people! Do NOT be afraid. Seriously. It's EASY!
But the Big Ballerina thinks I'm pretty darn impressive. "Hey Mom, you can take over for Miss Shonda as Wardrobe Mistress (at her ballet studio) when Brianna graduates now."
"ummm...not quite, BB. But at least I don't have to look at you digging your size 6X shorts out of your butt anymore. Here, have a sammich."
Now if I can just figure out how to make bikinis for skinny tweens that actually fit, THEN I'd finally make my fortune.
You know what I'm talking about. The adjustable waistband. That little strip of elastic sewn into the waistband that allows your kid to wear pants. Or shorts in this case. That are actually long enough.
That little piece of elastic is the first thing I check for. If it's missing, I pass it by. Until I happened upon this pair.
Not too childish. Not too short. Not too blingy. No rhinestones. No peace signs. No tie-dye. Just a nice soft, basic white denim. And less than $10. Perfect. Except for one thing.
No adjustable waistband. *crap*
I bought them anyway. Maybe. Just maybe. They would fit my 12 year old ruler. Yeah right. As always, they fell to the floor. But this time, instead of returning them, I decided to fight back.
I hopped in my car. Made a quick trip to Joann's. Picked up a small package of this magic elastic. Unfortunately, they only had black, but nobody sees inside anyway. Raced back home. And went to town following this tutorial.
Twenty minutes later I was done. Not because I'm a great seamstress. As you can see from this photo. But because this is EASY people! Do NOT be afraid. Seriously. It's EASY!
But the Big Ballerina thinks I'm pretty darn impressive. "Hey Mom, you can take over for Miss Shonda as Wardrobe Mistress (at her ballet studio) when Brianna graduates now."
"ummm...not quite, BB. But at least I don't have to look at you digging your size 6X shorts out of your butt anymore. Here, have a sammich."
Shorts - Paper, Denim & Cloth reg. $38
$9.99 at Marshall's
Now if I can just figure out how to make bikinis for skinny tweens that actually fit, THEN I'd finally make my fortune.
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