DIY Maternity Jeans

Finding maternity clothes can be such a struggle. When your regular pants are getting tight but maternity pants are still too big, what do you do?

I was searching for a solution that wasn’t leggings or sweatpants when I came across maternity jeans with side panel elastic instead of the full over-the-belly panel. This seemed like a good solution because, in theory, this type should fit in early pregnancy and be able to stretch and still fit comfortably as you get farther along. The inspiration for these comes from this pair, but like most places, the long length is always sold out! So, I decided to use some jeans I already had and make my own version.

This post may contain affiliate links. This means, at no additional cost to you, I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on a link on this page. Learn more here.

Materials

Jeans
Elastic – I used a 6 inch wide roll and it was the perfect size
Fabric Scissors – regular scissors will work too, it’s just a little harder to cut through jeans
Needle and Thread
Sewing machine

Step 1.

Lay jeans on a flat surface and cut out the front pockets. Start at the top of the front waistband.

Step 2.

Turn jeans inside out and finish cutting out the pockets. Be careful not to cut through the jeans layer, only cut off the excess pocket.

Step 3.

Cut 2 pieces of elastic. You can either measure this by determining the pocket hole length and adding a half inch seam allowance on both sides, or just eyeball it. The goal is to have enough elastic to cover the pocket hole plus extra on the sides so you can sew it together. Make sure the jeans are buttoned and zipped. This will help make your measurements more accurate.

Step 4.

Turn jeans right side out and slide elastic inside the jeans positioning it to cover the pocket holes. Leave enough overlap around the edges on each side to sew together the elastic and jeans.

Step 5.

Pin the elastic in place. I made sure to pin the top corners on each piece so it lined up with the waistband of the jeans.

Step 6.

Sew the elastic to the jeans around the pocket edges. It takes a little maneuvering to get them in the right position on the sewing machine. I kept the jeans right side out so it was easier to follow the edge of the pockets.