A drawstring waist is a casing with two openings at the center front through which a cord or fabric tie passes. Make the openings, as two vertical buttonholes or two metal eyelets 3 cm (1 1/4 in) apart, through the outer layer only and backed with a square of interfacing, before you fold and stitch the casing; then thread the drawstring with a safety pin. For most trousers and shorts the casing is 3 cm (1 1/4 in) deep and also holds elastic, so the waist stays up without the tie being tight.
What do you need for a drawstring waist?
- A casing cut as part of the garment, folded down from the top edge, or as a separate waistband 1 cm (3/8 in) deeper than the drawstring and elastic together. A 3 cm casing takes 2.5 cm (1 in) elastic on its own, or 2 cm (3/4 in) elastic plus a 1 cm flat tie.
- Two 4 × 4 cm (1 5/8 in) squares of fusible interfacing, placed on the wrong side where the openings will be.
- For buttonholes: the buttonhole foot and a size that matches the drawstring: a 1.5 cm (5/8 in) buttonhole for a 1 cm flat tie or a 5 mm cord.
- For eyelets: 8–10 mm (5/16–3/8 in) inner diameter metal eyelets with their setting tool, or a machine that sews eyelets.
- A drawstring: 5 mm (3/16 in) cotton cord, flat cotton tape, or a self-fabric tie cut 3.5 cm (1 3/8 in) wide for a 1 cm finished tie, as long as the waist plus 70 cm (27 1/2 in) for the bow.
- Elastic, if the waist is to hold itself: the elastic length calculator gives the cut length from your waist.
- A large safety pin or a bodkin, and a cord stop or two knots for the ends.
Eyelets or buttonholes: which is better for a drawstring?
| Buttonholes | Metal eyelets | |
|---|---|---|
| Look | Soft, blends with the fabric | Sporty, visible metal ring |
| Fabric | Any woven or knit that takes a buttonhole | Firm fabrics; on knits, interface generously |
| Cord | Flat ties and cords up to the buttonhole length | Round cords up to the ring's diameter |
| Tools | Buttonhole foot | Setting tool and a hammer, or pliers |
| Durability | Strong when interfaced | Can pull out of loose weaves if under-interfaced |
| Fixing a mistake | Unpick and resew | The hole is cut; it cannot be moved |
Buttonholes suit linen trousers, pajama pants and anything in a soft fabric; eyelets suit sweatshirt fleece, canvas and sportswear. On a hoodie, eyelets and a round cord are the standard pairing.
Where do the drawstring openings go?
The openings sit in the finished casing, centered in its depth, and on either side of the center front. Measure them on the garment before anything is folded:
- Mark the center front on the right side of the fabric at the top edge.
- Measure down from the top edge to the middle of the casing: the fold allowance plus half the casing depth. For a fold-down casing with a 1 cm turn-under and a 3 cm channel, the center of the buttonhole lies 2.5 cm (1 in) below the top edge.
- Mark two points 1.5 cm (5/8 in) left and right of center front at that height, so the openings are 3 cm apart. A wider gap looks fine on wide trousers; closer than 2 cm (3/4 in) and the fabric between them puckers.
- Vertical buttonholes run with the casing's depth, 1.5 cm long, centered on those points. Eyelets are set on the points.
Tip: Make the openings on a scrap of the same fabric with the same interfacing first, and thread the cord through it. A buttonhole that fits a cord on paper is often too tight once the bar tacks close it in.
How do you sew a drawstring waist, step by step?
- Fuse the interfacing squares to the wrong side, centered on the two marks, through the outer layer only. On a fold-down casing, the outer layer is the part of the garment that stays outside after folding, so the squares sit below the fold line, not above it.
- Make the openings. Sew the buttonholes and cut them open with a seam ripper, a pin across the far end to stop the blade, or set the eyelets following the tool's instructions, punching the hole a fraction smaller than the eyelet.
- Sew the garment's side seams and center seams, so the casing runs in a ring. Finish the top edge with a zigzag or a serger.
- Fold the casing to the inside along the fold line and press, then press the raw edge under by 1 cm if it is not finished. Pin.
- Stitch the casing close to the lower edge, 2 mm (1/16 in) from the finished edge, leaving a 5 cm (2 in) gap at the center back if elastic goes in. Edgestitch the top fold too, which keeps the casing crisp and stops the elastic rolling.
- Thread the elastic through the gap with the safety pin, overlap the ends by 2 cm (3/4 in) and zigzag them. Close the gap.
- Thread the drawstring in through one opening, around the whole casing on top of the elastic, and out through the other. Knot the ends or add cord stops.
- Anchor the drawstring with a short vertical line of stitching through the casing at the center back, so it cannot be pulled out in the wash.
For a separate waistband, the openings go in the outer waistband piece before it is sewn to the trousers, and the band is folded and stitched in the ditch to close it, as in the elastic waistband casing guide. The method is otherwise identical.
How do you make a fabric drawstring?
Cut a strip 3.5 cm (1 3/8 in) wide and the waist measurement plus 70 cm long, on the straight grain, piecing it if the fabric is not long enough. Press it in half lengthwise, open it, press both long edges to the center crease, then fold on the crease again so all raw edges are inside, as for double-fold bias tape. Edgestitch along the open edge, tucking the ends in by 1 cm before you start and finish. A tie made this way is 9 mm (3/8 in) wide and goes through a 1.5 cm buttonhole with room to spare. On a knit, a strip of self-fabric stretched hard will curl into a cord on its own and can be used as is, with a knot at each end.
What are the common mistakes with a drawstring waist?
- Buttonholes made after the casing is sewn go through both layers, and the cord ends up outside the garment. The openings always go in before the fold.
- No interfacing lets the buttonhole stretch into a slit and an eyelet tear out of the fabric within a few wears.
- Openings too close to the top edge end up inside the fold once the casing is pressed. Measure from the top edge after allowing for the turn-under.
- A drawstring without elastic has to be tied tightly to hold the garment up, and bunches the fabric at the front. Elastic plus a loose tie is more comfortable and looks better.
- A drawstring that disappears into the casing was not anchored at the back. One line of stitching across the casing fixes it for good.
- Cord stops that will not pass the eyelet should be added after threading, not before.
When should you use a drawstring instead of plain elastic?
A plain elastic casing is quicker and invisible, and the right choice for a skirt or a pair of shorts that fit closely over the hip, where the waist does not need adjusting. Choose a drawstring when the fit varies, on pajama pants, loose linen trousers, joggers and shorts worn over a swimsuit, or when you want the look of a tie at the front. The elastic waistband methods comparison weighs the casing against elastic sewn directly to the fabric and against a wide yoga-style band. Sewly's pull-on trousers pattern, in its wide, straight, tapered and jogger versions, lists the elastic length among the notions; add the two openings as above if you want a drawstring in the same casing.