Get More Use Out of Your Child's Jeans

If you go out shopping for clothes for your child, you will be lucky to find any pants that will get taller along with your child. I have looked and looked, and not found a single pair! My oldest daughter is the reason why I started trying to find creative ways to get more use out of her jeans. She has always been tall for her age, and she always grows taller than her jeans so quickly! My other daughter is four years younger than her and also a bit on the petite side, so saving my older daughters clothing for her is a bit difficult. I didn't want to get rid of the jeans and other pants that had become too short. So I started thinking of ways to keep those jeans other than just saving them for my younger daughter.

Cut-Off Shorts
This is probably the most common way to keep jeans or pants after your child has gotten to tall for them. This method works great for both boys and girls. You simply put the jeans or pants onto your child and mark where you want them to be cut off. Then you take them off of your child and cut the additional length off. The best way to get maximum use out of cut off jeans or pants is to prevent raveling of the bottom. I find that the easiest way to do this is to sew a good strong seam just above where you cut. Use your machine and sew right above where the cut was made. This will help to prevent raveling. Shorts are great, but I like to get even more use out of the pants.

Capri Pants
Capri pants are pants that come just below your knees. In order to make Capri pants from your daughter's pants you will need to follow the same steps for the shorts above, however the length will be longer. The best thing that I find about making the pants into Capri pants is that you can use them until your daughter once again gets too tall for the capris and then cut them off into shorts! So you get even more use out of them than if you had just cut them off into shorts as soon as she got too tall for the full length pants.

Embellishments
For me this is my favorite part of modifying my child's pants that are too short! As you can see in the pictures attached to this article. I turned a pair of my daughters full length pants which became too short into patriotic Capri pants. They are perfect for her to wear on Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day. However, you can decorate your child's pants with other themes! You could make birthday pants, rainbow pants, fairy pants, or any of your child's favorite things! All you need are the supplies to embellish the pants with. I used ready made ruffles for my daughter's pants that are shown. However, you could also use fringe, or Ric Rac, or make your own ruffles. I also used Ric Rac as a decoration on the pockets. Plus I put appliques onto to the pants for an added touch. If you have a Be-dazzler or other tool to add beads to fabrics you could always make designs out of beads. The embellishment possibilities are endless. You and your child will have so much fun deciding what to turn those pants into!

There are other ways to get more use out of the pants too. I have heard some people say they turned the full length pants into skirts, but I have never tried this on my own. You can also just cut up the jeans and make them into something completely different. You can make purses or head bands, or even quilts or other crafts! Purses and headbands are also a good way to use the excess fabric that you cut off and will not be using!

As you can see, once those jeans or pants get too short for your child, that is not the end of their use in your child's life! Get creative and let your child help with the choices. Those too short pants will transform into your child's new favorite thing to wear!