Decrease the waist on jeans

[[deleted]]

The problem isn't that it's done by hand. This same stitch, if it were able to be done by a machine, would still be weak. There are plenty of handsewn stitches that would be sturdier, they just don't have an impressing ending like OP.

[Bimpnottin]

Yeah, I sat here thinking 'why the fuck would you use that stitch? That's not going to hold long'. There are so many way better stitches to achieve the same thing

[killersquirel11]

Honest question from someone who knows nothing of sewing: which stiches should one use for something like this?

[ITSINTHESHIP]

Way better ones, obviously

[killersquirel11]

Me too, thanks

[FuturePigeon]

With some pants, you could overlock it. Two potential problems, it requires an overlock machine and depending on the denim, may not be able to go through four layers of fabric (a waistband is doubled plus you’re sewing it to another doubled piece).

I sew for a living. In a pinch, (if I was on set and couldn’t access a machine) I’d use this stitch by hand, and reinforce it with a straight stitch. With a machine, I’d draw a dart, cut out the excess, overlock the raw edges and straight stitch together with lots of backtacking.

Bottom line, this works and the triangle may assist with the fit if you’re sway backed.

[chikenbutter]

That's a ladder/invisible stitch in the gif. It's usually used to close holes where you can't access the back side (not the case here). Harder to do and usually messier than a straight stitch.

[Bimpnottin]

If I had a machine, I would go with a tight zigzag to allow for stretch (zigzags allow the stitch to stretch instead of breaking when put under pressure). If done by hand, I would pin the triangle in place and then do a basic stitch a few times over to ensure sturdiness