Accessibility in clothing is something most of us don't think about until we have to deal with it directly. There are so many different scenarios that can make it difficult to put on a pair of pants or shirt. We might think of disabled individuals in wheelchairs needing assistance in dressing. How about someone who is home or bedbound? Or someone who is failing in their capacities due to a stroke or dementia? A caregiver usually assists with dressing and personal needs and it can be a tough situation. This blog post will hopefully help someone out there who is looking for a way to alter a pair of pajama pants. Although I do not have each step here on my website, I do have a video tutorial you can watch down below.
I purchased a pair of fleece pajama bottoms from a local big box retailer and altered it to have tab tops with snaps at the waist.
The inside waist has another tab that is secured with velcro. This will add extra support.
The side seams fully open with velcro. This will make it easier to accommodate dressing someone who might not be able to lift their legs or move in the usual way. This pair of pants did have pockets and a drawstring that fully function after the alterations.
All of these adjustments were done with straight seams and a few added materials.
I added a long strip of fabric that was interfaced and folded to the side seam after it was taken apart. This is where one side of the velcro was attached.
I created the tabs with fabric that was interfaced for added stability. You can see here I sewed and turned them right side out.
90/14 needles were used because the fleece and interfaced material were thick in areas.
This picture shows the second side of velcro ready to be sewn.
Along With The Snap Tab and the Velcro at the waistband, you could add one extra piece of security. If you look closely, there is a hook and eye sewn at the join. This won't interfere with the closures you add and just in case one of them comes loose, the hook and eye will hold tight. Now that I have shown you a few pictures of the process, are you curious to see how the alteration was done? Just click the play button on the video. It will take you through one entire side of pants and several of the steps could be used on other types of clothing. I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work.
