How to insert and elastic into a casing | Step-by-step sewing tutorial
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How to insert elastic into a casing | Step-by-step sewing tutorial
Inserting elastic into a casing is one of the most useful and beginner-friendly sewing techniques — it’s used for waistbands, sleeve hems, and cuffs on all kinds of garments. This tutorial covers the simple steps, tools, and tips you need for a neat, flexible finish every time.
Materials needed
- Elastic (appropriate width for your project)
- Safety pin or bodkin
- Fabric with a sewn casing
- Scissors
- Sewing machine or needle and thread
- Measuring tape or ruler
Step-by-step instructions
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Sew the casing
Fold the fabric 1 cm toward the wrong side and press. Fold again by 1 cm, press, and sew all the way around — but leave a small opening of about 3–4 cm to insert the elastic. This double fold creates the tunnel that will hold the elastic.
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Attach a safety pin and feed through
Attach a safety pin or bodkin to one end of the elastic. Feed it into the opening and work it all the way through the casing, gathering the fabric as you go. A bodkin makes this step much faster and easier than a safety pin alone.
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Hold the other end
As you feed the elastic through, keep a firm hold on the free end so it doesn’t slip inside the casing. You can pin it to the fabric just outside the opening to keep it secure while you work.
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Overlap and sew the ends
Once the elastic is fully threaded through, pull both ends out of the opening, overlap them by about 1–2 cm, and sew them together securely with a box stitch or zigzag stitch. Check that the elastic isn’t twisted inside the casing before sewing.
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Close the opening
Tuck the joined elastic back inside the casing and close the opening by sewing it shut. Distribute the gathers evenly around the full casing, then give it a gentle press to finish.
Pro tip
This tutorial uses 0.7 cm wide elastic — if you use a wider elastic, you need a wider casing to match. For example, for a 1 cm elastic, fold about 1.5 cm twice to create enough space. Always make your casing slightly wider than the elastic so it feeds through smoothly without bunching or getting stuck.
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