making jeans larger

[novaskies.livejournal.com]

Hi, this is my first time posting here, but I've been lurking for a couple weeks now. Right now I'm trying to alter an old pair of jeans that have gotten too small for me. I have two strips of heavy ribbon that I want to use to make insets on the outside of the legs. The problem is, I don't know what to do about the waist band. How can I make it larger? Should I just cut straight up the sides and use the ribbon to expand that as well? If I do that I don't think the ribbon will be quite long enough to reach the ankles. I could really use some creative ideas on what to do with these!
Thanks girls! :)