It's easy to transform your crew neck T-shirt into a more flattering V-neck shirt in a few simple steps. You don't even need to add any additional fabric!
Beginner sewing refashion tutorial for how to add fabric to a shirt to make it bigger with a full photo walk through
Don't get rid of your favorite pants, just because they are too small. Make them more comfortable by letting out the side seams or adding fun side gussets.
Refashion your too-small sweater to cardigan using this simple sewing tutorial. Cut it down the middle and make your sweater into a cardigan that fits!
Beginner sewing refashion tutorial for how to add fabric to a shirt to make it bigger with a full photo walk through
I owe a huge hug of gratitude to Kathleen at Grosgrain Fabulous. She posted 30 days of sweater embellishments on her blog. In those tutorials she took the most ho-hum sweaters from Goodwill and turned
It can get frustrtating when your favourite clothing gets too tight on your body - Here are some tips to alter them to make them looser.
Wondering How to Make a Neckline Higher? Top US sewing blogger, Kara Metta shares her Step by StepTutorial. Click here now for all the info!!
It's great to learn simple ways to alter clothes to get a beautiful fit. A custom fit is the best way to make your clothing look well-made and expensive.
Take a crew neck t-shirt and alter it into a v-neck style. The good news is you can use the existing neckband.
I am short. There is no other way to put it. I’m barely 5′ tall. I think I’ve only bought two pairs of used jeans in my life that were already hemmed to my length…ever……
Beginner sewing refashion tutorial for how to add fabric to a shirt to make it bigger with a full photo walk through
Hi Everyone! . Spring Break is finally here and that means I have more time to sew! This refashion is just a basic among all of the tropical print shirts I purchased last week, but it was the first one to call my name from the pile. Despite my love for all things fashion, I […]
Learn how to take in a shirt to make it smaller the right way with this easy step by step sewing tutorial and instructions. How to make a shirt smaller.
I love that collared shirts are in style. They are versatile, comfortable, and can easily dress up a casual outfit. Unfortunately, however, I don't have many. And most that I do have are too short for today's style. So I decided to hit the local thrift store in search of men's shirts (so they'd be nice and long) to alter to my needs. Here is the man-shirt pre-altering. I bought this on half-off at Goodwill for $3. Pretty big and shape-less, huh? But it has good arm length and fun, unusual pockets, so I was hoping for some potential. It's important to choose a shirt that isn't way too big in the collar or arm-length because those are not easily altered. Now on to the altering process. It is SO quick and easy. If you are a sewing rookie, this would be a good way to get your feet wet. 1. Turn the shirt inside out and flatten along the seam on the inside of the arm and torso. 2. Use chalk to draw a smooth line along the seam the amount you'd like to take the shirt in. Blend the ends of your chalk line into the existing seams prior to the cuff and base of the shirt. If you are unsure of how much to take in, lay a shirt that fits as you would like this one to, and trace along that shirt's outline. 3. Cut along the lines you drew. 4. Lay the piece you cut out from the first side along the opposite edge to use as a guide to draw another chalk line. 5. Cut along the chalk line. 6. Pin the edges together, being sure to line up the cross seams at the armpit. Sew the new edges closed, blending into the existing seams at each end. I used a serger, but if you don't have a serger, a zig-zag stitch outside your first straight stitch will help prevent fraying. Here it is all sewn up, but still inside out. It actually looks like a woman's shirt now! Now I have a "new" shirt! Go thrift-store shopping or raid your hubby's closet and enjoy! Participating in these link-ups
I am short. There is no other way to put it. I’m barely 5′ tall. I think I’ve only bought two pairs of used jeans in my life that were already hemmed to my length…ever……
Learn how to make a v-neck t-shirt with this easy sewing tutorial and free pattern in women's size large. V-neck t-shirt pattern.
Learn how to shorten sleeves of a button up shirt to get the right fit. This is a simple alteration to make your sleeves the right length.
I am 5'2" necessitating LOTS of hemming and shortening of pants, skirts, and dresses. I just can't find anything the right length. If you've ever priced the cost of professional seamstresses (and add in the time it takes to get your clothing back), it costs a fortune to have everything you buy hemmed. I learned years ago how to hem pants and skirts, but jeans always gave me grief. A couple of years ago my older sister showed me a pair of her jeans that she had hemmed professionally, and it was easy to see how it was done. The difference is that jeans typically have a worn edge. The hem is decorative, so cutting that edge off to shorten them takes away part of the character you're paying for. So I developed a tutorial for hemming jeans the way professional would. Hope you find this helpful! What you'll need: sewing machine dark thread to match the jeans iron straight pins measuring tape scissors The Process: You'll need to measure the desired length of the jeans. The easiest way I've found to do this is to have the person stand on a chair and scoot back so the heel of their shoes is even with the edge of the chair. It might be helpful to note that you definitely need to have them wear the shoes they'd typically wear with the jeans. I prefer to hem the jeans to the ground. So, using a safety pin or water-soluble marking pen, mark the desired length (in my case, where the shoe ends and the chair begins). Next, measure the amount you'll need to shorten them from the edge of the current hem to the mark you've made. In the jeans in this tutorial, they needed to be shortened 2 1/2 inches. Lay the jeans flat on a hard surface, and measure up the desired length (2 1/2 inches here) from the stitching on the current hem. Since the current hem will remain in place, that half inch or so will also remain. So, if you measure from the edge of your jeans, they'll still be a half an inch too long after hemming. Make sense? Now place a straight pin to mark. Next you'll fold the edge of your jeans up into a cuff matching the current stitching to just above the pin like this. Pin in place. To check your accuracy, divide your total amount needed to shorten (2 1/2 inches for me) by 2 (equalling 1 1/4 inches in my case). Measure from the fold to just under the current stitching making sure this amount is half of the amount you need to take it in. Next, keeping this length consistent, pin all the way around the cuff. Measure as you go to make sure you're still consistent. Repeat these steps on the second leg. When both legs are securely pinned, move the pants to your sewing machine. Carefully stitch in the ditch just along the fold of the current hem. Make sure to get as close to this fold as possible being careful not to sew on top of it or across the current stitching. Stitch all the way around backstitching where you stop and start. Repeat this step for the other leg. Remove your jeans from the machine, and turn the cuff up to the inside of the leg like this. With a steaming hot iron, press this new seam from the inside all the way around each leg. Now turn the pants inside-out revealing the new cuff on the inside of the leg. Using super sharp scissors, cut the cuff about a quarter inch from your stitching. Turn the jeans right-side-out, and iron again if necessary to reveal your finished hem. Easy, and your seam is almost invisible! As always, please feel free to comment with questions, and I'll do my best to answer.
This week I'm enjoying my autumn break. A whole week to do some much needed sewing. The plan is to do some easy sewing. Nothing too com...
How to Alter Shoulders on a Blouse If a blouse fits in the bust or hips, but it’s too large in the shoulders use this alteration. Learn to alter shoulders o ...
Wondering How to Make a Neckline Higher? Top US sewing blogger, Kara Metta shares her Step by StepTutorial. Click here now for all the info!!
You can make an XL T shirt into a size small? Yes, you can. And it's easy. Many times you have t shirts (often giveaways for events, etc.) that are WAY too big. They just print a batch of XL and figure they will fit everyone. These shirts either get worn as sleepwear or sit around waiting to become rags. But often the shirt is from something special you've done and you want to wear it. The answer is to make it your size. And you can do that! This is something I've done for my daughter, with shirts from some of her college events, making the shirts a part of her wardrobe rather than a gift to Goodwill. This is a great job for a serger, but I use a zigzag stitch on my regular machine and it works fine. This could also be done by hand by any competent stitcher. This tutorial seems long because I have shown each step. After you've done this once, you will see how easy it really is! Your most important tool is a shirt that fits; this will be your pattern. (The brown shirt is the pattern shirt here.) 1. Cut off the sleeves of the big shirt at the seams. 2. Lay the pattern shirt on the big shirt folding sleeves up and out of the way. Match the shoulder seams of the two shirts. 3. Cut shirt approx. 1/4 inch larger than pattern at each side, and 3/4 inch longer at bottom. 4. Turn shirt inside out and pin the side seams from armpit to bottom. 5. Sew along pinned sides 1/4 inch from edge. Then turn up the bottom and stitch around hem. 6. For sleeves the shortening is done from the cut edge, you will keep the sleeve hem as is. Use pattern shirt to cut sleeves, match hems and cut top edge 1/4 inch longer. Then cut seamed edge to narrow the sleeve leaving 1/4 inch to sew. 7. Turn sleeve right sides together and stitch underarm seam. 8. Turn sleeve right side out and pin inside shirt armhole opening. Match seam of sleeve with seam of shirt, make sure you have right sides together. Shirt is inside out, sleeve is rightside out, see photo. 9. Sew around pinned sleeve seam. This is not as hard as it looks. Just follow the edges around, and since the fabric stretches it goes together easily. 10. Last step, cut out that size label! Enjoy a shirt that fits! This technique can be used to make a basic T into a "girly fit T", you would make the sleeves extra small and curve the side seams in at the waist. Use a well fitting girly T as your pattern.
Learn how to shorten a sweater or a jumper that is too long with a sewing machine. This tutorial keeps the ribbing for a professional hem.
I am short. There is no other way to put it. I’m barely 5′ tall. I think I’ve only bought two pairs of used jeans in my life that were already hemmed to my length…ever……
Thanks to Valerie of Threads Thoughts Things and Dottie Adele for yet another amazing Sewing 101 installment. I have to say that (besides this), this might be my favorite of her tutorials yet. It's just such a great, versatile, and
Learn to DIY with clothing alterations. Altering pants can be done in a few simple steps to make the leg width narrower.
Follow this tutorial to learn how to make a few simple DIY sewing alterations to make a too small shirt fit much better.
How to make a big shirt smaller - take a too large t-shirt and cut it down to size - Photo and video tutorial by Melly Sews
Learn how to take in a shirt to make it smaller the right way with this easy step by step sewing tutorial and instructions. How to make a shirt smaller.
Aurora Sisneros shows you a quick and easy way to take in a shirt by yourself without using a dress form.
I have finished my first “Get Shirty” Refashion. I really enjoyed making it and there is a real sense of satisfaction to be had from creating something new from something discarded. …
When I posted my sailboat tee tutorial a few weeks ago, I promised a tutorial on taking in the sleeves. This is really the most simple alteration out there, but it makes a huge difference, especially if you’re trying to avoid the 90’s baggy look (which, um, I hope you are). Here’s the t-shirt I […]
No matter how well designed a pattern may be, it cannot fit each individual perfectly. Each human body has its own quirks, and each person has different fitting needs. You may find that you need to enlarge a pattern beyond the sizes available on the sheet, or you might need to shrink it. Perhaps you
I personally love to customize my sweatshirts into the style that screams me. It just makes it more sentimental. So, here I had a bunch of thrifted sweatshirts and wondered what to do with them. It's a great thing I found The DIY Designer’s account on YouTube, where she shares different ways to upcycle boring
Learn how to take in a shirt to make it smaller the right way with this easy step by step sewing tutorial and instructions. How to make a shirt smaller.
Wondering How to Make a Neckline Higher? Top US sewing blogger, Kara Metta shares her Step by StepTutorial. Click here now for all the info!!
I've had quite a few emails asking for fitting help so I'm going to delve into some common fitting adjustments here on the blog. If you have a question that isn't covered, throw it into the comments so other people can benefit from the hive mind! It's clearly your lucky day as I turned pictures of me in my bathing suit into drawings for illustrative purposes. This shows my underbust line, high waist line, low waist line, and an entirely accurate belly button. Although I am slimmer towards my underbust, the intended seam line of the pattern (The Zone) falls around the high waist (if it was at the underbust it would become empire line which might indeed be cute but is not how I designed it). Like a lot of people that may or may not have had children, things become 'less streamlined' below my high waist so the seam falling above and the drape of the skirt should skim over that and be more flattering. How do you find your Zone? When drafting for grown-ups, there's no way to make a golden pattern that will fit everyone without adjustments. Not only are people different heights and sizes, but the distribution of their body parts varies wildly. The good news is that the Skater Dress only has one really important horizontal seam- the bodice / skirt seam. I am very short-waisted (that's actual me to the left), but I manipulated the pictures to show different torso builds for a proportional waist and a long waist. This is nothing to do with your overall height, but proportions. Although the busts are identical and the underbust lines even, the high waists and low waists shift incrementally. The standard pattern pieces for the Lady Skater are for the proportional waist in the middle, which means that even I have to make changes to my own pattern to fit me better! If you have experience of making adult clothes for yourself, you probably have a good idea of your body type but if you're new to this a really useful exercise is to do just as I have: take a photo of yourself in your bathing suit or tight fitting clothes and trace around it. Find your underbust, high waist, low waist, and hip lines and look at how they are distributed. If you're still having having trouble conceptionalising, here are some (fast and loose) indications that you might have to tinker with your bodice length: Your overall height. The pattern is graded for a 5'5" woman. If you are shorter than 5'5" or taller than 5'5" you will probably need to utilise the lengthen / shorten line on the bodice. Your torso proportions. Again, this takes some body awareness and experience, but if you are short or long waisted you will need to adjust the bodice piece to remove or add height. Bust size. This is the least important factor of the three but if you are of the small to average bust you might need to shorten your bodice as less of the fabric is being used to go up and over the breasts. Equally, very large busts might need to add length to the front bodice piece / remove length from the back bodice to have an evenly hanging hemline. Bodice length adjustments might be something that you're able to do to the pattern before sewing, but you might find that locating your Zone is only achievable after muslining the bodice. If you've made the bodice and tried it on, is it hitting you at your high (natural) waist? Is it too close to your underbust? Is it clinging or pooling somewhere closer to your low waist because it's too long? Lengthening your bodice This is probably the most straight-forward change to make! All you need to do is split the pattern all the way across the lengthen line, add height with a piece of paper underneath, and smooth your side seams. The grey section is what you've added. Make sure you do the same change to your front and back bodice. Shortening your bodice Split your bodice along the shorten line, pull the bottom section up so that it overlaps with the top section (keeping the fold line aligned), and then smooth out your side seam. The grey section shows the overlap. Make sure you do the same change to your front and back bodice. I'm happy with my front bodice length but my back bodice is hanging lower / I'm having pooling centre back: As per my tutorial instructions, I highly recommend that you muslin the bodice before cutting precious hoarded fabric. When you make the bodice to ascertain if the waistline is hitting 'The Zone', you might notice when turning sideways that the back bodice is hanging lower than the front. Or- you might not notice until your final dress is finished and you want to know how to fix it. Uneven hems can be very common, particularly if you're busty. Now, I did a sway back adjustment to every size of the master pattern to try to counteract this but your own proportions might mean that you need to make further adjustments. Like the lengthen and shorten instructions above, what you need to do is slash your pattern along the lengthen / shorten line but do not cut through your size line on the side seam, only cut very close to it. Swing the lower section upwards so that you are overlapping the upper section at the centre back. This probably won't need to be a huge overlap (3/4" to 1"), and tape in place. The centre edge of the lower section will swing over the vertical fold line. Return this line to vertical and (if required) add the same amount of width that you removed at the centre vertical to the side seam. The sway back adjustment is essentially taking a wedge out of centre back to reduce pooling, nothing else is changing in a major way. Depending on how much you removed, you might need to smooth your bottom seam line so it's convex rather than a harsh angle. If you only found this pooling after your entire dress was complete, try it on inside out and with the help of a friend pull the back bodice / skirt seam up until the hem is even and pin in place. Seam-rip along the centre back (the side seams should be unaffected), remove the excess to the back bodice piece and re-sew. If you find pooling both at the front and the back your bodice is too long. My high bust and waist aren't the same sizes: When you are measuring your high bust and high waist, you might find that your high bust corresponds to a different size than your waist. The above picture shows smoothing the side seam between smaller bust / larger waist and larger bust / smaller waist. When blending sizes, the majority of the extra room happens in the bust where its needed. Depending on your fabric choice and your cup size, you might find that you need more room in the bust only. Using a fabric with less stretch capacity like interlock or jersey without lycra might result in a drag line across the full bust. Fixing this is almost the same as blending a larger bust to smaller waist except you're doing it to the front bodice only. Adding extra width to the armhole and upper bodice means that you'll have to also add the same amount to the front sleeve so it fits. If the front bodice side seam becomes slightly longer than the back bodice side seam, ease the extra length into the top half of the seam where the bust is. **EDITED TO ADD ANOTHER ONE BASED ON COMMENTS** Shortening the shoulder height / Upper bust height: If you find that after making a bodice muslin that there is pooling above your bust towards the sleeve hole, or that the sleeve cap is sitting funky off your shoulder cap, you might need to shorten your shoulder height or shoulder width. With your bodice muslin on inside out, pinch the shoulder seam to bring it up and pin out the excess. On your paper pattern, match the amount you pinned out to the corresponding smaller size (for example, if you pinned 1/4" below the shoulder seam you would go down one size to both the front and back bodices, 1/2" goes down two sizes, etc). Use that armscye / sleeve hole but when you get to the side seam increase the width to your original size. In the picture above (as per Lyn's adjustments in the comments!), I'm showing how to use the upper bust and shoulder of a size 3 with the width of the size 6 in the lower bodice. Use the sleeve of the smaller size but add the extra width at the front and back corners to reflect the size of your lower bodice. I hope all of this helps! If you have a question about fitting that I haven't covered, chuck it in the comments. Pin It Tweet
Learn how to add back darts to dress for a better fit! This alteration is great to make your dresses fit better and add shaping in the back.
