Wednesday, May 15, 2013

DIY Resizing a Shirt


I have a little sewing trick that comes in handy so many times.  Re-sizing a shirt!

My son is 6 foot 3 inches tall and has a 32 inch waist.  Yes, he only weighs 150 pounds.  But he has such broad shoulders that he wears a men's large shirt.  The shirts are usually cut for a much heavier man so, you guessed it, they hang like a sack on him.  Voila! The shirt re-size to the rescue!



Have the person (my son) put on the shirt.  Pin up the sides and even under the arm if needed where the new seam will go.  Have them take the shirt off.  It is important that they can comfortably get the shirt on and off (especially if it is a pull-over) and you know this before you start sewing.

Carefully measure how far in the new seam will be at each pin.  I try to average the measurement and make both sides the same at that point.  Then with the shirt inside out pin the new seam. (I go pin by pin.)

For this shirt, I made it more narrow it at the waist and gradually flared it out under the arms.  I measure from the bottom to the narrowest place at the waist and make sure the sides are even. Stitch the seam. Have them try on the shirt to make sure it fits and the seam look smooth. I usually sew a zig-zag stitch inside the seam allowance so the fabric won't fray.  Trim the seam close to the zig-zag stitching.

I also did this for several of my blouses as I have lost 30 pounds over the last year. I just can't go out and buy a whole new wardrobe and some of these shirts were my favorites!  I had a helper pin up the shirt while I had it on. I sewed them up and they look great, plus I feel great that I'm not wearing big baggy shirts!

Save some dough, be resourceful and give it a stab.  (Just don't stab your finger with the pin!) You'll be glad you did! :)


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14 comments:

  1. Very good idea. I've had to do this myself at times, though I don't normally have a problem with shirts being too big (usually they are too tight!). ;)

    That's WONDERFUL that you've been able to lose so much weight - way to go Mrs. Erickson! :D {{hugs}}

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    1. Thanks, Rachel, you are encouraging as always!! :) Yep, the weight loss is good but now most of my clothes don't fit! Being able to sew is a big help!
      Love,
      Gloria

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  2. Doing that made a big difference in the way it looks. Great idea!

    Rebecca

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    1. Thanks for the comment! It does really help him out! :)
      Gloria

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  3. This really makes me wish I could sew. Shirts never fit right and this tutorial would help so much, if only I could sew. Thanks for sharing on Thursdays Treasures.

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    1. Glad to share! Just to encourage, it's never to late to learn! I just learned to can food a few years ago and love it. :)
      Gloria

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  4. Great tips!

    I would love for you to link up at the Empty Your Archive party which has children's clothes as one of it's themes this week - Alice @ Mums Make Lists x

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    1. Thanks! And thanks for the invite, we'll check it out!!
      Gloria

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  5. Thanks for the great tutorial. Pinned it for future reference.

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    1. Thanks for pinning it! Hope you can enjoy it in the future! :)
      Gloria

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  6. Having clothes that fit nicely is such a morale booster for anyone! Lucky son to have a mom who sews! thanks so much for sharing on busy Monday!

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    1. Totally! When you look your best, you feel your best too! :) Thanks for coming by, Charlene!

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  7. This is an awesome tutorial! I have so many shirts which needs re-sizing :-) Thank you for sharing at our ALL MY BLOGGY FRIENDS party ! Hope to see you again on Tuesday with more great and helpful posts :-)

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    1. Hi Linda! Glad we could help! We'll definitely be back again, no worries! ;)

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