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! :)

  You will find us linked up at some of these fine sites.