How to sew a shirt a size smaller yourself

Recommendations for sewing men's and women's shirts at home.

Quite often we buy things without trying them on, and only when we bring them home do we realize that we have done something stupid. Most often, such a purchase turns out to be the wrong size and is simply sent to the closet. In fact, it is not at all necessary to do so.

If you show a little patience, you can easily adjust the wrong size item. In our article we will try to tell you how you can sew a shirt in at the waist at home, shorten its length and adjust the armhole.

Required Items

Before starting work, you should prepare all the necessary tools so as not to be distracted from the process.

You will need:

needle;
15-20 pins;
threads of a suitable color;
sharp scissors;
soap or colored chalk;
sewing machine. It will greatly facilitate the process;
measuring tape.

Jeans

Stretched jeans can be turned into shorts, made into pillows, or you can try to return them to their original size.

If the trousers are stretched everywhere, only boiling or processing at high temperature in the washing machine will help.

Boiling:

Boil water in a large saucepan.
Add laundry detergent. Add more powder, the solution should be strong.
Turn the item inside out so that the color of the fabric does not suffer as much.
Place the jeans in the boiling liquid and leave to cook for 30 minutes. After boiling, remove the clothes using tongs and hang them on a clothesline.

Boiling will not only shrink your pants, it will shorten them. Be prepared for the pants to be a little shorter in length.

Boiling cannot be carried out if the clothes have decor such as sparkles, patterns, or are decorated with deliberate scuffs.

Jeans can also be made smaller in a certain area. For example, if the belt, knees or buttocks are stretched.

What do we have to do?

Pour water mixed with conditioner into a spray bottle (ratio 3:1). Shake the solution well.

Spray it on the areas that need shrinkage. Then dry it in an automatic machine on the most powerful mode.

Sewing a shirt step by step

Even a person without experience or special skills can alter a men's or women's shirt.

The main thing is to have the necessary tools at hand and follow the instructions:

Step 1. First of all, you need to understand which part of the clothing was the wrong size. To do this, put the shirt on yourself or the person wearing it and assess the situation visually.
Step 2: Once you've identified the problem areas, take your pins and begin laying the fabric along the entire length of the seam. Make sure that it is even, otherwise the item will be deformed after the sewing procedure.
Step 3. After basting, remove the item and sew new seams. Excess material must be cut off and the edges need to be overcast using a sewing machine.
Step 4. As a final step, iron the shirt, paying special attention to the seams.

Let's start cutting

Using the matching shirt as a guide, trim the sleeves and excess from the sides of the larger shirt you plan to mend.

Be sure to leave enough seam allowance. For a better fit, you can add extra inches to the armholes on the back of the shirt only. I didn’t do this on my shirt, but I think the idea itself is good.

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On the other side of the shirt, also trim off any excess fabric and make sure that the pieces match.

How to sew a shirt at the waist

Depending on the style of the shirt, there are two ways to sew it up.

European quality products

These shirts have a seam located between the shoulder blades.

When sewing this type of clothing, you will have to change the sides of the product.

However, if you just need to make the shirt a little more fitted, use the instructions below:

Step 1. Put the item on yourself or the person who will wear it.
Step 2: Using pins, pin the material along the back seam. At the waist, leave the fabric slightly rounded.
Step 3. Pin the material at the waist 15-20 cm higher.
Step 4. Check that the old and new seams are even.
Step 5. Excess fabric must be trimmed and the edges swept up.

Shirt without seam on the back

If there is no seam on the product, the cut will be different.

In this case, you can sew the item in place using darts.

Instructions for use are as follows:

Step 1: Put the shirt on inside out and pin the two vertical darts on either side of the middle of the back, maintaining symmetry.
Step 2. Remove the shirt and use pins to mark the top, middle and width of the darts with chalk. For accuracy, put the item on again and check the marks.
Step 3. The darts must be basted, checked for symmetry, and then stitched.
Step 4: Iron the darts to the middle of the back.

Cotton

Cotton dresses and skirts also stretch over time. This problem can also occur if you initially do not properly care for things made from this material.

For clothes to shrink, they require special care.

How to make something shrink after washing?

Cotton shrinks even at a temperature of 40 degrees. If you need to shrink the product a little, wash it in a washing machine at 40 degrees.

If clothes have stretched a lot and become several sizes larger, there is another method recommended by housewives. This is boiling water.

Procedure:

Boil enough water in a large saucepan to completely cover the dress or jacket.
Once it boils, place a cotton item in it.
Keep in hot water for 10-20 minutes. The longer the clothing is in the boiling liquid, the more it shrinks. Keep this in mind and calculate how much size you need to fit the dress.
Take special tongs, remove the clothes from the boiling water and rinse in cool water.

Dry cotton as usual, on a clothesline or towel. There will be no need to use hot air drying. After this technology, things shrink to the desired size.

Sewing the shirt at the shoulders

There are two ways to change the shoulder size.

Without using ripping

You need to do the following:

Step 1. Using a measuring tape, measure the required length from the collar to the far shoulder line, draw a line here.
Step 2. Draw with chalk a place for the future seam, which should end at the edge of the armpit line.
Step 3. Fold the item in half and cut the fabric along the drawn line. If the instructions are followed correctly, the sleeves and body of the shirt should become separate pieces.
Step 4. Pin the cut sleeve with the back and front. It is necessary to connect the parts so that there are no holes. Remember that the armhole size has become larger.
Step 5. Sew the joined parts and iron. The product is ready to wear.

By tearing

You need to do the following:

Step 1. Determine your desired shoulder length and mark it on the fabric. It is also necessary to draw a line that will be parallel to the seam of the sleeve.
Step 2. Remember to check for symmetry, otherwise the sleeves will be different sizes.
Step 3. At this stage, you need to open the seams and carefully flog the sleeves.
Step 4. After cutting off the excess fabric, connect the sleeves and openings for them. Then the parts need to be double stitched.

For more precise instructions, use this video tutorial.

In order to rip the seam correctly and accurately, use a special seam ripper. To do this, insert its thin tip under the thread and pull it up. Do this operation with each stitch.

Remember that you can only rip a seam on one side.

Wool

Most often people are looking for an answer to the question of how to reduce the size of clothes made from wool. Every resident probably has such things; they keep you warm in cold times, but they stretch out quickly.

Wool items are expensive, so don't throw them away. It is enough to learn a few tricks to help restore them to their previous shape and appearance.

Several ways to make knitted clothes smaller:

Using temperature mode. The maximum temperature for washing wool items is 30 degrees. If you want her to sit down, increase the degrees. Experienced housewives advise raising the temperature to 55–60. The hot liquid compresses the wool fibers and the garment shrinks.
By washing. There are cases when adult things turned into children's things. You can shrink a woolen item so much if you know how to wash it in an automatic machine. To make a dress, sweater or skirt shrink a little, first wash it in hot water, then set the rinse cycle to 10 degrees, and dry it using a dryer.
Using air conditioner. After the temperature regime, you can use fabric softener. Add 1 cap of conditioner to 5 liters of water at 40 degrees. Soak in liquid for 5-10 minutes.
Emergency. If you urgently need to shrink a woolen dress, after washing and drying it in an automatic washing machine, hang the product on a heating device (heater or radiator), just cover it with a cloth first. This way you can shrink the item evenly and avoid deformation of individual parts of the dress or sweater.

These techniques only apply to items made from 100% wool. If the composition contains synthetic fibers, these methods are not recommended. It is unknown how clothes will behave during such heat treatment.

We suggest you read How to quickly dry a jacket after washing: tips

Sewing the sleeves

If there is a need to change the sleeve size by 3-5 mm, the cutting diagram will be quite simple:

Step 1. Turn the product inside out and straighten the seam.
Step 2. Measure the required distance and draw a line where you want to make a new seam.
Step 3: Sew a new line and trim off any excess fabric.

Since the material is cut on both sides, only allow half the distance from the seam. For example, if you need to trim 5 mm, set aside 2.5 mm.

Acrylic

Some synthetic materials do not shrink. These are acrylic, spandex and lycra.

No matter how hard you try to reduce the item a little by size, you won’t be able to do this with washing.

Clothes can only be altered to make them fit. It will not shrink during washing in either hot or cold water. Excessive processing in an automatic machine will only lead to stretching of things.

We suggest you read: The washing machine takes in water and immediately drains: the reason and what to do

If you want to make Lycra, spandex and acrylic items smaller, take them to a tailor. Experienced craftswomen quickly measure your volumes and adjust the item to fit them.

Or give such a product to someone and buy a new one for yourself. There are no other options for shrinking acrylic, spandex and lycra.

Shortening the sleeves

In order to reduce sleeve length, careful measurements must be taken. Remember that the optimal length is determined by the bottom edge of the cuff: it should reach the bone that attaches the thumb to the hand.

There are several shortening options:

First, you need to rip off the cuff and leave the folds intact using pins. Then measure the distance you need to cut. After trimming the excess fabric, sew the cuff back to the sleeve.
Unpick the cuff and the elements that cover the cut on the sleeve. Measure the slot of the spline, mark a new one and make a cut for it. Make a triangular cut at the top of the slots, cut off the excess material at the bottom of the product. Pay special attention to the design of the corners of the cuff. Finish the cut, starting with the narrow element. Sew one surface of the cuff, not forgetting the folds on the sleeve. Then sew the second surface.

The second method is more labor-intensive and requires certain sewing skills.

If you want to shorten your sleeve size by more than 2 centimeters, do not try to simply cut off the excess fabric. This will reduce the size of the vent and make your shirt unattractive. In this case, you need not only to cut the material, but also to completely redo the slot.

What about the collar?

Alas, it is almost impossible to adjust this element of the product yourself. Many tailors can reduce the circumference, but most likely a new vertical seam will appear behind the shirt on the collar.

Re-sewing a button will also cause the shirt to lose its presentable appearance. The only correct solution to this problem would be to completely replace the entire collar structure on both men's and women's shirts.

Knowing how to sew a women's shirt and a men's shirt, it is quite possible to replenish your wardrobe with new stylish things. With maximum concentration and basic skills, you can quickly turn a shapeless item into a stylish addition to your basic wardrobe.

Shortening the length of the shirt

The easiest way to reduce the size of a shirt is to shorten its length. With a certain sewing skill, you can do without a sewing machine. Instead, use a thin needle and hem the product with neat small stitches.

More detailed instructions are as follows:

Step 1: First, put on your shirt and look at the amount of fabric that needs to be removed.
Step 2: Draw a chalk mark on the area on the fabric that needs to be removed.
Step 3: After removing your shirt, lay it out on a well-lit surface.
Step 4. Using a measuring tape, measure the desired length.
Step 5. Subtract 1-1.5 cm from the resulting number. After this, lay a solid line along the bottom of the product.

Step 6. Cut off the unnecessary material and sew a new seam. At the end of the work you need to make a hem. To do this, you need to leave an allowance 1.2 cm wide between the seam and the bottom edge of the product. Fold the allowance in half, bringing the cut to the seam you made.

Then fold the seam allowance over to the marked seam line and tuck it completely inside the garment. Secure with hand stitching, iron and stitch using a sewing machine. To finish, go through the iron one more time.

Nylon and polyester

Items made only from artificial material will not stretch or shrink.
This is only possible if the composition contains natural fibers. Before starting the shrinking procedures, read the instructions. Study what the item is made of so that you don’t waste time and effort reducing it at home in vain.

How to make clothes fit?

If a synthetic item contains natural substances, it is possible to reduce its size. This is done in an automatic washing machine or manually.

How to wash the product:

Load the item into the machine. Add the powder (it will wash at the same time), set the temperature higher than what is indicated on the tag. Set the spin mode to medium.
The maximum shrinkage effect can be obtained by soaking synthetic clothing in cold liquid for a quarter of an hour. After this, you need to wash the product.

After washing, dry the item on any heating device previously covered with a thin cloth. You can also dry it outside. You can also hang clothes above the stove. This will shrink the material a little more.

That is, the faster the product dries, the better the fabric will fit.

Drying using modern technology can cause even greater shrinkage. If the usual one does not help, wet the product and place it in the unit.

Synthetic fabric quickly takes the correct shape. It’s enough to simply wash things in hotter water.

If the clothes are made of spandex and lycra, then such manipulations to shrink them will be in vain.

Review

Alter and adjust the shirt I bought a denim shirt, I was looking for this color for a long time, and finally found it. When purchasing, I saw that it is a little wide in the back and waist, and the shirt needs to be adjusted to fit. But I bought it for the color. I have been going to the Mobile Tailor on Ladozhskaya for a long time, so I know that good seamstresses work there. So I decided to get my shirt altered here again. My expectations were completely met, now I have a shirt of a rare color and it fits comfortably! Yuri K, Dybenko metro station

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Knitwear

Knitted products are inexpensive, so they sell out quickly. Only over time, they also require replacement, because clothes after prolonged wear become stretched and lose their attractiveness.

You can make something made from such textile material smaller at home without any problems. When performing a special method, she can shrink down to 1 size.

Let's start reducing knitwear:

Pour hot water into a bathtub, basin or bucket. Its temperature should be 40–50 degrees, that is, 10–20 degrees more than indicated on the clothing label.
The product is placed in hot liquid for 20–30 minutes. After 20 minutes, check whether the item is the right size or is still stretched. If the result is not satisfactory, add boiling water and continue soaking.
Squeeze out excess moisture. Do not twist the water out as this will stretch the fabric again. Place the product along the bottom of the bathtub and press down to the bottom. This way you can remove excess moisture without damaging the material.
Dry knitted items on a terry towel, which should be periodically replaced with a dry one so that the clothes do not stink.

If you can’t reduce knitwear at home, the second and final option is to take it to a tailor. But the work of a craftswoman will cost a little less than buying new clothes.

How to make a jacket a size smaller

Services on this topic:

The need to sew a jacket appears quite often. The reasons may be different. When preparing for the autumn-winter season, you may find that last year’s item was too small or, on the contrary, a size too large.

Sometimes the volume of a jacket no longer corresponds to fashion trends, although the condition of the item allows it to be worn for many more years.

A similar problem often arises when purchasing something new that you like but does not match the required size. The solution may be to contact an outerwear repair shop, but this requires time and material costs. A cheaper way is to remake the item yourself.

At the same time, if you do not have the appropriate skills, then it is better to give the item to the Mobile Tailor studio, whose specialists will do everything to the highest possible quality.

Useful tips

When using life hacks that will help you sew jeans into a waistband, it is important to take into account the rules for high-quality processing of the product:

Jeans that need to be sewn in at the waist should go through at least one wash, which will help avoid shrinkage after alterations.
Trying needs to be done several times. This will allow you to more accurately achieve the desired size.
To sew up your favorite wardrobe item, you can use a template in the form of old, narrower pants.
You should avoid completely ripping apart the legs, since it is almost impossible to sew the crotch area yourself at home.
The threads must be strong so that the tapered jeans do not come apart at the most inopportune moment.
The edges of the cuts must be carefully processed using an overlocker or by hand overcasting.