Hints & Tips

Archive for the ‘Clothes too tight - Let out’ Category

Remember in the Victorian times when large seams were left in everything.  Recently I had a garment brought in that had become too small.  I had a look inside and there were massive seams all the way through the garment.  HOWEVER………..   Someone had decided that it didn’t sit correctly on the curved sections or at joins, so they had CUT through the seam allowance up to the existing seam!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 For the life of me I do not understand why someone would do that.  If you want to leave a reasonable seam allowance, then do that.  You can even fold it over if you like and stitch it down with a loose stitch.  If you have to clip, then consider folding the seam allowance over and stitching down rather than clipping.  If I am reshaping a neckline or putting on a collar, you have to clip to get the curve, so clipping is important, but if you have want to leave large side seams, you really do not need to clip (usually).

 In the case of the dress in question, it was not a fitting dress, so it could have been left without being clipped.

Happy sewing

Judith aka genie

1.  If trousers are too tight at the waist, you can release the pleats or darts.  It may or may not have a band.  If there is no band it is easier to unpick the darts and put a panel in the facing or unpick the lining darts. For trousers (or skirts) with a band, unpick the band from the button end around to the button hole end, but not all the way.  Leave the buttonhole end attached with enough room for you to get in and sew the band back on.  Release the darts or pleats the amount you need, and sew the band back on, putting an extension in the end.  Usually the original band will hide the extension.  Try to use fabric of a similar colour and weight.  I actually pin the band back on with the pins facing forward, and I sew with the band on the top so that I sew back into the original stitching.  You will never know that the band has been unpicked if you do this.

2.  If the trousers are too tight in the crotch area, or you have what is called a camel foot appearing around the crotch area, this is usually due to the crotch being too tight.  This means you need to lower the “rise” of the trousers.  The rise is the seam that runs from the centre front to the centre back.  If you turn the trousers inside out, then pop one leg into the other with right sides together, you will have easy access to the rise.  Lower the rise without taking in too much around the tummy or bottom area.  In other words you are going to begin sewing about 6cm (2 ½”) from the crotch join front and back.  This will lower the rise and give you more room. To be honest I would not lower a rise more than 4 cm (1 ½”).

3.  Put a panel down each side of the trousers, but use a fabric that is a good colour match or a contrast colour that works with the trouser.  Something that looks great is a heavy lace panel with a fabric behind the lace. The backing could be any colour.  I have inserted lace down the sides of trousers in this way and backed it with a skin coloured “two way stretch” called peek-a-boo.  It looks like you are looking at the person’s skin but in reality it is the stretch fabric.   There are some fantastic fabrics out there so use your imagination.

4.  What about opening out the side seams of the trousers and sewing loops on the sides like the back of the dress.  Then making a long cord, or buying some and threading it through the loops.  If you are concerned about exposing your skin, sew some stretch fabric underneath.  Make sure that the stretch fabric is smaller than what you want, so that the fabric doesn’t bunch if the trousers become too big.

Happy sewing

Judith aka genie

Because tee shirts are stretch they are easy to add panels to.  Unpick the side seam and the sleeve about half way to the shoulder seam on either side.  Cut out a panel from fabric similar to the fabric or in a contrast.  Allow around 7.5 cm (3″) at the top (slightly curved for the armhole, and make a little wider as you come down the panel.  Because you have unpicked the sleeve, you can ease the new panel into the sleeve.  I have done this with a few tee shirts that I bought but found they were too small.  (I have a big bust) Most of the clothes I wear are black, so I had no trouble matching the black stretch fabric. If you want to have a contrast, you can sew some of the different coloured fabric onto the front of the tee to give it balance.

Happy sewing

Judith aka genie

Above the waist

1. Do you have a top or dress that is too tight around the bust? If there is a zip in the back, unpick the zip or undo the centre back seam, or if there is no centre back seam – mark down the centre back and cut.  Make small loops and attach on each side about 2.5 cm (1″) apart.  Make a cord and thread the cord into each side of the loops making a crisscross down the back.  This is the perfect situation for a wedding dress that is too tight.  In the past I have had to do this for a number of ladies – days before the wedding.  If you don’t want to see any skin, then make a square panel and insert it under the crisscross.  This can be attached to one side.  Usually I would only have the panel around the waist, bottom area, and have the skin showing in the back.

2.  A lot of dresses have dress zips in the back.  A dress zip uses more fabric than an invisible zip, so take the dress zip out and replace it with an invisible zip.  You will be surprised at how much extra room you get, and if there are darts or seams at the back, release them as well.  Note that some darts have the machine burn hole at the end, so you may have to just reduce the size of the dart so that you still cover the burn hole.

3.  Halter neck tops or dresses can be made bigger at the bust by inserting a panel on either side of the front bust panels (armhole side).  I recently had a client who had a halter neck dress, and she wanted the length shortened, which I did, and then used the cut off for the side insert.  I folded the cutoff over and joined one side to the armhole side (which I had unpicked).  Then joined the bottom of the strip to the band that went under the bust, and hand stitched the back to the back panel.  Almost all bust panels in halter necks are double fabric.  You could use a contract colour if you wanted, because it doesn’t have to be with the same fabric.

Happy sewing

Judith aka genie

Should you insert a “V” in the back or the sides.  I think the sides are better because past experience has shown that a “V” in the back does not hold the pants up when you bend over.  Unpick the side seams, get some good quality “two way stretch” fabric and insert the “V” in each side.  And the big plus is that you have the comfort, and the stretch which is great.  If you find once you put the stretch in there that the pants are too loose, just sew some elastic on the back of the stretch at the top.  Or you could cut your piece out so that it folds at the top and you can insert some elastic inside on the fold line.  Stitch it in. 

Happy sewing

Judith aka  genie

I had to try and increase the size of a gown recently for a lady who had the garment made overseas.  They had left very wide seams which initially I thought was great, but what they had done is clip right up to the stitching at certain points in the garment which meant I could not release the seams.  The way they had clipped was not necessary.  Most of the clipping was in sections that had some curve; however they had also clipped the side seams.  On the one hand they had left a wide seam allowance but on the other they were useless because of the way they had clipped the seam. 

 On the curved sections if they had left a small seam allowance, I could have got a little extra for her, but what they had done was leave a very wide seam allowance, but clip up to the stitching, so they had defeated the purpose of leaving a wide seam allowance.

 Now we all know that you have to clip on curves.  But you can clip without clipping up to the stitching.  Plus you should not leave a wide seam on a curve anyway.  Just leave a reasonable seam allowance and clip slightly.

 I thought I would pass this information on to you, so that if you are making a garment you will give thought to the width of your seam allowance, and clipping into seams.

 Happy sewing

 Judith aka genie

Buying maternity jeans can be expensive.  Converting an old pair can be rewarding and having the old favourites can be great.

 Unpick the side seam and the band from about 2” or 5cm from the side seam around to just past the pocket.  If there is top stitching unpick this as well.  Buy some good quality two way stretch fabric.  If possible try to match the colour of the denim although this may be asking a bit much.

Unpick the whole pocket and replace with the two way stretch.  Replace the band section with two way stretch.  Join together.

 Happy sewing

 Judith aka genie

Have you ever had trousers that are too tight in the crotch?  The way to fix this is to lower the fork which is done in the opposite direction for taking crotch up.

 Turn the trousers inside out.  To do this in an easy fashion, push the leg into the other.  This means you have the centre front and centre back folded.

 It is always better to pin first, so begin pinning at the front with the seam on the right hand side.  Line up the inside-leg seams to make sure they are together.  If the trousers have a zip in the front or back, you will have to begin just below the zip area.  If the zip is in the front begin to sew just below the zip and taper out slowly.  Sew around to the centre back, then over lock off the excess, or zig zag if you do not have an over locker (serger). 

 Try the trousers on to see if they feel comfortable.  I would suggest you sew a little at a time until you have let out enough.

 Happy sewing

Judith aka genie

Most manufacturers will sew a stablising tape around the top of the pants at the waist.  The band can also have stablising tape sewn into the top of the band.  If your pants are too tight, unpick the stablising tape from the band and or the top of the pants.  If you find the band is still too tight, take the band off completely and cut some good quality stretch cotton.  I find that having it folded in half with the fold at the top is better.  If you are pregnant or want a little more security that it wont fall down, sew some elastic around the top of the fold, with the stitching on the underside.

Happy Sewing

Judith aka genie

Unlike men’s pants, ladies pants only have darts or pleats to release.  Unpick the waist band beginning at the button end, and working around to the button hole end.  Do not take the band off at the button hole end.  Release darts or pleats.  Sew an extension into the end of the band where the button was.  Iron the seams flat on the extension, and iron it so it is the same width as the existing band.  Reattach the band starting from the Button end and working around to the button hole end.  The pins should be facing the button end.  Sew the band back on sewing into the waist band so you can see the original stitching.

 Happy sewing

Judith aka genie