Hints & Tips

Archive for the ‘Clothes too big – Take In’ Category

Sometimes you will have a garment that is lined and everything is encased inside the bodice and you wonder how you are supposed to get into it to alter.

It could be shortening the straps, taking in the sides or taking in at the sides or back with boning attached. Whatever the alteration, finding a way in can be confusing.

Generally the fashion fabric and lining are separate, and you are able to get up into the garment and work each section with ease, however there are times when a garment can be closed at the waist, or in the case of a vest or bodice the garment is totally encased with no openings.

When we alter lined jackets, there is an opening in one of the sleeves, which has been topstitched down.  With either of the above if there is no such opening, consider one of the following:-

Dress zip – unpick one side of the zip that has the flap across the zip.  Generally it only needs to be unpicked in the middle of the zip, rather than anywhere near the top or bottom of the zip.  Do not unpick the lining from the zip, JUST THE FASHION FABRIC (outer fabric).  The lining is generally attached to the zip first, then the zip is topstitched in.

As mentioned earlier the last stitch sewn is the first to be removed.  By unpicking the topstitching on the fashion fabric, you will have a lot of room to get inside and do any alterations.  then all you have to do when finished is re topstitch the zip back on.

Closed at waist or under bust – Usually the upper and lower section of the garment have been joined together, however there is usually a very small section next to the zip that has not been sewn ON THE LINING (inside).

Push your fingers into this small hole, and with your quick unpick, slowly unpick the stitches attaching the bodice to the waist.  You do need to open it out sufficient to get in and do the alterations.  Once the alteration is complete you should be able to resew the bodice lining to the waist or slip stitch it back on.

Happy sewing

Judith aka genie

Mary wrote “I have several nice t-shirts that I bought just last year and now they are too big. I’ve lost some weight & I think they have also stretched. I am looking for the easiest way to make the body of the shirts smaller.”

Most tee shirts have two side seams which is the easiest place to take it in. You may come across the occasional tee shirt that does not have side seams.  In this case, just create the side seam by ironing the sides flat with the exact sides ironed from under the arm and down to the hem line.

Tee shirts are not usually fitted snugly to the body, however you should always pin both sides of the tee whilst it is on your body, so that you know how much to take in.

Before you pin the sides have a look to see if the sleeve head is too low.  Some tees are designed with a drop shoulder, however if the tee is too big, it may be too much of a drop………..  Fold the sleeve back up and onto the shoulder.  It should be in line with the edge of the shoulder.

When you are pinning, try and pin the same amount on both sides.  When you pin under the arm or in areas where the person is likely to bend or twist, like the underarm, be careful to have the pin ends facing away from the underarm.  That means at the underarm, the pin heads will be touching because one pin will go one way and the other pin will go the other way.

If you are going to wear a bra with the tee shirt, then put the bra on before you pin.  Whenever you pin a garment on a person, always make sure they have the same lingerie on their will be wearing with the garment.  This particularly applies when pinning a gown or wedding dress.

If you have a friend who can help you, get them to pin down the sides the same amount.  For example if they are too big by say 2.5 cm (1″) with the seam folded in the middle, then pin the opposite side the same amount.  Pin the sleeves if they are too wide working down the underarm and all the way to the end of the sleeve.

Draw a stick figure of the tee and measure from the seam to the pin and write this measurement down all the way from the sleeve to the hem taking a measurement every 5 cm (2″) or so.

If you are raising the sleeve, place a pin on the edge of the folded sleeve to indicate where you are raising it too. This means the new pin is next to the pin holding the sleeve up onto the shoulder.   Pull the pins out that are holding the sleeve up and the newly placed pins will show you how you should reshape the armhole seam.

Draw an arch for the armhole and a line at the top which represents the shoulder seam, and put Front at the front of the shoulder seam and back for the back of the shoulder seam.  Then measure from the shoulder seam where the sleeve is attached up to the pin and write this measurement on your stick drawing.  Measure down 5 cm (2″) at the front and write this measurement down.  Do the same every 5 cm (2″) front and back.

Once you have all your measurement, either unpick the sleeve, or cut off.  Being a tee, it is usually only sewn on with an overlocking thread and it will not make a big difference by cutting it off.  If you do cut, then make an adjustment with your measurements on the shoulder.  For example if you were raising the sleeve by 5 cm (2″) and you have cut .5 cm (1/4″) from the sleeve and the shoulder, then reduce the amount by this.

Tip – BEFORE YOU CUT OR UNPICK – Pin a piece of fabric to each sleeve with the words “Right” on the right sleeve and “Left” on the left sleeve.  This way when you detach the sleeves, you know which one goes where.

Turn the tee inside out and place dots at your measurements.  Re cut your armhole and pin your sleeve back on starting from the top shoulder seam pinning it down one side and then down the other side.  The sleeve will be smaller, and it will not reach the underarm seam of the body of the tee.  DO NOT PULL IT OR TRY AND STRETCH IT INTO PLACE.

Mark the body of the garment on the wrong side.  It should be about the same as the sleeve now under the arm.

Sew through the dots on the body of the garment and overlock the excess off or cut away the excess and bind the sides.

Pin the balance of the sleeve on and see if you need to take any out of the sleeve width.  By raising the sleeve you will have altered the amount you need to take in slightly.

I would not zigzag the sides because it would make the tee stretch more.

Use a stretch needle when sewing and I use my buttonhole foot to sew stretch fabric, although it depends on what your buttonhole foot is like.  Mine is plastic and grips the fabric well.

TIP – If you did not shorten the hem, then in this instance you may want to sew through to the fold.  I don’t like doing that, but for a tee I would consider it.  Make sure the ends are the same and after you overlock, stitching the seam flat.

Happy sewing

Judith aka genie

There are a number of reasons why the shoulders should be raised on a sleeveless dress.

1.  The shoulders are too high, which causes the dress to hang too low at the bust.

2.  The dress is tight at the hips, and raising it at the shoulder solves this problem.

Sleeveless garments can be constructed a number of ways, however there are two main methods used, and this affects your alteration.

Front and back sections are similar

Back section is higher than the front

Pinning

Front and back sections are similar

• Stand in front of the person and take hold of the excess fabric on BOTH shoulders.
• Have the seam joining the front and back panels at the very top, so that when you fold it over this seam is at the top.
• Place a pin on the outside of the shoulder with the pin facing in to the centre.
• Place a second pin on the inside of the shoulder with the pin facing towards the centre.
• If the width of the shoulder is more than the width of the two pins, then place a third pin in the centre between the two pins.
• Pin the opposite shoulder.

Shoulders can always be different.  It is the most common area of the body that will be different from the other side.  The reasons for this are varied, but the most common reasons are carrying large bags.  In particular as a child we all had very heavy school bags, and most people carrying them on one shoulder more than the other.  As a mother I carried my son on my hip most of the day, and this constant weight on the right hand side caused both my hip and my shoulder to alter.  One side of our body is always going to be different from the other side, it is just the degree that it is different is the key.

If one shoulder is lower, point this out to the person because you will have to take one side up differently from the other.  Some people may decide to have physio therapy so talk to them about the problem before you do anything.

Back section is higher than the front

Most garments are easy to alter because the front and back panels are the same, however if the back panel is wider than the front, then the back section will have to be reshaped to the same width as the front.  In a few cases, you may find that the whole back of the dress will have to be altered.

Preparing and sewing

Write down the amount that you have pinned down on a piece of paper.  It is important to put down the inside and outside measurements, and if the shoulder is wide, write down the centre measurement.  This is the measurement from the top (original seam) down to the pin.  I find it works better if I do a line drawing of the shoulder.

• If the garment is lined, begin by unpicking the under stitching at the shoulder seam join at least 5 cm (2″) more on either side than the amount being taken up.  Note this is only the under stitching around the armhole.  It is not the actual seam joining the lining and the outer fabric together.  Some call it stay stitching.
• Turn the garment inside out and pop the shoulder through so you have access to the seams.  The back section is usually bigger than the front, so I pop the shoulder through from the back section.
• Important – Do not unpick the shoulder seam.  Always remember that you sew the new seam first, AND THEN you unpick the old seam.  This is very important to maintain the exact amount you want to take in.  If you unpick the seam and try to rejoin you are courting disaster because the panels can move on you, or you could twist the panels.  Any number of problems can occur.
• Unpick the armhole seams on each side of the shoulder seam.  On one side this will be the neck seam and on the other side it will be the outside armhole seam.
• You want to unpick this section just enough to take it up the amount that you had pinned.  Let’s say you are taking up the shoulders by 2.5 cm (1″).  That means I would unpick just a little bit more than that.  If you unpick too much you will not be able to
• Pin the front and back panel of the outer fabric.  Always have the armhole seam fitting correctly.  If there is any reshaping needed, it will be done at the neck section.  If you do have to reshape the neck, then you may have to unpick the under stitching (stay stitching) more so that you have access to the seam joining the lining to the outer fabric.
• Repeat this process for the lining.
• Sew the outer and the lining, and cut excess away.  Fold the seams flat.
• Sew the side seams in the original position if possible.  Reshape the neck section if necessary.
• Iron shoulders on the right side when finished.

Bias binding around armhole

If the shoulders have bias binding on them, unpick the bias making sure you unpick under stitching or top stitching before you alter. I also find that the bias should not be taken in quite as much as the shoulder.

Happy sewing

Judith aka genie

Waisted dresses are in fashion, and usually there is a lot of tulle or lace as an overlay.  If the sides have to be taken in, it also may mean that the section at the waist and below also needs to come in.  However, if the fabric is fine, you may be able to get away with easing the skirt section into the top section AFTER taking in the top section at the sides.  I just altered a very pretty dress with tulle lace over a fine lawn.  The top section had to be taken in 1.5 cm (5/8″) from the top to the waist.  When I talk about the amount a garment is coming in at the sides, I am talking about the amount from the seam to the pin.  That means the total amount is twice that, because it is on the fold.  There were two layers, and because it was such a fine fabric, I eased the skirt back into the bodice.  The fact that it was so fine, meant that the fabric eased in, and there was not a wrinkle to be seen.  If I had taken in the skirt I would have been dealing with three layers.  The customer was happy to have it done this way, and it saved her a lot of money because of the time it would have taken to take in three layers.

Happy sewing

Judith aka genie

Layering has been in fashion for a while, and there are some gorgeous tops that require a singlet or tee shirt underneath so that you cannot see the bra.  After a while you can get sick of having to put something on underneath, and would maybe like to just wear the top with a bra.  A quick and easy solution is to find some fabric that matches or is similar to the top in colour.  Put the top on and raise your arm so that you can see how long the gusset needs to be from the bottom of the armhole up towards your armpit.  Then measure the width you want the top of the gusset to be.  For example it will probably be around 10 cm (4″) in length and have a width at the top of 5 cm (2″).  The bottom will not be into a point, but should be rounded in the same shape as the existing armhole.  Make a template out of cardboard with the correct measurements, then increase for seam allowance.

Fold the fabric you will be using in half, so that the fold will be at the top under the arm.  Cut out your gusset x 2 and overlock the edges or bind if you don’t have an overlocker.  Pin into place, and then sew.

Now you can wear that lovely top without having to wear a singlet or tee shirt underneath.

Happy sewing

Judith aka genie

Stretch pants can grow as they get older.  I have some old favorites that I love, which I repair and patch.  One of my old favorites needs to be taken in at the waist, but rather than take bands off etc., I attached some elastic at the back of the band – centre back.  Elastic should be about 3 cm (2 ¼”) wide and cut into a 10cm (4″) stripe.  Place a dot in the centre of the elastic.  This will be the centre back seam position.  You will be stretching 5 cm (2″) into 7.5cm (3″).  Place a dot at 7.5 cm (3″) from the centre back seam and secure the elastic.  Do the same on the opposite side.  Then sew across the top, stretching as you go, and then stitch the bottom.  This takes the stretchy pants in by 5 cm (2″).

Happy sewing

Judith aka genie

There are two options.  The first is the quick way which you have probably done before and that is to fold the shoulder over and put a pleat in it which would give you a pleat at the front and back.  You could do two or three and make it a feature.  I prefer to turn the garment inside out and stitch the fold on the under side, then come around and top stitch it down which a row of stitching as close to the edge as you can.  This gives it a pleated effect without it looking like that was what you wanted to do.

The second way is the more time consuming and that is to take the sleeve out, recut the armhole and put the sleeve back in.  Always label your sleeves with a piece of paper attached with a safety pin before you unpick.  Ie right sleeve and left sleeve labeled.  Saves you trying to work out which sleeve goes where.  Just a little time saving thing.

You do not need to deepen the armhole.  But you may find you have to put a dart in the front.  Also sew TWO rows of stitching around the new armhole in a wide stitch and ease it in slightly.  This ensures you don’t stretch the fabric.  Pin the sleeve back in. I usually put a dot at the top of the sleeves if there isn’t a notch there already so you know the exact top of the sleeve.

Happy sewing

Judith aka genie

Taking a sweat shirt from a large to a medium or small is usually a lot of work.  If you have the time.  The sides need to come in from under the arm down to the hem.  I would also be taking in from the underarm down the arm to the end of the sleeve.

Before you shorten the length from the bottom which would include taking the band off, cutting the excess off and replacing the band, you should fold the sleeve up on the shoulder to see if it needs to be raised.  Usually a sweat shirt will have a dropped shoulder, but it might be too low for a medium or small.  If you are going to take the sleeve out and raise it do this BEFORE you shorten the length.  In fact if the sleeve is too long, you may be able to just recut the sleeve head and re attach without having to undo the bottom of the band.

If the sweat shirt is too long, you may have to shorten the length.  It’s always good to have the body in the sweat shirt and pin to the persons body, rather than guessing, although a sweat shirt is not a fitting garment, so you can get away with altering down a few sizes by just taking in as discussed above.

HINT – If you do opt for raising at the sleeve head, don’t take the side of the sleeve in until you have repinned the cut sleeve head onto the garment.  You should take in the side seam from the underarm to the hem BEFORE you pin the sleeve back on.  the reason for this is that the sleeve gets narrower the closer it gets to the end of the sleeve, so it will automatically become narrower.

Happy sewing

Judith aka genie

Our body shapes are all different, and one of the challenges with pear shaped people is having their clothes fit at the waist, but comfortable over the hip.  Rather than take in the sides or centre back seam, consider putting darts in the back.  If there is a waist band, unpick the band about 10cm (4”) either side of the centre back seam.  Sew darts about 5cm (2”) either side of the centre back seam.  Take in the band the amount you have taken in as darts in the centre back band.  Open out the seam by cutting in the centre, so that the seam sits flat in the band.

Iron your darts flat and iron the seam flat in the band.  Rejoin the band.  If the person has a particularly small waist, do the same at the front, but in this case you should undo the band all the way around to the front darts, but take the excess out of the band at the centre back.

Hint – If you want to make sure you have the seam join on the same position as the center back seam, when you unpick at the start, place a nick in the band top and bottom.  Then when you fold the band over to take in, fold at the nicks.  Your seam will be in the centre.

Happy sewing

Judith aka genie

The most common place I have to put darts is at the front armhole near the bust.  Some garments gape in this area, and putting a dart there solves the problem.  There are two ways to do this if the garment is lined or has a facing.  The first is to unpick the seams joining the lining or facing and taking a dart in each section.  This works in most cases, but where is can come unstuck is if the fabric is sheer.  As the person walks the darts will move separate to each other, and the inside dart can become noticeable.  So the way around that is to sew the two fabrics together.

Lay the garment inside out over the end of the ironing board.  Measure the amount you are going to take in and place a pin through both fabrics, making sure that the fabric is sitting perfectly flat from the top of the garment.  You don’t want to have any wrinkles.

Mark with your tailors chalk from the edge to the pin on the inside lining or facing on both sides.  Measure from the armhole up to each point to make sure you have the same distance for each dart.

Sew a seam from the edge to the finished length of the dart, sewing through both pieces of fabric.  You now have the fabrics joined together, so now you can sew your dart without worrying about the fabrics slipping on you.

Happy sewing

Judith aka genie