Resize a Buttondown Shirt

 Hello Readers. I like thrifting but sometimes the clothes I like don't fit. I started sewing about 30 years ago so I could alter my own clothes and make them fit. This post is an example of an easy alteration that anyone could do.

Before and after.

I found this sweater and this shirt at different thrift stores but they went together so well. Pink is perfect for spring, and the sweater is perfect for a chilly spring day. The problem is that the shirt was so big, it made lumps under the sweater. I wanted to wear the shirt under the sweater so I would need to alter the shirt. 

I used the sweater as a guide for sizing the sweater. 

I also measured to make sure I cut off the same amount of fabric from each side. 

The shirt was very oversized but the sleeves were smaller. I cut off the excess fabric from each side but I didn't change the sleeves. 

I put the new side seams together. 

This shirt is now more my size. I could wear it alone or ...

I can wear it under my matching sweater like I wanted in the first place. New side seams were fast and easy to sew. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 

***Year End Update***- This pink was so peaceful and I wear it a lot.

Resizing Clothes

 Hello Readers. Sometimes small changes can make a huge difference. Today's post is about a shirt and a skirt. They were saggy and baggy and no fun at all. With a little cutting and a little sewing I got a whole new look. 

Before and after.

This shirt was big and loose and the V-neck was really open and low. The skirt wasn't terrible but it was too long and I looked like I just left a fundamentalist compound of some kind. That's not the look I wanted. 

The tag says medium but this is the biggest medium I have ever seen. I cut the sides off the center of the shirt. I removed a few inches from each side. I saved those pieces and I will come back for them later. 

Next, I cut the shoulder seams open. There was already a seam there, I just cut along it on each shoulder. 

I cut 2 inches of the shoulders of the front piece. This makes the V-neck smaller. I left the back piece of the shirt alone. The shoulder seams are still the same size so I was bale to sew them back together easily.

I went back to the cut off side pieces to get my sleeves back. I cut the sleeves off the side pieces. 

I reattached the sleeves to my new shirt. I made sure the new armholes were the right size for my new sleeves.

My new shirt is almost the same as it was but it is smaller and the V-veck isn't so low. 

The skirt just needed a new length and...

 

  A new hem. 

 

This new outfit is more fun and fits 100 times better. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

 

 ***Year End Update- These are simple basics that I usually forget to make for myself They will be useful and go with a bunch of other clothes.

 

 

 

Simple Resizing Ideas

 Hello Readers. Sometimes our clothes get too small. And maybe sometimes too big? Life happens. Stress, cookies, illness, age, it can all change our weight and shape. Today's post is about some simple resizing techniques that I have used and that always work for me.

Before and after.

This outfit needed some help. I was loving the neutrals but the fit of the clothes was all wrong. The sweater was mine and got too small like 5 years ago. Pandemic snacking changed everything. The corduroys were such a nice warm camel color. I got them from a clothes swap and was determined to make them work.

I got to work on the pants first. The easiest way to make them smaller was to turn them inside out, try them on, and mark where I wanted them to fit. I sewed along the side seam and made a new seam. I only needed an inch or so off each side to make them fit better. I also had to hem them because I am short.

The sweater was going to take a little more work. But it wouldn't be hard to make the sweater a little bigger so I can wear it again. I am going to cut it open on the sides and fill in the gap with a ribbon.

I used my scissors and cut the seam open. 

I used a zigzag stitch to sew over the lace and I made sure I was stitching along the edge of the sweater where I had cut it open. I left some extra ribbon at the end so I could fold it under for a nicely finished edge at the wrist.

Here is the finished sweater. The sweater is bigger because the ribbon added 2 inches to each sleeve and 4 inches to the body of the sweater. You could use wider ribbon to add more space to it. The length of the sweater is unchanged.

My whole outfit fits so much better This picture turned out a little weird but it showed the lace added to the sweater so well, I decided to use it.

 The best thing about these methods to change the size is that you could use the same idea for making the sweater smaller and making the pants larger. Using the side seam as the guide for sewing new seams or adding something into the seam is an easy way to go. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

 

***Year End Update- I love anything cashmere so I am still wearing this sweater all the time. It matches a lot and beige corduroy pants in winter are a go to item.