How to take in a T-shirt!!

I have been asked several times how I manage to get band t-shirts I buy at gigs to fit me, answer is I buy the closest to my size then take it in!

I thought this would make a great feature for Sugar paper #15, T-Shirt alteration, but seeing as 'make a back patch from your old/non fitting band t-shirts' is the most popular blog post we have done, I figured everyone would want to know.

So here it is....

You will need:
- A t-shirt you already own that is the perfcet fit
- Scissors
- Sewing machine
- Thread
- Stitch unpicker
- Tailors chalk/pencil
- Pins

1. Take the tee you want to adjust and turn inside out. Unpick the sleeves from the tee and put aside.

2. Lay the old tee on top of the tee you’re adjusting. Line up necks and trace the line of the armholes on your old tee. Then mark down the sides to get the correct width. Lastly mark on the length across the bottom.

3. Trim the armholes. The trim the length leaving 1”/2.5cm below the line you marked for the hem.

4. Using straight stitch, sew along the lines you marked down the sides of the tee.

5. Trim the excess off the sides and overstitch with a zing-zag stitch.

6. If the sleeves are too long trim them to the required length (again leaving 1”/2.5cm for a hem.

7.Unpick the sleeve seam.

8. With the tee still inside out, pin the sleeve to the arm hole. Have the sleeve’s right side facing you (so when you pin it the right sides of the sleeve dn the tee will be facing) tuck into the arm hole. Start pinning at the top of armhole (on the shoulder)

9. You may have excess sleeve in the armpit area. Start from this point and straight stitch together until you get back to the armpit/side seam.

10. Pull the sleeve out of the armhole (so the tee and sleeve are facing you both are inside out) Stitch the sleeve seam, cut off the excess.

11. Overstitch with a zig-zag stitch along the armhole join and sleeve seam. Now repeat for the other sleeve.

12. Overstitch with a zig-zag stitch along the bottom of the tee. With the tee still inside out, fold the bottom up 1”/2.5cm, pin, then straight stitch down (close to the bottom edge) to create a hem. Straight stitch again closer to the bottom edge (so when it is turned the right way out you have two rows of stitch!)

13. For the sleeve edge you can do the same as step 12, or for a capped sleeve look, turn the tee the right way out, leave the raw edge, fold the edge in around ½”/1.5cm, do this again and pin on the sleeve top and the armpit. Do a few stitches at bot these points.

14. Press and enjoy your new perfect fit t-shirt!

 

This will also be in issue #15 of Sugar Paper along with lot's of other great stuff like crumpet and jam recipes, knitted sunglasses case, weaving and much more!