Remember this shirt? At $2 it was such a bargain from my local thrift store (and toooootally made me think of this Madewell shirt and this Jcrew shirt my lovely friend Kendi has), but was 2 sizes too big. So I made a “quick and dirty” alteration, and now it fits perfectly. Admittedly, I hate mending, and I hate alterations – but they are necessary evils, and an alteration i end up doing A LOT is downsizing shirts.
I think you will love this, because this little trick is an easy way to make a too-big shirt fit. I call it my “cheater” method, because it is definitely not the correct way to downsize a shirt, but works most of the time, as long as the shirt is only 1 or 2 sizes too big. Any bigger than that, and you risk weird proportions at the end.
Here’s what you do…
Tadaaaaaaa!!
This is an awesome tip! Thanks for sharing. I think even I could handle this.
I have totally done this before. And after i sew I just chop the extra off with scissors. It doesn’t look good on inside but it looks fine on the outside.
http://lachapstickfanatique.blogspot.com
I’ll definitely have to try this! I find a lot of great shirts at the thrift stores but usually they are too big for me. Now I have a way to alter them! Thanks!!
This tip is pretty handy and has great timing… I am about to embark on a downsizing effort for a friend who’s lost 2 sizes in recent months!
Do you think it would work with french seams, for longevity’s sake?
Thank you! I will give this a try.
I love this method. Sound so easy. Thanks.
Great cheater method! Thanks for sharing, it will come in useful.
This is such a cute outfit! And such an easy alteration…I think I have a shirt this may work on…
This is great! Shirts are often too wide in the bust and waist for me (but fit my relatively broad shoulders) – this method seems perfect to fix this problem!
You have so many good ideas you will have to write a book!
Thaaaaaannnnkkkkk you. I’ve been considering and hacking at a much more annoying way of doing this and I OFTEN pick up a shirt 1-2 sizes too big. Thank you. Thank you, Megan.
Great tip but I don’t think this is really cheating. I do professional alterations for a living and this is exactly what I would do except I would pin it on the customer to get the fit they want. I usually finish with french seams because they are easy and look nice.
DOING THIS! I love these little tutorials. They make my day!
As the grand-daughter of two tailors, I can confirm that this is DEFINITELY CHEATING, but I like it anyway!
Love your blog.
Claire
I did the same thing with a couple of cardigan sweaters that were too big. Worked great.