Take In a Simple Shirt at the Sides and Sleeves

What you will learn

• Pinning a side seam on the body
• Sewing one continuous seam from hem to cuff
• Tapering at the underarm

Materials and tools

• Shirt
• Pins
• Chalk
• Seam ripper
• Matching thread
• Sewing machine or hand-sewing needle
• Iron and board
• Measuring tape

Before you start

• Put the shirt on inside out and button it. Check the shoulders, collar and sleeve length first. This tutorial changes the body width only.

1. With a helper, pinch the extra fabric along each side seam and pin it, from the hem to the underarm. Measure how much you pinched. A change of up to 2 in (5 cm) in total body width is realistic.
2. Divide the change equally between the two side seams, then split each side again between front and back. For a total of 2 in (5 cm), each of the two seams takes in 1/2 in (12 mm) on each side of the seam, or 1 in (2.5 cm) per seam.
3. Mark the new seam line from the hem to the underarm. Begin at the old seam at the hem or at the waist, take in the amount at the waist level, and taper back to the old seam at the armhole. Keep the line smooth.

4. If the sleeves are too wide, mark the new line along the underarm seam from the cuff to the armhole. Take in no more than 3/8 in (10 mm) per sleeve seam and keep the sleeve wide enough for the arm to bend.
5. Pin and hand baste the new lines. Do not cut. Try on the shirt and look from the front, sides and back. Raise both arms and cross them across your chest to test mobility.
6. Adjust the lines if the shirt pulls across the back or at the armhole. Check that the side seams hang straight down.
7. When the fit is confirmed, sew the new seams with a 2.5 mm stitch length. If a sleeve joins the side seam in one continuous line, sew the sleeve and body seam together in a single pass.
8. Try the shirt on again and check that the buttons lie flat. Do not trim until this fitting is right.
9. Trim the old seam to 1/2 in (12 mm) and finish with a zigzag stitch. Press the seam toward the back of the shirt, at the heat on the care label.

Tips for a neat result

• Pin the shirt buttoned all the way up. A shirt that closes badly pulls out the front fastening.
• Match the sleeve changes on both sleeves exactly.

Common mistakes and fixes

Check your result

• The shirt fits closely without pulling across chest, back or arms.
• The side seams hang straight and the front stays closed.
• You can raise and cross your arms.

Projects that use this