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I have a bunch of great logo tee-shirts but they're cut for men and I don't like the way they fit, so today I'm going to show you how to mod y...
First, iron your shirts and turn them inside-out. Line up the template at the shoulders and trace around it with tailor's chalk.
Pin along the new side seams, and cut off the sleeves at the new armhole. Run the new side seams through the serger.
Lay out the old sleeve under the template t-shirt and mark the new underarm and armhole.
Serge the underarm, then cut the shoulder curve.
Flip the sleeve right side out and set it inside the armhole of the shirt. Pin both sleeves into their armholes.
Serge the sleeve seams and you're all done!
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I found your 'ible and was able to mod my prized tees that I couldn't wear any longer due to a major weight loss ( 120 lbs !!)
my thanks and...here are my prized tees I was able to alter !!!
I also agree with HVANSICK. You don't need a serger to do this. My old 1970s zig zag machine sews jersey just fine.
I use a size 11 needle and stretch stitch foot. I straight stitch the seams (according the to straight stretch stitch settings in my manual). Then I use a pineleaf stretch stitch on the edge to overcast a neat edge on the raw edge. My machine also has an overcast stretch stitch that will fix the raw edges and stitch the seam at the same time, but I usually do them separately.
Just read your manual. It will tell you what stitches to use with what fabrics. If you have an old machine without a manual, a lot of manuals/tutorials are online too.
...no wait they have manuals for that, the hardest part is FINDING a serger.
As a university student living on her own. I'm run out of luck on this. Cause DAMN they're pricey! Even used!
Still, great ible!
I'm a guy, but I'm tall and skinny, so normally I have to choose between a shirt that fits well but barely reaches my belt, or a shirt that is the right length but could fit two of me.
@ locofocos
In both cases find a shirt that fits the shoulders and arms, and it is worth the expense of going to a professional and sacrificing those t-shirts to have a proper set of cardboard "blocks" made that will then incorporate the length you require.
Once you have your custom "blocks", you can cut as many t-shirts as you want, widening them if you want a sloppy fit or narrowing them to get that "I'm Tom Cruise, check out my lack of muscles" look--if you really want the body-conscious tight look, use double-ribbed fabric instead of plain Jersey.
And yes, Fabric shops will often help out guys, just as electronic shops will help out females, because there's a recognized imbalance in these fields, and therefore people seek to increase the under-represented group.
As far as self-teaching, pick up a rough machine at a garage sale, using any colored thread, and just start sewing lines and patterns into old bits of fabric--towels, handkerchiefs, torn t-shirts.
Obviously, based on my NIC, I would rather just request the right item from the Relicator, but they haven't eventuated yet, so making them is your best choice.
Personally, i'm fine with instructables that contain video that adds to the instructable, but i dislike instructables that aren't usable without their video component, particularly when the video doesn't have any closed captioning available.
And don't be ashamed to be male and able to use sewing equipment. I am a qualified commercial sewing machinist.
-your machine must have a "stretch" stitch mode available (typically a setting, just like buttonhole is a setting). Without the stretch stitch, since t-shirts typically are stretchy fabric and stretch to be put on, the thread will not give and your seam will break, causing a hole in your new shirt. :( Stretch stitch mode gives the thread more give and allows stretching in the seam. A zig-zag stitch also works in the absence of a stretch stitch mode, but use a shorter/closer together stitch to keep the seam from having strange-looking gaps when turned right side out.
-you should seriously consider getting ball-tipped needles for your machine. They are usually sold for stretchy materials (like lycra, jersey, etc) and can usually be found in the notion section of a craft/sewing store. The problem with standard needles is that the needle actually cuts the individual fibers of the tee material, causing many micro-holes where you sewed your seams. I learned this after having much larger obvious holes after a few washings. The ball-tipped needles push the fabric fibers out of the way, instead of slicing right through them.
Good luck to all those like me who would like to look nice in your favorite shirts, but don't have a serger! :)
Thanks for posting.
Over time they felt a bit (the purpose of washing them) but remain too large for me.
Using your technic, my daughter and I will attempt to properly size the sweaters for a more appropriate contour.
Dark brown elephant skin isn't cutting it, even in the workshop.