Tall Extra Tall or Extra Extra Tall T Shirts Diy

Intro: Tall Extra Tall or Extra Extra Tall T Shirts Diy

So you are a tall person but not big and tall, then stick around, I have good news. Here is a way to make your t-shirts a lot longer and it is easy to do or have someone else do for you. This tutorial will show you how to save money by making regular t-shirts longer yourself.

My husband and his brother are very tall and slim. My brother- in- law buys X large / tall / t-shirts just to get the length that he needs for his body. Even though clothing manufacturers advertise tall, the shirts are too short in length for my guys who are taller than 6 foot 2.

I recently made these shirts for both brothers and they love the closer fit of a medium t-shirt and the length much better. If you know someone who is taller than 6 foot 2 please consider sending them the link to this tutorial. I am curious how many people have the same problem as my husband and his brother. It would be interesting to read about their experiences.

Follow through and let's make those t-shirts longer!

STEP 1: Tools and Materials

You might be asking why I didn't make t-shirts from a pattern and lengthen the pattern. I searched Online for the same quality of fabric and did not find any from the samples that were mailed to me. I did not have much success finding t-shirt tubing either. The price of the knit was $12.00 a yard and we needed 3 yards of fabric and it would have a side seam. This solution was our best option for now.

This is what you will need:

1 Package of t-shirts your size ( We bought a package of 6 medium which made 4 X-tall t-shirts for seventeen dollars).

Matching thread,sewing pins,Yard stick or measuring tape, pencil, scissors, a seam ripper is helpful, lint roller is useful, sewing machine,and an ironing board/iron.

STEP 2: Remove Hems and Wash and Dry T-shirts

We cut these t-shirts at 7 inch widths across two of the shirts to make a total of 4 t-shirts. If you do not need your shirts that long you might be able to get 5 t-shirts from a package of 6 medium t-shirts. We always measure the shirts after washing and drying them to determine how much longer they need to be. Then we add 5/8 inch seam allowance (per shirt) and a double hem ( for the 2 t-shirts that will be hemmed ).

Remove the hems from ( 4 ) of the t-shirts using the seam ripper and lint tape. The remaining two t-shirts will be cut and sewn to the 4; leaving you two hems that are already sewn. You will need to hem the remaining two. I hope that makes sense.

Pre-wash and dry all the t-shirts so they shrink some more.

It is very important to iron the t-shirts flat, adjusting the fabric so it is square and straight before you begin measuring and cutting the fabric.

While estimating the cutting lengths of the t-shirts; we added 5/8 inch seam allowance (per shirt) for the seams we wanted; because we used a flat felled seam; I think they are more attractive. The outside seams on jeans are usually sewn with a flat felled seam. We added about 1 1/2 inches for the double hem to the desired length of the t-shirt. We only used the fabric up to the sleeve sections of the shirts.

STEP 3: Measuring and Cutting the Lengths

Now that you have figured out the cutting measurements; you need to mark and cut the t-shirts the desired measurements.

STEP 4: Pin the Pieces to the Shirts

Lay the shirt right side out as shown on the table.

Pin one of the cut pieces to the bottom of the t-shirt with wrong sides together. Be sure to pin the (hemmed pieces) correctly so you don't have to rip it out later because the pieces were sewn right side to wrong side of the fabric. In the next step I will be sewing the seams but I wanted you to see how I did it so you might understand how to pin it.

My pictures were not very clear on this step so I re-pinned a sample to show the process and took some more pictures. Hopefully you can see how the pinning is done.

STEP 5: Machine Stitch the Seams

Machine stitch the seam using 5/8 inch seam allowance. You will be sewing the right side of the fabric because we are making a flat felled seam.

Remove any loose threads.

Press the seams open.

Trim the bottom seam to 1/4 inch as shown in the picture.

Fold the top seam under as shown and press to make the flat felled seam.

Top stitch the seam, trim the threads, and press.

STEP 6: Sew the Hems

Sewing the unfinished hems:

Place the t-shirts that don't have hems on the ironing board wrong side out.

Press in a double hem about one inch wide and pin.

Sew the hem and trim the threads.

Press.

STEP 7: Sunshiine's Final Thoughts

My husband and his brother are thrilled to have t-shirts cover their cabooses. The hardest part is figuring the measurements you need but it really wasn't that hard. It sure solved the problem of t-shirts not being long enough for the tall men in our family. Not to mention how much money I saved from paying extra for tall t-shirts that still were not long enough. It cost $40.00 for just 4 X tall t-shirts and they were still too short in length. I paid a lot less to make these.

If you don't know how to sew or know of anyone who could alter t-shirts for you; I suggest calling a cleaners. I had my sons zipper replaced at the cleaners and it was less than ten dollars including the zipper. My husband had me make these XX long because he will do his own laundry at times and washes everything in hot water. He wears a brace and the longer lengths make the brace more comfortable for him when he tucks in his t-shirts.

I make all of my husbands long sleeve work shirts because he can't find them in X-tall the correct length in the sleeves and tails. I priced custom made dress shirts Online and their price was $120 dollars a shirt. Unfortunately casual shirts were not sold.

This past year I have written many manufacturers about this need but have received little attention. One company's CEO did answer my letter and mentioned he passed the letter on to the department that would review my letter. I hope this tutorial will be a voice for people who can't purchase clothing in your size. I plan to write more letters after this tutorial has been posted for a while. If your interested, let your voice be read through this process and post a comment. Thanks.

I like to thank contributors and sponsors for making instructables such a grand place to share. Have a splendorous day!

sunshiine

Comments

[Jobar007]

I'm 6'3" and 175. Not as tall as your husband, but a medium tends to fit well.

Just so you know, Eddie Bauer has some tall sizes that fit decent enough. For some of their clothes, I'm a Tall Medium, for others I'm a Tall Large. It's sleeve length on long sleeved shirts that I find the hardest to get to fit right. That and pants...

[mperrault1]

Even for us bigger guys this is great! 6'5 300lbs, I still have a hard time finding shirts that are long enough. The "bigness" is no problem! Usually they're way too big but the length? Never enough!

[sunshiine]

Thanks for sharing this. If enough people respond maybe companies will listen to their customers! Have a great weekend!

sunshiine

[jreauclaire]

That's alot of extra work. I am 6'2" and get the tall slim tees from Banana Republic and they fit great and last forever. I use the extra time saved to make more sawdust in my garage!

[sunshiine]

Thanks for sharing! The cut off seems to be 6'2" for the tall men's regular tall clothing. My hubby is 6"5" 175 lbs. I will take a peek at Banana Republic and see if they offer something in his size. Have fun in your garage making sawdust!
sunshiine

[DalaisLlama]

LIKED, VOTED! SHARED :-)

You could also put the extra panel higher up .. In top third of Tee .. For a modern look..

[sunshiine]

That would make them look very nice. I might be getting some colored t-shirts my son bought for his dad next month and make some like that. The ones my son bought are colored. It would be fun to switch out a couple of panels with them. Thanks so much for liking, voting and for sharing. Have a wonderful weekend.

sunshiine

[Dustin Rogers]

6'6" - 165 lbs for most of my life, I know the struggle. This is a good idea. Keep me posted whether you hear back from the manufacturers. My wife is 6'3", so she has the same issues finding clothes that fit.

[sunshiine]

You must really have trouble finding lengths in just about everything. I will definitely get back to you if someone responds to my letter. Thanks so much for commenting and do have a splendid weekend.

sunshiine

[caitlinsdad]

If you had a serger you could zip through the alteration in no time. The serger sews, puts a seam wrapping finishing stitch and trims the excess all at once, and for knit fabrics too.

But you know me, if I had to do the stretch limousine mod on a tee shirt or a sweatshirt, they would all end up with the contrasting Charlie Brown shirt stripe.

[sunshiine]

Yes, a serger would be a lot faster. Thanks for commenting and have a great weekend!

sunshiine

[tomatoskins]

Being 6'4" and only 175 lbs this is great news to me!

[sunshiine]

I hope you try it. You might check at Sam's or Costco for cheaper shirts, We got ours at Sam's because we don't have a Costco. I liked these because they were heavy weight fabric and a tad longer than regular shirts. Thanks for commenting and do have a splendorous weekend.

[hdmotorc]

This is also great to conceal a hand gun.