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.

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sunshiine