Adjusting clothes

Siobhan108

Try buying and selling at resale shops.

ViktoryaC

Any tips for letting clothes OUT, for those of us still in the early stages of our journey? I cant wear 4/5ths of my clothes! My belly has been the site of most of the growth!:drinker:

FerretBuellerr

Any tips for letting clothes OUT, for those of us still in the early stages of our journey? I cant wear 4/5ths of my clothes! My belly has been the site of most of the growth!:drinker:

I'm not a sewing expert by any means (I've made one terribly-deformed cat pillow, and one extremely successful summer skirt..which now doesn't fit since I decided to lose weight :sad: ) but depending on your style of dress, would you be able to buy some cheap sleevless shirts to layer underneath so you can cover the dangly bits? Or sew a small addition to the bottom of the tops so it looks like you've got a nice lacey camisole underneath?

autumny70

I've been committed to buying secondhand first for a while now. Brand name, brand new in some cases, for $2-5. Banana Republic denim skirt, H&M strapless sundress, BCBG silk/wool cardigan, NYDJ jeans (retail for all well over $150) grand total $8.75.

That being said, I have also been salvaging what I can of the too big stuff. For skirts, you can add a dart or simply sew up the side seams. Button up shirts, try them on inside out, pin to fit and sew up the sides. I've taken in several dresses the same way too. I really don't wear pants very often so I donated the ones that were too big and bought a pair or two to replace them. I've even remade XL t-shirts into M t-shirts.

Anything with a lining I'd leave to a professional. Depending on your area, you may be able to find a tailor that is reasonably priced for any expensive clothing you'd like altered.

One last tip: If you have clothes in boxes/bottom or back of closet that you've been saving for "someday" make sure you try them on regularly! I had some that I "outshrunk" before I remembered them.

Camera_BagintheUK

Honestly, you can get some pretty great stuff from goodwill and other thrift store. Sometimes I find brand new, still with the tags on clothes that people donated. And if you're planning on dropping a significant amount of weight, I'd go that route.

Other bargain places like Target, Ross, Marshall's, etc, might be another good avenue to go. Otherwise get to Pintrest and DIY stuff

Oh I do find things in charity shops - I needed a jacket for autumn - the ones I had last year are far too big. And I found a 3/4 length leather jacket in Barnardo's for a tenner! Dead chuffed!

And yes, I plan to sell some of the clothes I've got that I won't be able to adjust - I've a couple of suits bought for weddings and dresses that have hardly been worn.

But still, some stuff can easily be taken in - this evening I've been taking in some jersey tops so they'll do me another year probably. And some things I don't particularly want to part with.

Camera_BagintheUK

I wore clothes I had made myself to my 8th grade sewing class. I've done weddings and Ren Faire garb and will be starting my Halloween costume soon. I've renovated coats and dresses and replaced zippers on jeans. Love to sew!

You might be doing this already, but when making alterations, put on the garment inside out. Use straight pins to pin-fit the garment where you'll be sewing the seam (i.e., create the seam with straight pins). This is especially helpful on pants, as you want to know how they will hang when you're done.

You can stitch elastic (or make a "pocket" or casing for it) on a waistband that needs snugged up a bit. I like to do a little on each side rather than a big bunch at the center back.

A lot of this depends on how the garment is assembled. Dealing with linings, zippers and pockets can easily get overwhelming, depending on how professional you want the finished product to look.

If your shirts/blouses are hanging off your shoulders, they can be made to look more fitted just by moving the sleeve further in to the shoulder seam (where the old shoulder pads used to reside) To do it right you'll need to detach the sleeve (seam rippers, yay!) from the very top (where the shoulder seam is) to about midway down front and back, so you don't have to remove the entire sleeve. This can get complicated, depending on how much fullness is in the sleeve, whether there's a yoke, or lining, etc. Pin the sleeve a little farther in than the original seam, and stitch it back on. Experiment on a throwaway FIRST.

Knits (like t-shirts) act differently than wovens.

And seam rippers are our friend!

Haha - I tried showing my husband tonight, a top I was taking in to see if it was okay, and he looked very concerned and said "You know it's inside out?" And I measure all the way along seams and mark with chalk.

It's hard though, pinning on yourself! Jeans not so bad, but tops - I think I need to ask my friend round to help.

I have set sleeves before (years ago, at school) but haven't tried re-setting in a finished garment. I cheated with my jersey tops and just sewed a seam all the way from the hem to the cuff - they're only cheap tops in the first place so they'll do. But that's a really useful tip - only pick half way round. I would have taken the whole sleeve out! But if you're taking in the side of the garmet as well, you would have to wouldn't you? And then measure how much to cut away the sleeve hole?

Elastic - I remember my mum doing that! I forgot! That's worth a try - one of my pairs of jeans I took in, the darts are really irritating! They rub!

I haven't set a zip since my teens, so haven't tried. I have adjusted a couple of jackets for sleeve length though - my stepmum was a dressmaker, and told me to stitch all the way round half way up the seeve to hold the lining in place, and then I just measured both the sleeve and the lining to work out how much to take up. Pleased with the results! But lost the interfacing at the cuff when I cut off the excess.

I've got a fantastic dress that I love, red with beading all over the skirt, and lined - I don't want to get rid of it, but I fear adjusting it will be a bit ambitious. I was wondering if I could just take the bodice off and make the skirt into a skirt instead. I think I'll have to practice a bit more first.

Thanks for your reply! I feel very encouraged :flowerforyou:

Camera_BagintheUK

thank God I wear baggy jeans to begin with.....but now they are super baggy haha But in my case a belt works there.

I did notice that 2 suits I have ....both new, I can't wear no more because the swallow me. all that money gone.

Well if they're new, you should be able to sell them for enough to buy another suit??? I hope so

Camera_BagintheUK

I've resized about a half-dozen of my tops using a modified version of this process: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrvNTsQ03zo

Instead of taking the sleeves off, I simply cut away excess fabric up each side and taper my cut off under the armpit so I leave the short sleeve's cuff untouched. Then I just sew up new seams on each side. I do all my sewing by hand, because I don't have a sewing machine, but I'm extremely pleased with my results, even despite my complete lack of sewing skills and experience.

Pants are proving more of a problem. I've hand-sewn doubled-over seams on both hips to take in the waistline of my pants by about 3-4 inches (and sometimes continuing the new doubled-over seam down the outer leg), but it ultimately leads to baggy crotches and bums, so I clearly haven't really figured the pants problem out yet. Tops are way easier.

Cheers for that Really good video! Ain't Youtube Brilliant - there's nothing you can't find out how to do on there - but it's really handy to have good videos pointed out, thanks

ETA I found videos on Youtube for taking in jeans http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IYUdSwy1vA - but sew the inside seam instead of the outside seam - it's just a straight seam rather than a French seam. You need to put them on inside out and pin to get the fit you want. I've been putting darts in - one each side of the centre point, going down as far as the seam above the pockets. And the same works for other trousers.

Camera_BagintheUK

Great advice from NextChapter60! I've been sewing my own clothes since I was 8 and learned how in 4-H.

The only thing I would add is to baste your new seams, then try the clothes back on, before you commit to a permanent seam. Basting is easier to tear out if you need to. As an added bonus, it's easier to stitch over basting than straight pins, so, once you have it where you want, the final seam is really easy.

Good luck. Don't be afraid to experiment a little. If the clothes arent' going to be wearable anyway because they're too big, you aren't really out that much.

Great point of view thanks! I agree - if the clothes are going to go out anyway, you're not losing much if you muck up an adjustment. I'm a bit lazy, so don't tend to tack long seams (baste) - I just brave the pins :sad: But i do tack things where precision is paramount, like my jacket cuffs.

Aw I'm really chuffed with all this advice! thanks

jhloves2knit

There are so many good ideas in this thread - I'm saving for when my clothes get too big.

Camera_BagintheUK

One last tip: If you have clothes in boxes/bottom or back of closet that you've been saving for "someday" make sure you try them on regularly! I had some that I "outshrunk" before I remembered them.

:laugh:

Genius! Love it! I know it's frustrating, but isn't it brilliant? Good for you

seltzermint555

One comment to anyone who does NOT buy secondhand...sometimes patience is the key. You may have to go to 10+ resale, thrift stores, etc, in order to find a little treasure trove in one of them. But when you find it, seriously it's like the Holy Grail seeing a bunch of items in your size, great condition, and super cheap. Totally worth half of a Saturday.

Camera_BagintheUK

One comment to anyone who does NOT buy secondhand...sometimes patience is the key. You may have to go to 10+ resale, thrift stores, etc, in order to find a little treasure trove in one of them. But when you find it, seriously it's like the Holy Grail seeing a bunch of items in your size, great condition, and super cheap. Totally worth half of a Saturday.

Holy Grail is it! I couldn't believe my leather coat for ten quid last week :bigsmile: ! What a lucky find! No way I could have afforded one new, regardless of weight loss.

And the other thing about buying second had is you find interesting stuff - not just the same old same old fashions in the big stores, that everyone's wearing.

I love looking round charity shops - they're always the first place I head in any new place I visit.

seltzermint555

I love looking round charity shops - they're always the first place I head in any new place I visit.

Me too! I've even got my fiancé addicted to this hobby! We're going on a trip (eloping to Colorado) in October and we've already got thrift shops in the GPS!

ghsfitnesspal

Woah there are loads of tips in here! Will try the shirt thing...I wear a vest under mine now so they billow but dont show anything.

Trousers are easy to a point - I took the middle back seam in a few weeks ago and now need to do it again, but if I take it from the middle as before, the pockets on the bottom will be right next to each other which will look weird, so I must try taking them in from the ouside leg seam. Bit scared but pinning is our friend and its worth trying

The most expensive item that needs doing is a winter coat - it's two sizes too big and looks scrappy, but I've never found such a good quality coat in such a gorgeous teal colour and I certainly cant afford to buy another very good one. Tailors are expensive but for the coat it might be worthwhile

Question for taking in shirt sides. If you take in the side seam, it'll make the arm hole smaller which is fine, but it might make it too much smaller. Do you cut away the hole to make it bigger again?