How to Make a T-Shirt Smaller

Learning to make a T-shirt smaller is probably one of the easiest T-shirt modifications imaginable. When you have found an amazing shirt design, sometimes you can't be too picky about the size. If you have a baggy T-shirt that you would like to tighten up a bit, just follow these simple steps. Soon you may be sewing your way to a whole new wardrobe of tailored T-shirts.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Scissors
• Needle and thread or sewing machine
• Chalk (optional)
• Pins (optional)
• Large T-shirt
• Well-fitting T-shirt

1. Lay out the T-shirt that you want to resize on a flat surface, with the front up. Smooth out any wrinkles. Make sure that the front and back of the shirt are lined up as precisely on top of one another as possible.

2. Place a T-shirt that fits you well on top of the bigger shirt. Line up the neck hole and the tops of the shoulders and arms as precisely as possible.

3. Check to make sure that the design of the large shirt is covered by the small shirt, or you will lose the parts that are sticking out. If you are concerned about what will get cut off, find a slightly larger shirt to use as a pattern.

4. Draw a chalk line on your large shirt, about half an inch out from the small shirt. This line should go up the sides of the body and out under the arms. If you want to make your big shirt shorter as well as tighter, continue these lines across the bottom of the shirt and the ends of the sleeves, still marking half an inch from the pattern shirt.

5. Remove the pattern shirt and carefully cut along the chalk lines, making sure to cut through both the front and back of the shirt.

6. Turn the shirt inside out.

7. Sew the front of the T-shirt to the back along the side and underarm seams. If you prefer, you can pin the seams before sewing.

8. If you cut off the sleeves or bottom of your shirt and you want clean, finished edges, fold these edges up about half an inch and sew around the bottom of the shirt and sleeves, fastening these folds in place.

Tips & Warnings

• For a no-sew way to make a T-shirt smaller, follow the same steps until you make the seams. Instead of sewing, punch holes in the front and back of the shirt along these seams, then lace them together with cord, ribbon or long pieces of a T-shirt.
• If you're in doubt about the sizing of your shirt, err on the side of caution. You can always make a T-shirt smaller again, but once it is too small, there is not much that you can do.