How to Tailor a Dress Shirt
Tailoring a dress shirt to fit just right can be done quickly with only cursory seamstress skills. The dress shirt is a classically-styled shirt that has been popular for decades. Finding the perfect dress shirt can be a challenge, and even more so when it doesn't fit quite right. Tailoring a dress shirt is a very straightforward process and allows you to make adjustments for body shape.
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Things You'll Need
- Straight pins
- 1 spool of thread that matches garment
- Sewing machine
- Tailors chalk
- Measuring tape
- Seam ripper
Instructions
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1
Turn the dress shirt inside out exposing all seams under the arm and along the side.
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Put the shirt on inside out and begin to tack the desired adjustments per your body shape using straight pins. Pinch the fabric under the arm and along the side and pin. It is not necessary to fully pin the garment at this time. Just place straight pins in key spots being careful not to poke yourself. Repeat on the other side.
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3
Carefully remove the dress shirt and lay it flat on a table.
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Draw a light line under the arms of the dress shirt and along the sides using the straight pins you place as a guide. This will be the placement of your new seams. Use a measuring tape as you work to ensure your lines are equidistant from the old seams.
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Place straight pins approximately 4" apart along your chalk line and perpendicular to the old seam.
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Load sewing machine and bobbin with the thread per manufacturers instruction.
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Sew along the chalk lines of the dress shirt being careful to not hit the straight pins with the sewing machine needle.
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Turn the dress shirt inside out and verify fit by trying it on. Adjustments may be necessary. If an area is too tight, the seam may need to be removed using a seam ripper and restitched.
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9
Trim the old seams away from the dress shirt by cutting off the excess fabric approximately 0.5" from the new seams.
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Tips & Warnings
Use extra care when determining the new tailored shape of the shirt to prevent added work.
Follow manufacturers safety instructions while operating the sewing machine to avoid damage or injury.
Resources
- Photo Credit handsome man in dress pants and shirt image by MAXFX from Fotolia.com
