How to Replace Knit Shirt Cuffs

You can add cuffs to a shirt.

Replace worn or stained cuffs to make an old shirt look like new. Cuffs are exposed to more damage and wear than the other parts of the shirt. Teething children will chew on their cuffs wearing holes in them and stretching them out of shape. Even pushing up your sleeves can cause cuffs to stretch. Replace worn cuffs with new cuffs of rib knit fabric and make a favorite shirt look like new.

Things You'll Need

• Seam ripper
• Measuring tape
• Rib knit fabric
• Overlock sewing machine
• Matching thread

Instructions

1. Carefully remove the old cuffs with a seam ripper.

2. Measure the distance around the cuff. Add 1 inch to this measurement. This will be the stretched length of your cuff. Calculate 2/3 of this length by multiplying the number by two and dividing it by three.

3. Cut a strip of rib-knit fabric 4 and 1/2 inches wide and as long as you calculated in the previous step. The ribs should run parallel to the 4/12-inch side. Rib knit fabric for cuffs is usually sold in strips about a foot wide at fabric stores.

4. Fold the fabric in half along its length. Make the fold perpendicular to the ribs of the fabric. Sew the 2 1/4-inch ends of the strip together with an overlock stitch. This is the cuff.

5. Pin the cuff onto the sleeve with the right sides together. Match the seams and keep the raw edges even. Sew the cuff onto the sleeve with an overlock stitch.

6. Turn the cuff down. Make the other cuff and sew it on in the same way.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a small short zigzag stitch on a standard sewing machine if you do not have an overlock machine.

• Make an over-cuff by finishing the edge of a cuff without sewing it onto the sleeve. Place this over the shirt cuffs to protect them from a teething child who likes to chew on his cuffs.