How to Make a Baggy Shirt Smaller

Alter a baggy shirt yourself in a few simple steps.

Some people like the comfort of wearing baggy shirts, while others prefer to wear tighter fitting shirts that accentuate their figure. If baggy shirts are not your style and you receive one as a gift, you may find yourself wondering what to do with it. You could try shrinking the shirt in the dryer if it is made of washable fabric. If that does not work, you can alter the shirt to make it smaller.

Things You'll Need

• Straight pins
• Table
• Full-length mirror
• Thread matching shirt
• Needle
• Sewing machine
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Turn the baggy shirt inside out and put it on.

2. Starting at the bottom of one side of the shirt, measure 1/2 inch in from the side seam and mark the spot with a pin, inserting it vertically.

3. Place another pin 1 inch up from the first pin and 1/2 inch in from the side seam. Insert another pin 1 inch up from that one. Continue to place pins up the side of the shirt, stopping where the sleeve meets the body of the shirt.

4. Go to the other side and repeat the process.

5. Carefully remove the shirt, making sure not to stick yourself with any of the pins, and lay it on a table, the front of the shirt facing up.

6. Continue putting pins in the sleeves. Insert the pins 1/2 inch from the stitches, stopping when you reach the end of both sleeves.

7. Put the shirt on carefully so you do not stick yourself with pins, and examine the shirt in the mirror to see if you are satisfied with the way the shirt fits. If you think it needs to be taken in more or let out, adjust the pins by moving them in another 1/4 inch from the stitches, or out 1/4 inch from where you originally placed the pins.

8. Make darts in the shirt if you want the shirt to be form fitted. Pinch the fabric together vertically just under the breast. Push a pin through the fabric in a vertical position and on an angle so the fabric conforms to the shape of your abdomen.

   Place additional pins down the front of the shirt, following the pin you just inserted. Make sure each pin is a little further away from the folded edge of the pinched fabric, and the last pin is 1/4 inch in from the folded edge and at the bottom of the shirt. Pin a dart under the opposite breast.

9. Carefully remove the shirt and hand baste seams and darts, using the pins as a guide.

10. Remove all the pins.

11. Sew over the basting with your sewing machine.

12. Remove the basting and trim the excess fabric from the sides of the shirt. Do not remove any fabric from the darts.

Tips & Warnings

• Have someone pin the shirt for you if possible.

• Be careful not to prick yourself with the pins.

References

• "The Observer"; Make Your Baggy Clothes Fitted; Jan. 17, 2010
• Central Washington University: Scott R. Robinson