Making your clothes fit better often involves simple adjustments to the garment itself.
One straightforward method to improve the fit of clothing, particularly to make it tighter, is to take in excess fabric at the side seams. This is widely considered an easy and often the quickest way to achieve a closer fit. If the garment has additional seams beyond the basic side seams, such as style lines or princess seams (vertical seams shaped to fit the body), you can also take out excess fabric in these areas for further tailoring.
Adjusting Fit Through Seams
Tailoring clothes at the seams is a common technique used by both professionals and home sewers to customize the fit. By carefully altering the stitch line along existing seams, you can effectively reduce the garment's overall circumference.
Here's a basic idea of how taking in seams works:
- Identify the Target Area: Determine where the garment is too loose. Side seams are primary candidates, but also consider princess seams or other style lines that run vertically.
- Pin the Excess Fabric: While wearing the garment (or on a dress form), carefully pin the extra fabric evenly along the seam line where you want to take it in. Aim for a smooth, natural fit.
- Mark the New Seam Line: Use tailor's chalk or a washable marker to draw a new line, following your pins, that represents where the new seam will be stitched. This line will be inside the original seam line.
- Stitch the New Seam: Carefully sew along the marked line. Start gradually at the original seam and taper the new stitching line smoothly down to the point where the fit is correct, then taper it back out to the original seam line.
- Trim Excess Fabric (Optional): Once the new seam is stitched and you've checked the fit, you can trim away the excess fabric outside the new seam line, leaving a consistent seam allowance.
- Finish the Seam: Finish the raw edge of the new seam allowance (e.g., using a serger, zigzag stitch, or pinking shears) to prevent fraying.
- Press the Seam: Properly pressing the new seam helps it lie flat and improves the garment's finished appearance.
Why This Method Works
- Structural Points: Side seams are fundamental structural points in most garments. Adjusting them alters the main body circumference.
- Relative Simplicity: Compared to complex alterations like shoulder adjustments or sleeve reshaping, taking in side seams is often more straightforward, especially for basic garments.
While taking in seams is an effective method, especially leveraging side seams as a quick solution, more complex fit issues might require additional tailoring techniques or the help of a professional tailor.
