• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • We would like to welcome House of Huntington as an official Affiliate Vendor. Shop past season Drake's, Nigel Cabourn, Private White V.C. and other menswear luxury brands at exceptional prices below retail. Please visit the Houise of Huntington thread and welcome them to the forum.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Anyone dart or take in the sides of their own shirts?

Zackb911

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2010
Messages
430
Reaction score
0
This is something I'd like to learn how to do properly for both dress and casual shirts. I have a 10" drop and most of my shirts, especially the casuals, could benefit from being taken in. I can't seem to find any good tutorials on the considerations and proper techniques to do it. Seems it would be cost effective skill to learn. So anyone here do it themselves?
 

SpallaCamiccia

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2010
Messages
2,347
Reaction score
8
Originally Posted by Zackb911
This is something I'd like to learn how to do properly for both dress and casual shirts. I have a 10" drop and most of my shirts, especially the casuals, could benefit from being taken in. I can't seem to find any good tutorials on the considerations and proper techniques to do it. Seems it would be cost effective skill to learn. So anyone here do it themselves?

12 euros and 7 for darts chargues my taylor.
 

Zackb911

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2010
Messages
430
Reaction score
0
Originally Posted by SpallaCamiccia
12 euros and 7 for darts chargues my taylor.

I've heard here it runs $15-30 per shirt here, however, most of my shirts only run me $30 or so to begin with for J. Crew, Polo, Etc. so I'd rather learn to do it for free and a few minutes of my time. The only shirts I buy for ~$50+ are Nordstrom Trim fit or BB Extra Slim and they need nothing.

So back to my original question...
smile.gif
 

unclesam099

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 18, 2010
Messages
468
Reaction score
19
Originally Posted by Zackb911
This is something I'd like to learn how to do properly for both dress and casual shirts. I have a 10" drop and most of my shirts, especially the casuals, could benefit from being taken in. I can't seem to find any good tutorials on the considerations and proper techniques to do it. Seems it would be cost effective skill to learn. So anyone here do it themselves?

Have you searched on youtube? I've found it to be a decent resource. Would be interested if someone else had a good resource, as well. Preferrably not darts.
 

Zackb911

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2010
Messages
430
Reaction score
0
Originally Posted by unclesam099
Have you searched on youtube? I've found it to be a decent resource. Would be interested if someone else had a good resource, as well. Preferrably not darts.
I have and surprisingly found very little... What I did see was more towards womens shirts or darting T-Shirts. Seems there are sewing guides for nearly everything else. Thanks for the book recommendation. Is it limited to "shirtmaking" or does it also cover alterations to ready made shirts? I'll pick it up if it has some guides on the alterations!
 

SpallaCamiccia

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2010
Messages
2,347
Reaction score
8
Originally Posted by Antonio Centeno
Purchase "Shirtmaking" by David Coffin - if you're serious about doing it yourself this is a great step by step guide. I may at some point upload a video, but right now it's not in the top 100 of my to do list
smile.gif


I got the book here unread. I thought it was a bad purchase but might be not.
 

cptjeff

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jan 19, 2010
Messages
4,637
Reaction score
329
Yup. I've done it on a few shirts, and will be doing it to a few more when I get around to it. You pin it in place, make sure it fits, sew, double check, then cut off the excess fabric and fell the seam. It's pretty easy to do a basic job, getting it perfect will be a bit harder, so do a few shirts that you don't care much about before you start altering the ones you really like.

Haven't done darting, I've just taken in the sides, but I doubt it would be that hard.
 

chrisb0109

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2009
Messages
794
Reaction score
11
Originally Posted by cptjeff
Yup. I've done it on a few shirts, and will be doing it to a few more when I get around to it. You pin it in place, make sure it fits, sew, double check, then cut off the excess fabric and fell the seam. It's pretty easy to do a basic job, getting it perfect will be a bit harder, so do a few shirts that you don't care much about before you start altering the ones you really like.

Haven't done darting, I've just taken in the sides, but I doubt it would be that hard.


Darting is much easier since it requires only one pass through the sewing machine for each dart. Making flat felled seams can get grueling.
 

Xenon

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2010
Messages
602
Reaction score
35
I have done maybe a dozen of my shirts.

Fairly easy but time consuming if you want to do a professional job.

Start by pinning the shirt sideds the way you like it. I find also that if the sides need taking in so do the arms. After mark (with washable crayon) the pinned shirt at pin line.

Remove pins and completely open side seems upto arms or beyond if you want tighter arms and/or scye. Cut fabric 0.5 inch outside of mark. Resew using the same type of seem (seem that folds fabric on itself so that edges are completely hidden- and then stitched). This is actually a double row of stitches . You first start by folding one edge of the fabric over the other (other lies flat) then you stitch where all the shirt lies outside of the sewing machine. The second row of stitch is where you fold the side that previously lay flat -this stitch therefore goes through the resulting 4 layers of fabric. Tough to explain properly with words but make sure you examine the side seem when you cut it open at the beginning

You will probably have to redo the bottom edges as well so that they meet or curve properly.
 

Zackb911

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2010
Messages
430
Reaction score
0
Thanks guys I appreciate the tips and insight. I just ordered this machine from Amazon today and will practice on some old shirts I don't care too much about. For $60 it should pay for itself and be handy to have around. Anyone know how this will handle hemming jeans as well? http://www.amazon.com/Brother-LS2125...cmu_pg__header
 

max_r

Distinguished Member
Joined
Aug 9, 2009
Messages
1,586
Reaction score
733
i've done it to most of my dress shirts, because they are always billowy in the waist. i never flat fell the seam though because i'm a lazy ****. cheap and easy way to make a cheap shirt fit great, imo.


i remember there was a thread a while ago with some guy altering his own dress shirts, but i can't find it.
 

cptjeff

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jan 19, 2010
Messages
4,637
Reaction score
329
One tip: find a shirt that fits great and use it as a template. It'll simplify measuring.
 

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 55 35.5%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 60 38.7%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 17 11.0%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 27 17.4%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 28 18.1%

Forum statistics

Threads
505,182
Messages
10,579,221
Members
223,890
Latest member
MakersGumy
Top