Altering a mens dress shirt
 

Hello All~

I was just curious - I have quite a few dress shirts that are a tad too
big on me - but I still like the shirts. I was just curious as to how
easy it would be to alter them into a size that fits me better - i.e.
altering one from a 16 down to a 15 - I'm mainly just concerned with
the seams on the sides - the sleeves and collar would stay the same

Think of me a someone who's hardly used a sewing machine ;o)
thanks in advance
Mike

On 24 Jan 2005 10:18:28 -0800, Mike wrote:
I was just curious - I have quite a few dress shirts that are a tad too
big on me - but I still like the shirts. I was just curious as to how
easy it would be to alter them into a size that fits me better - i.e.
altering one from a 16 down to a 15 - I'm mainly just concerned with
the seams on the sides - the sleeves and collar would stay the same

Ah, well, the size of the shirt you buy will remain a 16... that's the collar
size, but for new shirts, you might want to look for "trim fit" or similar
("gentleman's fit" is a euphemism for the opposite body type to yours.)

And yes, your existing shirts can be reduced in body width through the
torso (from the bottom of the sleeves down) easily -- the side seams can
be taken in. Or a couple of darts can be added in back -- sort of depends
on how things are fitting and the initial design. It's a bit more work to
do the sleeves and the side seams, and much more difficult to change the
fit through the shoulders; not worth it to take in the neck.

It's actually probably not a terribly difficult fix... with a sewing machine
and a couple of hours coaching, you can even learn to do it yourself.
Expect to pay for a pro's time, however, in doing alterations. It's not
a job some of us who sew enjoy.

Kay

I have always been interested in shirts. I usually buy new shirts and have them recut. There is a great site on the web that I found interesting and is where I take my new shirts to get recut. www.recutshirts.com