How to Take in Side Seams

This tutorial is for adjusting a shirt at the side seams for a better fit. As long as your shirt fits you well in the shoulders, you’ll be able to tailor it elsewhere.

This is a linen shirt from Land’s End. Linen is my favorite fabric for summer, because it’s super lightweight and breathable. I liked the style so much that I ordered it in two different colors; striped cream and indigo. The problem is that the waist and hips of the shirt are baggy on my frame. The shoulders though, fit perfectly! So, I was able to take in the shirt at the side seams.

Tools:

• Sewing Machine or Serger
• Measuring tape or ruler
• Straight Pins or fabric marker/chalk

Steps:

• Measure
• Mark
• Sew
• Hem

Step 1 – Take your Measurements

Put on the shirt and face the mirror. Pinch together the fabric that is loose. Make sure you are gathering equal parts of both sides. Measure the excess pinched fabric at 3 points:

• Bust – An inch or two below the armpit
• Waist – About the middle
• Hips – Close to the bottom

Take notes on how much the shirt can be taken in and where you took that measurement.

Step 2 – Mark your Measurements on the Shirt

Turn the shirt inside out and press with an iron or your hands to lay flat.

Use pins or tailor’s chalk to mark where your measurements were made. Start the measurement from the inside of the seam. Use additional pins and markings to fill in the gaps between, and help guide you as you sew.

Use a shirt that fits you well to double check that you aren’t getting too small.

Note: Normally, the seam would align with the edge of the shirt, laying flat. When this shirt was manufactured, it was not “cut on the grain”, causing the shirt to hang funny. So, I’ve pinned the seam off center to help correct this issue.

Step 3 – Sew your Shirt

Start sewing in the sleeve, inside the sleeve hem and along the seam. Gradually sew outside the seam aiming at your markings. Use the pins as a guide. Try on the shirt after you’re done sewing and take in more if need be.

If you are using a sewing machine, I recommend a zig zag stitch for knit fabrics. I used my serger for this project, which makes a nice new overlock finished seam. It also cuts off the excess fabric as you sew.

Step 4 – Hemming

Press under around the bottom edge of the shirt and sew.

This step is actually optional. I did not hem my shirt because I am happy with the length and cannot put the linen material in the dryer anyway, so no need to worry about the threads unraveling.

Notes on Taking in the Side Seams

Learning to tailor your own clothes is a great way to upgrade your wardrobe while reducing waste. Make a section of clothes in your closet that don’t fit well and let them be your motivation. As long as your shirts fit well in the shoulders, you can take in the sides.

I’m super happy with the way this shirt turned out! I’ve always loved it but hardly worn it because it just didn’t fit well. I fixed it up in time for my trip to Manhattan and wore it on a bike ride through Central Park.

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