If you bought fashionable shorts last summer, and now they are too big, don’t be upset. You can remake them and fit them to your figure almost in one evening. At the same time, it is absolutely not necessary to be an experienced cutter. It is enough to know the basics and the desire to quickly put on your favorite clothes.
How to sew your own shorts at home
You can reduce the size of shorts without recutting if you sew them in slightly, by a maximum of 2 sizes. This will be a little more difficult to do, unlike altering a skirt or dress.
Important! Lack of confidence in your skills is a reason to turn to a specialist in the studio.
Materials and tools needed for remodeling
The qualifications of a craftsman are determined by his tools. Not a single seamstress will save on technical equipment and various devices. If you don’t have an electric or industrial machine at home, you can make do with improvised means. List of required tools:
- sewing thread and needle;
- needles and pins for basting;
- contrasting color threads for basting;
- threads to match the fabric;
- large and small scissors;
- tape measure;
- chalk or soap for marking.
A thimble will help avoid punctures if the fabric of the item is thick enough and you plan to sew by hand. If you have a machine in the house, it will be much easier to remake the product.
Options for reducing the size of shorts: stitching at the waist, hips, along the entire leg
Before you sit down to alter your shorts, carefully measure the excess fabric that needs to be removed. Try on your favorite wardrobe item and pin the area for the trim. Move a little, sit down. You need to make sure that after alteration the item remains comfortable and beautiful.
It will not be possible to sew shorts only on the sides. For proportionality, it is necessary to reduce the product on the sides and inside. There are several options for suturing:
Waist
We tuck the belt at the back of the product and pull out part of the elastic. Having secured its part, you need to make sure that the shorts fit perfectly at the waist. We cut the elastic and sew it in. After this, we close the hole in the fabric. The greater the difference in size, the more visible the fold on the back of the waistband will be.
If there is no elastic on the product, you can easily add it. To do this, stretch the edge of the elastic on the back of the waistband and make slits. Using a pin, insert it and make two lines on different sides.
Along the hips
Put the shorts on inside out and pin up any excess material with needles. Having marked the seam line, we rip out the side seam, pockets and waistband, as well as the seam between the buttocks and trim off the excess. At the end, we make several decorative stitches on the sides by hand or by machine.
Interesting! In a similar way, you can easily change the style of shorts by making them narrower or changing the flare to a flat model.
By leg length
Measure out the desired leg length for yourself and make a mark with chalk.Before cutting the fabric, add a couple of inches for hemming and make additional marks. It's better if someone else does them. By bending over, the thing will rise, and perfect accuracy will not be achieved.
When hemming, be sure to check the length of the legs by folding the items in half.
Completing of the work
Shorts are sewn according to certain standards. Therefore, often even a suitable item may not fit due to the structure of the body. This is why it is worth learning how to sew things in the right places.
How to sew shorts along the side seams
Put the item on inside out and mark the location of the stitching with an overlap of a few centimeters. This is necessary for the item to shrink after washing. Baste the item and try it on again. If you are happy with the result, cut off the excess part and stitch with a needle by hand or sew a seam on a machine.
Important! For those who are sewing clothes for the first time, it is better to trim off excess fabric after sewing to be able to rip the product.
How to sew shorts along the back seam
It will not be possible to suture manually in this place. Even experienced cutters do not take risks so as not to spoil the item. An assistant must make the outlines. Using a ruler, you need to measure the same distance on the sides of the seam between the buttocks. Open the waistband and draw a cutting line. After basting, put the item back on to make sure the preliminary bastings are correct. Sew the seam using a machine and overlock it with an overlocker. For beauty, add finishing stitches to the outer seam.
How to make shorts smaller without ripping (using darts)
A dart is a tapered section of fabric stitched inside a garment, specifically gathered to reduce the size of the garment or to fit a body. If the shorts are not too big, one dart in the middle at the back is enough.Otherwise you will need two on either side of the back seam.
Draw the necessary darts on the outside of the product and place it at an angle towards you. Baste with a single thread from the narrow end to the wide end along the edges and tighten well. Iron the darts. Try on the shorts and look carefully to see if the darts are too tight. Sew inside according to the marks and cut off the excess fabric.
How to reduce the size of denim shorts without alteration (using hot water).
When washed in hot water, denim items shrink in size. But other materials are also prone to shrinkage during heat treatment. To do this, you need to immerse the product in boiling water for 15 minutes (about 900). Prepare a container of cold water in advance. After immersing yourself in hot water, quickly submerge your shorts in cool water for a few minutes to cool down. Dry the item and iron it. The clothes will take the desired shape and become one and a half sizes smaller.
You can also machine wash at maximum temperature. Please note that a long stay in boiling water will shrink not only the fabric, but also the threads with which it is sewn.
Attention! This is a one-time method. You will need to perform these manipulations after several appearances during the next wash.
Giving your favorite clothes the desired shape and size is the dream of every fashionista. With the help of simple tips, you can quickly and without much effort restore the attractiveness of comfortable shorts.
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