How To Tailor A Long T-shirt In 4 Mins (The Easy Way)
[0:00:00] I’m going to share an uncomfortable truth
with you. When your t-shirt is too long, it looks like a dress. [sound effect]
Don’t worry, gents, Thomas, with Real Men Real Style here. And in today’s video, I’m
going to show you how to easily shorten your t-shirt, so it fits perfectly.
You can do this quickly with a sewing machine. Though, I’m also going to show you how to
easily do it by hand. Here are the tools you need to get started – a sewing machine or
sewing needle, thread that closely matches your fabric color, sewing pins, a fabric pencil
or chalk, a ruler, and scissors. So, how long should the t-shirt be? The perfect
length will hit mid fly, 2 to 3 inches below your beltline. Much longer and it starts looking
like a dress, but if raising your arms reveals your midsection, your shirt is too short.
Step number one. Measure and pin. There are two ways that you can get the right measurement
for how much fabric to remove. The first and easiest method is if you already have a perfect
fitting t-shirt, you can use it as a template. Turn the t-shirt you’ll be adjusting inside
out and lay it on a flat surface. Line up the front and back of the hem, so it’s perfectly
even, then pin them together. Now, take your perfect fitting t-shirt and lay it on top.
Make sure the top of the shoulders are lined up, then create a mark along the hem with
your fabric pencil. Now, take your ruler and draw another line
half inch below that, so you’ll have enough extra fabric to create a hem. Use your scissors
to cut across the line you just drew, removing the excess material.
Now, fold up the fabric, so you from a half inch hem, then pin the fabric in place. Position
the pins, so that it will be on the outside of the shirt. This will be important later.
If your t-shirt has side seams, make sure they line up properly.
What do you do if you don’t already have a perfect fitting t-shirt to use as a template?
Put on a t-shirt and take your ruler. Now, you’re going to measure how much fabric
you want to remove. Remember, that shirt should end 2 or 3 inches below your beltline.
Now, turn the t-shirt inside out and lay it on the flat surface. Line up the front and
back hem of the shirt so they’re even, then pin them together. Now, use your fabric pencil
and ruler to mark how much you’ll be removing. Again, draw another straight line half inch
below that, so you’ll have enough extra fabric to create a hem. Now, repeat the same
steps as before, cutting off the extra fabric and folding and pinning the hem.
Step two. Time to sew. To start, I’m going to cover to do this with a sewing machine.
T-shirts are made from a knit fabric, which means they have more stretch than a woven
material like a dress shirt, so you want your hem to be able to easily stretch with the
rest of the fabric. So, instead of using a regular single needle,
we’re going to switch out for a double needle. The double needle creates a zigzag stitch
on the back of the fabric allowing it to easily stretch.
If you don’t have a double needle, that’s okay. A single needle will work in a pinch.
The final result just won’t be quite as durable. We’re going to set the machine
to a straight stitch with a 2.5 mm stitch length.
Turn your t-shirt right side out, so the zigzag will be on the inside and the double straight
lines on the outside. Position the shirt so the right needle will be 3/8th of an inch
from the fabric edge. Let on your first few stitches, then create a couple of back stitches.
This locks in the thread and prevents your stitch from coming undone.
Now, you’re going to sew straight across the hem, removing pins as you go. Once you
reach the end, finish off with a couple more back stitches and you are done.
Now, what if you don’t own a sewing machine? No worries, you can easily sew the hem by
hand. Cut your thread that’s more than twice the length of the hem. We’re going to double
thread the needle for a maximum strength. It’s wise to cut an extra foot of thread.
It’s better to have slightly too much than to run out partway through sewing.
Hold the thread to the needle, making both ends equal in length before making a knot.
Wrap the thread around your index finger to make an X. Finish the X within your index
finger and your thumb. Slide your index finger back. Now, bring your
middle finger down in front to hold it in place before pulling the thread with your
other hand. This leaves you with a strong knot that won’t come loose.
Begin sewing at one into the hem and work all the way around. Just like the sewing machine,
you want to sew about 3/8th of an inch from the edge of the shirt. Alternate pushing the
needle through one side before bringing it back to the other. Try to keep your stitches
close together for maximum strength, 2 to 3 mm is a good baseline.
It can be tempted to go for longer stitches to save time, but you’ll regret cutting
corners if the hem pops open later. Once you’re at the end, create a knot by
pulling the needle to the last stitch to form a loop, then pull the needle through that
loop to form a knot. Do this a couple of times to make sure it’s good and secure.
So now, you’re left with a great looking t-shirt that’s the perfect length. But,
how do you fix those baggy t-shirt sleeves? No worries, gents, I’ve got you covered
in this video right here. [Music]
[0:04:52] End of audio