How To Tailor Your Baggy Hoodie [0:00:00]
The hoodie, the king of relaxed casual style. A great hoodie will feel super comfortable,
but will still make your body look strong and athletic.
Well, unless the hoodie is shaped like a potato sack. Unfortunately, it’s hard to find a
hoodie off-the-rack that isn’t super baggy. Not to worry, gents, Thomas, with Real Men
Real Style here. And today, I’m going to share how to easily adjust your hoodie to
fit amazing. You can do all these from home. Here’s what you need to get started.
A sewing machine, thread that closely matches your fabric, sewing pins, safety pins, fabric
pencil or chalk, a seam ripper, scissors, and an iron.
Step number one. Measure and pin. So, to figure how much fabric you need to take in, there
are two methods we can use. The first and easiest method is to take a perfect fitting
hoodie you already own and to use it as a template. I actually don’t have a perfect
fitting hoodie, so I’m going to use this sweater as a substitute.
Turn your hoodie inside out and lay it on a flat surface. Now, take your perfect fitting
hoodie or sweater and lay it on top. Line up the top of the shoulders and the outer
edge of the sleeves. Now, take your fabric pencil and trace a line along the edge of
the template hoodie going from the bottom of the hem all the way up to the armpit.
If you’re only slimming the waist, then you need to taper the line gradually into
the armpit. Don’t cut in sharply, this leaves nasty looking dimples.
If you’re only slimming the sleeves, then taper the bottom of the sleeve into the armpit.
If you’re slimming both the body and the sleeves, then you can continue the line through
the armpit without tapering. Now, you’re going to put in some sewing
pins, so the fabric stays in place. Now, make sure you have those pins oriented in the direction
you’ll be sewing. That way they can be easily removed as you go.
When placing the pins, remember, that the bulk of the fabric will go on the left side
of the sewing machine. So, what do you do if you don’t have that
perfect fitting hoodie or a sweater for a template? No worries. You can easily figure
out the measurements for yourself. Take that hoodie, turn it inside out and put
it on. Pinch the fabric at your sides until it fits as closely as you like. Then, secure
it in place with a safety pin. Work your way up from the bottom hem all the way up to the
armpit, adding pins as you go. You want the hoodie to fit close, but it shouldn’t feel
tight or restrictive. If the sleeves need to be brought in, repeat
the same process pinching the fabric until you’re happy with the fit, then using a
safety pin to secure it in place. Make sure you brought in an equal amount from both sides,
then take off the hoodie and lay it down flat. We’re going to use those safety pins as
a guide taking our fabric pencil and tracing a line along the pins. Then, replace the safety
pins with sewing pins. Point them in the right direction, so they can be easily removed later.
Step number two. Let’s sew. Install your matching thread and prepare your bobbin. Let’s
do this. You’re going to be sewing with a straight stitch. Go with a 2.5 mm stitch
length. Lay down the first few stitches, then make a couple of back stitches. This locks
in the thread and prevents the stitch from coming apart.
Carefully stitch on the line you drew with your fabric pencil, removing the sewing pins
as you go. Sew in a straight even line. You don’t want to zigzag back and forth. Once
you reach the end, finish off with a couple more backstitches and you’re set.
Now, try on the hoodie and see if you’re happy with the result. If it still fits a
bit loose, then repeat the process again and tighten it up. If it fits too close, take
your seam ripper, ripping the stitch you just made and start over.
Step number three. Cleanup. If you’re satisfied with how it came out, take your scissors and
trim off the excess fabric inside the hoodie, leaving a quarter of an inch of seam allowance.
Now, use a zigzag or overlock stitch to seal in the fabric and create a clean finished
edge. Take your clothing iron and set it to the correct temperature for your fabric. Press
the seam flat against the inside of the hoodie, so it will drape neatly. Now, your hoodies
make you look athletic and badass, instead of frumpy and unkempt.
So now, your hoodie looks incredible, but what can you do about your baggy t-shirts?
In this video right here, gents, I’m going to show you how to easily adjust your t-shirts.
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