How To Tailor Men’s Shorts (Get The Perfect Fit)
[0:00:00] Gentlemen, I got to be honest with you. Your
baggy shorts, make you look like you have chicken legs. Not only that, but many guys
wear shorts that are just too long. Take heart, gentlemen, Thomas, with Real Men
Real Style here. In today’s video, I’m going to show you how to easily tailor your
baggy shorts, so they fit perfectly. Here are the tools you’ll need to get started;
a sewing machine, fabric that closely matches the shorts’ fabric, safety pins, sewing
pins, a fabric pencil or a chalk, a seam ripper, a ruler, scissors, and an iron.
First up, let’s go over how to taper your shorts, then we’ll discuss how to shorten
them. Step number one. Measure and pin. There are
two methods you can use to get the right measurements. The first one is to take an existing pair
of shorts that fits you perfectly and to use them as a template.
Turn the shorts you’ll be adjusting inside out. Then, lay your perfect fitting pair on
top. Line up the outside seams and the crotch. You can slim your shorts from the inside seam,
the outside seam, or both. I highly recommend sticking to the inside seam, so any mistakes
will be less visible. If you’re going to hem the bottom of the
shorts later, go ahead and use your seam ripper to undo the original hem. This will make it
easier to hem them after tapering the leg. If you aren’t going to hem the shorts, then
you can skip this step. Trace along the inside seam with the fabric
pencil or a chalk. Once that’s done, pin the fabric in place to keep it from moving.
Make sure the pins will be pointing away from you, so they will be easy to remove while
you sew. If you don’t have a perfect fitting pair
of shorts to use as a reference, you’ll need to figure out how much fabric to remove
yourself. Turn the shorts inside out, then put them on.
Pinch the fabric on the inside seam until it fits as closely as you’d like. Use a
safety pin to secure it, then work your way up the leg, tapering it into the crotch. Move
around to make sure they aren’t too tight. You want to be able to sit down without ripping
them open. Take off the shorts and lay them on a flat
surface. Trace along the line of safety pins with a fabric pencil. Make sure the line smoothly
transitions into the crotch or upper leg. An abrupt transition will leave dimples. Switch
off the safety pins with sewing pins and you’re good to go.
Step two. Let’s sew. Install your matching thread and prepare your bobbin. Let’s do
this. You’ll be sewing with a straight stitch. Go with the 2.5mm stitch length. Lay down
the first few stitches, then make a couple of backstitches. This locks in the thread
and prevents the stitch from coming undone. Carefully stitch on the line you drew with
your fabric pencil, removing the sewing pins as you go. Be sure to 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 of more backstitches and you’re set.
Now, take your scissors and trim off the excess fabric leaving a quarter of an inch of seam
allowance. We don’t want the fabric to fray, so use a zigzag or over lock stitch to create
a clean finished edge. Now, take your clothing iron and press the
seam flat against the inside of the shorts, so the fabric will drape cleanly.
Now, let’s go over how to hem your shorts. This raises the question what is the best
length for shorts? For most men, you want your shorts to sit 1 to 3 inches above your
knee. Step number one. Measure and pin. Just like
before, we can get the correct measurements by using an existing pair of shorts as a template.
Just lay them on top and trace across with the fabric pencil.
You don’t have a pair of shorts to use as a template? That’s okay, you can measure
it for yourself. Put on the shorts and use a ruler to figure out how much fabric to remove.
Turn the shorts inside out and lay them flat. Use the ruler and fabric pencil to mark a
line based on the measurement you took. Now, create a line 2 inches below the line you
just drew. Use your thread ripper to undo the original hem if you don’t have two extra
inches of fabric. Cut off all additional fabric below this line.
Now, draw another line 2 inches above the original line you made. Fold the fabric up
to the top line. Now, they will be the correct length. Use your clothing iron to press the
end of the shorts, so they will stay in place. We don’t want the fabric to fray, so we
will fold it inward to keep everything neat and tidy. Fold the fabric in half under itself,
so we will be left with a 1 inch hem. Keep folding around the entire leg of the shorts,
pinning the fabric in place as you go. Step number two. Let’s sew. Remove the side
attachment from the sewing machine to ensure that the leg opening of the shorts will easily
fit. Once again, we are going to use a straight stitch with a 2.5 mm stitch length.
Start sewing, keeping your needle 1/8th of an inch from the folded edge. Don’t forget
to add a couple of back stitches after you first start sewing. Keep sewing in a straight
line, removing the sewing pins as you go. Once you’re at the end, add a couple of
more back stitches and you are done. There you have it, gents. You’ve gone from
wearing a potato sack to looking sharp and stylish.
You want to learn how to make your t-shirt look awesome too? Check out this video, where
I go in-depth on how to alter your t-shirt to fit perfectly.
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