DIY Tailoring
- 1). Try on your garment and pin under the length of the fabric where you would like it to hit on your body. Be sure to pin the fabric evenly as this step is critical in producing quality work. This will create the hems to adjust the length.
- 2). Work on taking in the width of your dress now that you have pinned up the length. Pinch the fabric in evenly with your hand on the left side of your waist and on the right side of your waist so that the garment has a snugger fit. Pin the fabric in place on both the left and right sides of the waist and then continue pinching the fabric and pinning in place from under your arms down to the bottom of the garment.
- 3). Turn the fabric inside out and draw lines following the path of the pins using fabric chalk or a fabric pen. This step is not necessary but helps in keeping the exact shape of the garment and provides a line for you to follow as you sew.
- 4). Lay the fabric on the sewing machine with the wrong side of the fabric facing up.
- 5). Sew along the lines that you drew, or if you did not draw lines, sew along the path of the pins.
- 6). Turn the fabric so the right side is showing and try on the garment to ensure a good fit. There may be some bulkiness underneath the garment due to excess fabric that has not yet been cut off with scissors. If the garment is still too large, repeat steps one through four for a snugger fit.
- 7). Turn the fabric back inside out and cut off any excess fabric with scissors so the piece has a clean finish and the bulkiness is eliminated.
- 8). Turn the garment to it's correct side and wear.
