5.09.2011

Self Tailoring 101

via Pinterest
Raise your hand if you have one or several items in your closet that need to be tailored!


I am raising both of mine.

Tailoring, although necessary, can sometimes get a bit pricey. For minor tweaks to your clothing, don’t be afraid to take matters into your own hands. With a few simple maneuvers, you can change the fit and appearance of your garments in less than 3 minutes!

Here are a few of my favorite “at home” tailoring tricks:

Pocket Purge

Pockets are great…if you are a 5 year old boy. Although a cute detail on jeans, the excess fabric of frontal pockets can lead to bumps and lumps on the tops of the thighs…not cool! To smooth the legline on jeans or even dress slacks, lose the pockets.

With a pair of sharp fabric scissors (or even sharp garden shears- for real!), trim ¾ of the lower fabric from the pocket. Turn the pants right side in and voila! A smoother leg line with no weird bulges on the upper thigh.

Trim Your Trousers

For those of us that are in between pant lengths, it can be extremely frustrating to have to walk around with pant legs dragging the ground. For a 2 second fix, channel your inner child of the 80’s and tight roll your pants.

Starting at the bottom of the pant leg, roll pants about 2 inches upward, until they hit right above the ankle bone. It’s a chic length that looks good with heels or flats.


Shorten Straps

Nothing is more annoying that fighting with a droopy strap on your favorite cami or tank all night. At-home solution? Create a racerback.

Pull the twist tie off of a loaf of bread or bag of veggies. In the back of the shirt, pull the two straps together so that they meet in the middle. Use the twist tie to “fuse” the two straps together to create a racerback. Finally, to hide the twist tie, find a cute flower pin, brooch OR (like in the photo below) a cute ribbon and fasten it around the portion of the racerback that is joined with the twist tie.


It will fix droopy straps and add an element of visual interest to the back of your top or dress!

Style Hint: To accentuate the bust, move the twist tie up higher toward the neck. To accentuate the waist, move the twist tie down toward the middle of your back.


Make a Dress…No, Really!

Need a spring dress in a pinch? No problemo.

I have not ever actually tried this myself, but will be doing so this weekend. Check out this short tutorial on how to make a super fab dress out of a big ole T-shirt. No kiddin.


What tips and tricks to you use to make your clothes fit better?

Be blessed, lovelies-

16 comments:

  1. Great tips! thanks so much! I especially like the tank top one... i had one on the other night and was constantly tugging it up... next time i wear it, im definitely going to make it a racerback! plus the bow on the back adds a cute detail!

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  2. I admit I have used safety pins before and my long hair covers them but I am loving that bow or brooch idea! Thanks for sharing!

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  3. The instant racer back is such a good idea. Being short, I constantly have to deal with pants that are too long. I'm scared to use the 'instant hem' tape (the stuff you iron). Have you tried that?

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  4. Last weekend I had to use safety pins on one of those elastic wide belts to make it smaller. It just looks like a seem going down the back of the belt. So glad I did that! Now I can wear it and don't have to buy another. Thanks for your great tips.

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  5. I always have strap issues! Can't wait to try this tip! Thanks girl!

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  6. LOVE this post! Thank you for the tips!

    Jenna
    http://iamsassypants.blogspot.com/

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  7. Ok this just answered all my life long questions! GENIUS! LOVE YOU!

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  8. Thank you for the tips!!!
    Love that you tie the back of your tanks, super cute!!! I have always wondered what to do so the bra doesnt show.
    Thanks!!!
    http://asweetamericanhoney.blogspot.com/

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  9. Great tips, thanks!!

    PS. I have those jeans that LC has on and I love them. When I first bought them, I was iffy about rolling them up but now I do it every time!

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  10. I keep telling myself that I'm going to start tailoring all my clothing yet they keep sitting on those hangers in the closet. Late 2011 resolution.

    http://lebedoudiary.blogspot.com/

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  11. fantastic - such good timing for this post I began a dressmaking class last night - little tips like these just inspire me to do more - when I have some tips (probably at the end of my course I'll be sure to let you know!)

    xo
    www.veritableally.net

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  12. Girlfriend, you never cease to amaze me. Love these tips! How are you SO creative and crafty!?

    Let me just tell you how much I've missed you! Forgive me for being such a slacking blog friend? I guarantee I've been reading...it's just such a pain to comment from my phone. But I'm back, and I promise to be around more often! I've been having commenting withdrawals!

    I'm gonna need you to do an update soon on wedding plans...you know we're all just itching to know what's being planned :) Happy Wednesday, honey! Thinking about you and praying for you today!

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  13. the racerback is a fabulous idea! Cute blog!

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  14. What great tips - I especially like the rolling up pant legs idea on jeans. I need to do this on a few pairs of mine that are just way too long in length!

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  15. Love these tips. I do that with my pants/jeans all the time if I'm too lazy to get them tailored in time.

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  16. Way of presentation is must for a article that i found on your article Tailoring field always peoples expecting some creative and innovative structures thanks for sharing.

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