Easy Sewing Hacks: How to Alter a Button-up Shirt​ to Fit Better

Tools and materials: 

• Man’s button-up shirt or pajama top
• Contrast narrow white lace
• Small applique patch (optional)
• Pins
• Scissors
• Sewing machine

1. Planning the design

I really love the dark green trim and white piping on this shirt, so I’m going to make them an integral part of the design.

The first thing I did was remove the buttons.

I also pressed the lapels down on the inside and stitched the layers together so they were easier to work with.

I decided to turn the lapels to the outside on my finished garment, so I sewed down the inner edges.

Now it’s trying on time! I want to know where exactly the wrap over is going to work best, so I tried the shirt on and wrapped it around me until I liked the fit.

Once I was happy with it, I pinned the lapels together at the top.

2. Cutting and sewing

I headed to the sewing machine and sewed the lapels together with a double row of stitches along the inside edge, so the original button placket hid the buttonholes.

That also meant that I had to remove the pocket, which I did as carefully as I could, because it was too close to the wrapover.

I measured the length I wanted for the shirt and cut it straight across at the bottom.

I stitched the top lapel down to the new edge of the shirt and incorporated it into a new double hem, which I stitched in contrast thread for extra interest.

3. Shorten the sleeves

I folded the shirt in half lengthways as evenly as possible and placed the sleeves on top of each other.

I was careful to match the shoulders, the sleeve seams and the underarm seams, because I intended to cut both sleeves at the same time.

I used a short-sleeved shirt I already owned as a template for the sleeve length.

My plan was to reattach the cuffs to the shorter sleeves, so I didn’t need to add a hem allowance to the bottom of the sleeves.

I lined up all the underarm seams and cut off the pajama sleeves to the exact length of my template sleeves.

I cut off the cuffs, adding a seam allowance as I did so.

4. Reattach the cuffs

Turn the cuffs inside out and leave the shirt right side out.

Place the cut edge of the sleeve inside the cuff, so the right sides are touching and the raw edges are aligned.

Make sure you match the underarm seams on the sleeves and the cuffs before sewing the two together.

In my case, the sleeve tapered towards the cuff so I made a few pin tucks on the top edge of each sleeve to fit them into the cuffs.

You could also run a row of gathering stitches across the sleeve heads and gather them into the cuffs that way.

5. Lace trim and finishing

I felt that the shirt would look even better with a narrow lace trim over the dark green lapels and neckline.

This is an optional step as you may not feel your design needs this extra detail.

I bought just under 3 yards (2.5 m) of half an inch (1 cm) wide inexpensive cotton lace and sewed it around the inner edges of the lapels.

I had so much of it I added it to the lower edge as well.

When I removed the pocket it left some pulling on the front, so as another optional extra I attached a small applique patch in toning colors.

How to alter a shirt​

As you can see, upcycling a shirt can involve as much or as little work as you want.

My designs usually evolve as I go, and I find myself coming up with new ideas as the project comes together.

Don’t be afraid to be creative and try something new.

If you’ve enjoyed watching this, please let me know in the comments below.