Tailor it to fit February: How to lengthen a tight short shirt

Finally, I have been able to finish some projects and post them! Miracle! This month has been quite a challenge due to the amount of clothing I have to left to refashion (I have seriously done a number to my closet) and lack of patience my 2 year old has in allowing me to go thrift shopping to find those refashionable goods and to actually sew. But that is life! 

A lot of people have asked me how I made a certain top last year that resembles this one very much and this is basically the gist, the difference this one is refashioned and the other one is made from scratch. But maybe this helps give you an idea.

Supplies:

Sewing Machine

Thread

Shirt you will refashion

Elastic (length around waist stretched)

Either fabric (same material as your top you will be adding to) OR a big shirt you can cut up

Scissors

Flexible measuring tape

Pins

Instructions:

 

1. Measure the width of the shirt. You will be doubling it in both the front and back. For example, my shirt has a 14" width, so I would need 28" in front and 28" in back.

2. Also measure how long you would like the piece of fabric to be starting at your waist line. Mine was 11" long.

3. Buy or find the fabric or shirt you are going to cut up.

4. Cut it into the specified measurements of #1 and #2. Mine was 11" wide (because I used knit, I made sure it was non stretchy running up and down) and 56" long (the stretchiness runs from right to left). Or you can have two pieces 28" long.

5. Sew the piece(s) together to make a tube.

6. Gather the top together with the basting stitch technique (run a long stitches around the top of the tube and pull) or do what I do and gather it manually by bunching a roll or two of  fabric under the foot with your left and and lifting the foot with the right and sewing a few stitches. Then repeat.

7. Pin the ruffled tube to the top where you would want it to sit on your top. Then sew with a zig zag stitch or sometimes I like using the blind hem stitch.

8. Cut off the excess shirt and serge if you like.

9. Add elastic to the excess fabric piece of the newly cut and sewn part of the top. Stretch it as you sew.