How to Resize a T-Shirt 

I just watched this video here in Ireland. You are super articulate at explaining the whole concept of downsizing . The pace of the video is perfect- your voice is perfect and you enable the observer to follow your instructions very easily and with confidence..I can't wait to apply your methods . Thank you from Katie.

This took me back to Home Economics in junior high! With your video, I could just feel the fabric and the vibration of the machine underneath my fingers! Very satisfying. I was never good at sewing because I didn't practice enough. It was the 60's and we had a couple of projects to do...going from a pillow case to a dress! 😧I did okay with the case, but my 'empire' style dress was a wreck! The empire part came almost up to my neck! 🤣I'll never forget asking my teacher if I could borrow the 'thread picker'. She had to laugh and told me when I could say the proper name, she would give it to me. I thought a moment and said 'seam ripper!' Believe you me, I used that little tool a lot! My dear maternal Grandmother was an exceptional seamstress. She made all of the clothes for her large family of 9 kids! In later years, she also made dresses my aunts, cousin and myself for school. It is a wonderul art and YOU are very talented!

I just completed my first tshirt makeover! Came out so well. I have another 7 shirts that I’m going to makeover. These shirts were from volunteering or road races, so they are very meaningful and now I feel so cute in the one I just finished!

This vid will never age...useful for anyone who's frugal, creative or no waste conscious. Thank you 💗

Another option for tracing is a dry soap sliver. It is a way reuse the remainder of the soap bar when it is too small to bathe with. Dry soap is washable and antimicrobial so no nasty germs on your clothes. I learned this when I learned how to sew in home ec in 6th grade.

Hi Catherine. I am an expert YT armchair Sewer! LOL I know it's sad, but I watch how to change this and that, but have always chickened out of altering my own clothes. No more of that! You are the first one to show how to change the neckline and keep the original rib band. That was so cool!!! Thanks for the tip on serging the sleeves. My serger is a beast that still growls at me!

This tutorial is so helpful! Easy enough for a beginner. I'd never altered a piece of clothing in my life and was able to take a size XL shirt to a medium and the fit is perfect!

This is SO helpful. I am very petite and hate big unflattering tee-shirts, so I can’t wait to try this out. So much better than just hacking at them, which is my usual approach. That looked ok when I was younger but I need something a bit more “finished” now I am in my mid50s prime!

This is a game changer! 💥 My daughter and I shop thrift ALL the time, but we generally have to “make do” with any ill-fitting garments-t-shirts being one of the many that may not have the fit we’d like. We DON’T own a serger, but I am going to attempt this alteration with our sewing machine. Thanks for providing me with the inspiration and the knowledge to know how to do it right! 😊🙌🏾

Just what I was looking for. Thank you. It's unreal how many videos I had to watch that didn't allow for that underarm piece.

Thank you very much for such a well made video! I have never seen a T-shirt collar reworked like that & I worked at an alteration shop for years. Cheers!

I’ve been sewing for 70 plus years and I am in love with your serger tips. That’s a whole new and awesome way to finish seams…..Thank You!!!!

This is the first of your videos I’ve seen, and it was so inspiring! When I was little, my dear, creative grandmother taught me some basic sewing techniques, but it has been a long time and I really don’t know much. You did such a wonderful job demonstrating how to resize a tee shirt that I think (with some practice) I might be able to eventually learn how to do it myself. You are a great teacher! The only recommendation I would suggest is improving your lighting a bit. As a true beginner, I want to see every detail as well as possible. There are parts of your video that are a little dark, and I had trouble making out exactly what you were demonstrating. I was viewing your video on my iPhone so that could be the problem. I’ll watch again on my iPad or laptop and likely be able to see everything trouble free. I love creative pursuits but limit myself for fear of failure or lack of instruction. Thank you so very much for showing me how to do a resizing in a way that I believe I can actually replicate. I most certainly will “follow” you and look forward to learning more. Thanks!

10:00 GENIOUS!!! I've been sewing for years. This hint will up my sewing game for certain. Thank you. I like to use a double needle to topstitch my hems. It looks similar to coverstitch.

Excellent! I came for the alteration tips, but the serger flip is choice in every knit project ever. I caught another great serger tip in your pleated pants video - sew one leg top to bottom and the other bottom to top, to help get both seams get laid down right side up on the hem. I’m sure a video focussing real-life serger tips would be amazing and earn you more happy subscribers.

Best way to avoid the thread problems at the beginning of a serged edge I have ever seen! I have been sewing off and on since 1986. I have a t shirt I have been wanting to adjust this way and now I can do it well. Thank you!

This was a wonderful demonstration of how to resize a TShirt. My husband has lost a lot of weight and all his TShirts are too big on him. This will help me to fix them so he will be able to wear them. Funny … we were just talking about this today. Great job 👏🏻

I had to write to thank you for the tip of starting upside down on the sleeves and flipping it over. I've been overlocking / serging for nearly 30 years and never heard of that one. I can't wait to have a go. I only wish I needed to downsize clothes! Great video, well made. Liked and subscribed.

Thank you so much. This is brilliant. This is exactly what I've been looking for for years. All my pull-over, knit tops are too big because I have to buy them way too wide in order to get the length that I need. I'll be sewing all weekend, I think, & hopefully, start the next week with a closet full of tops I can look & feel feminine wearing--finally, & now I know it's a fairly simple process. I suspect people will ask me if I've lost weight once I have tops that fit well & flatter my curves rather than hanging from me like rags. Thank you again.

Catherine, I am so excited to find your channel! I have a number of shirts that look horrible on me. But now, I feel I can make some significant changes so that my wardrobe can increase and the tops will actually be flattering! Thanks so much for your calm, step by step tutorial. You’re the best! ….Brenda

Just great! I have altered so many T-shirts, rather than ditch them. I even now sometimes buy T-shirts in a larger size and customize them, rather than buying smaller. Thank you for the super instruction!

I have sewed for over 60 years and I learned something new today. Thank You.

I did it!!! Oh wow! You made it so easy to do! The shirt was so big and down to almost my knees. Now it looks like yours. I love it! Thank you so so much!!! Can’t wait so learn more. I subscribed of course :-)

Your voice is really soothing! Thank you so much for explaining everything so nicely. You basically included everything i might wanna do while resizing tshirts. I always wind up buying large t shirts or men's sizes because I love their prints!

wow, I've been sewing for over 40 years - really loving your explanations, your instruction - everything is perfect! thanks for sharing this.

Just remade five old t-shirts I had in my closet using this technique and wow! So much more comfortable and I can finally wear them outside the house. Just saved me so much money ❤️ Fantastic video.

You have just made my day! Picked up a second hand designer t-shirt only yesterday, knowing it was too big for me and could hardly sleep last night because my head was trying to figure out how to down-size it. And then I stroke gold coming across your very well explained tutorial Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Great tutorial. Finally, one that includes dropping the neckline a bit. Too many t-shirts have too high of a neckline.

So happy to have discovered you and your channel. I love that I now have a simple way of downsizing a t-shirt. Your teaching skills are superlative! Thanks so much.

Love this video. Especially dropping the neck, t-shirts always feel like I'm being choked. It would be awesome if you could do a video showing how to do this with the zig-zag stitch for those of us without a serger. Thanks

To think what I could have learned from you AND probably enjoyed seeing if you had been my Home Economics teacher in Jr high school!! This is my first of many videos of yours that I have watched! I'm 56 yrs old, and I don't think it is too late to learn to sew - thanks to you!! ♥️ You exude patience!

Thanks so much! I did a couple of downsizing t-shirts. It went not too bad but was a little tight under my arms. I'm going to try this again your way. My two first t-shirts were given to me when my grandfather died and I didn't want them to just stay in my closet. I wanted to use them. The 2 other t-shirts are from my aunt that died and I want to use them too. I love having them close to me.

Thank you so much for clearly laying out exactly what I needed. I started trimming and realized I wasn't sure about the sleeve part, and luckily I found your video that made perfect sense. Now I can keep the event and hobby shirts that never fit right. Perfect!

I have to thank you for your videos. I never learned to sew so I decided now is the time and bought a sewing machine. I was so intimated. But I took some shirts I bought but never wore because they didn't fit and thought I will give this a try. If I ruin them well I wasn't wearing them anyways. And I actually did it!!! You honestly made it so approachable. I hope you continue to make videos like these. Thanks again.

I’m sixty seven and can hand sew . I’m learning how to sew to do leather work. I’d love to learn more on sewing. I appreciate your videos. Very helpful. ❤

Thanks so much for this! I just ordered a serger and I was planning a t-shirt re-size as my first project. You explained it so well and ended up with a great fit unlike so many of the other tutorials out there.

How refreshing to be watching your video! Very efficient technique without too many distractions. Straightforward and friendly too. Well done! Subscribed.

I just used your technique for lowering the neckband and it worked fantastic. Thank you for your great tutorial!

Brilliant video, Catherine. Very helpful. I'm kicking off my sewing journey at 50 because I can never find clothes that fit me properly. I was nervous about giving it a go, but your videos are super informative, and I'm ready to give it a crack. The spidy t-shirt 2.0 looks very good on you.

So simple and efficient! I like to buy my clothes second hand as well, and now I feel like a whole new world has opened up to me!

I watched your video a couple of weeks ago and easily altered 2 medium t-shirts down to extra small. Your instructions were perfect and the shirts look and fit like I purchased them in my size! 😃

I just resized my 2nd t-shirt using your video. I was so nervous because it's my Wicked shirt that I bought when we went to the play in London (we're from Utah). All my shirt needed was changing the shoulder width & sleeve shape. Now it's PERFECT! Thanks Catherine!!

Oh my goodness! This is a life changer!!! Thank you so much!!! This video is so well done. I appreciate that it is done without a lot of filler yet slow enough that I don’t need to rewind spots. You have a gift and I thank you for sharing!

Blesss you! I cannot stand necklines that touch the front of my neck! Thanks to you, my tops are going to fit and feel WAY better!

Surging the sleeves and preventing the loop, pure genius! I always have that issue! Thank you!

I love this and it’s exactly what I needed to know. I’ve got a bunch of T shirts that I love but are too big since I lost 25KGs since July last year. Thank you! And cheers to the RU-vid algorithm for suggesting this to me 👍🏻

Thank you so much for this! Using your instructions, I've resized two t-shirts in the last week, and look forward to doing more!

I will be going into the world of sewing as I'd like to resize my t-shirts on my own. And I will certainly be referencing back to this... 😀 And like everybody says.... you've made a very helpful how-to without the fillers. And a lovely voice if I might add...

Perfect! Just used your technique and it worked like a charm…even without a serger! Thanks for sharing!

Loved the trick of doubling back on the serger, wished I’d known that years ago! Looking forward to more of your videos!

You have a really pleasant manner for teaching. Thanks for sharing this. I'll be looking at more of your videos.

You are just the best teacher, so personable and thorough and like a new best friend telling me how to do something and making it easy! Thanks for all the amazing videos.

This is a fantastic video & thank you for posting! Two drawers full of shirts are now going to get a new life!

I randomly came across your video in such a random crazy way but I'm so happy I did! I was on the Sally's website looking up nail polish to buy and I saw a video on the Sally's website showing step by step video on OPI nail lacquer and how to paint and after that video played on the website, it showed your video next and I just had to watch it. Now I'm not even searching for nail polish and I'm going through your videos. I don't owe a sewing machine, I have no idea how to sew but I've always wanted to learn. I'm beyond happy your video popped up! ❤️

1st of all; you have such a pleasant voice and the video is so well done with very little wasted time!! love The neckline tip! Now I want to buy a serger!!

Hi from Gerringong NSW Australia. Cathy Ive solved the problem of threading a machine needle. Using a white paint ( I used my Wipeout) and painted the area facing the needle on the machine foot I am using. I used to use white paper to do this. I love you programme and I am an always looking to restyle secondhand clothing for friends.

The best video ever to modify a tshirt! I will def take these tips and raid the hubby’s closet 🥰

So glad I found this video. I have to buy men’s shirts to fit me and the shoulders are always to wide. This is perfect!

I know this video is a few years old but just finding it now and wanted to say THANK YOU for the clear and simple instructions! I brought an oversized polo to my tailor who said it couldn't be resized because of the huge sleeves but I just knew there had to be a way to do this. So I'm dusting off my serger (bought after being inspired by Project Runway to make my own clothes until I realized I have zero sewing skills 🙈) and I'm going to give this a shot with some old t-shirts and then the polo. Thanks again! 🙏

Googled and found your video, absolutely fantastic and clear instructions. I now have a t-shirt that fits and looks great 🎉 thank you 🙏🙏

THANK YOU!!! I've got narrow shoulders and this opens up way more possibilities! You explained it all so well❣️ 🙏🙏🙏

OMG, that serger sleeve tip is invaluable!!! I will be using my serger to adjust all of my tees! And I love the tip on how to change the neckline, too!

Hi Catherine! I was given a large shirt to reno to fit our 4 yo grandson! Judi suggested I look up your vid on making a t shirt smaller! So....here I am and so many great tips etc! I will let you know how it turns out, I am ever so hopeful! Thank you! What a great help.

This is honestly one of the most helpful videos I’ve ever seen - thank you so much! Love from Australia ❤

I just used your tutorial to fix some shirts I loved but hated the way they fit. It worked beautifully . Now, I will feel comfortable wearing the shirts any time. Yeah! Thank you.

I know you posted this years ago but I’m just now finding it. Im short yet bigger and I hate the way men’s shirts look on me. I have a bunch from concerts and volunteering and even one for my favorite baseball team. We are going to a game in a few days and will try altering my Dodgers shirt so I feel better in it, I’ll practice first on another one. Thank you so much!

This is one of the most helpful tutorials I've watched...thank you!! You got yourself a new subscriber!

Thank you! Thank you! I lost weight several years ago and I kept my favorite T-shirts. I wanted to resize them but didn't know how. I am excited to try this. Thanks for showing your method. With your instructions I feel confident I can do this.

The trick with the serger where you flip the beginning to secure the stitching is brilliant!

This is great. Needed to resize a special logo t-shirt for a memorial of a dear friend. But the shirt was so boxy I felt a slob to wear it. With your tutorial, it is now cute and looks more like a top than a t-shirt. Luckily, I had not thrown out an old t-shirt that I liked the fit of, just because I thought I might want to copy it since I draft my own patterns. It worked beautifully. I needed quite a lot of that little triangle under the armpit, not something I ever would have thought of. You’re a genius! Thank you, Catherine!

Super tutorial and easy to follow. I took a deep breath, cut, and found I hadn't smoothed enough underneath. A bit of trimming and remeasuring did the trick. Fits like a charm, wish I had taken a before and after! Thank you for helping me save my KSU game day shirt!

Thank you so much for your videos! You are so talented! You in spores me to finally inspired me to resize a huge men’s T-shirt that I bought a few years ago and with your instructions, it came out just as I hoped for!

This video was so helpful!!! I'm going to be turning some oversized unisex tees into maternity shirts, so this gave a good starting point on how to make them more flattering for my body! ❤️😍 Thanks for a great video!

Thank you so much for this. I have lost a lot of weight and have had to downsize just about every item I own. I also do alterations for my friends and this is just what I needed.

I have watched several of these types of videos, and they all have been a little too vague about certain steps or didn't get the camera close enough to show exactly what they were doing on the machine. Yours is perfect! I think I'm ready to tackle this project now.

This is perfect! I lost a bunch of weight over the last year and my nice short sleeve tops are all big now. I have a serger & sewing machine, so no excuse not to resize my existing nice tops. Your method looks easy, and I'm looking forward to trying this. Thanks for making the video.

Thank you for sharing this! Men always get the best graphic tees and I’d like to get mine to fit better. I’m super new to sewing but I think altering my tees is a good foot in the door!

Thanks for the tutorial. You are a wonderful teacher!

Ok... watching your video makes me want to sew again! Thanks for the tips, you explain so well.

Catherine, this is one of my absolute favorite videos EVER!!! I have several T-shirts that I’ve been afraid to cut into and think I will now try it. I do love a v-neck though - do you have a video changing a crew neck to a v-neck? If so I would love to see it! Thanks so much for this!!

Just tried this out today and worked like a charm!! Sewed it on a regular sewing machine with no issues- but I like the 'finished' look of the serger. Maybe i need to add a serger to my collection? 😉

This resized video is something I look for...forever!!! Thanks for your detailed tutorial.

Your voice is so sweet and your instructions are very clear. Thanks for sharing.

Just perfect! I had a T-shirt I loved, but did not love the fit. Fixed! And just with my standard Brother machine! Thank you, Catherine!

I ordered 5 logo shirts from a favorite shop. I ordered them large (5X) cuz I'm big but they are HUGE!! So happy for these instructions!! Thank you thank you!!

Excellent sewing video. Instructions and visuals are easy to follow. I look forward to your future videos. Thank you!

This is really helpful i just did 2 shirts today and it fitted perfectly after alteration

Loved this instructional. As a newbie I think I could give this a go! Great camera angles and pop up tips too. Congrats.

Catherine, you do fantastic, creative videos, but I have a request, please? Would you do one on altering a t-shirt which uses different coloured fabric and thread, please ?? Just so that we can see which way up you have the fabric, what you're stretching/ not stretching, and where to place stitches. It would be really helpful for all us sewers who need visual aids as well as descriptive narration. REALLY Love what you do, as I rarely ever buy anything but secondhand clothes. Sxx

This video is awesome you are an amazing teacher and Im gonna use the tutorial to downsized my oversized shirts since finding nice fitting shirts is hard as a petite.

Thank you so much! My daughter now has a couple of amazingly great looking t-shirts!

I love this…those tips and tricks are fantastic ❤. Thanks so much for posting

This is great info! I need only to narrow my shoulders, as the seams hang too far down my arm, just like you showed happening at first.

Thank you so much for creating these videos and sharing your knowledge! You are a wonderful teacher- your explanations are clear and your demo steps are excellent too. Could you please show or explain how to sew cotton t shirt fabric with a regular sewing machine? I have some questions: I would like to see how much selvage to cut/allow and do you sew each seam twice? First straight then zigzag the edge? What settings to use for stitches? Thank you again!!

Geeat tutorial and interested to give it a try. The only thing that would have been great to see is maybe a lighter tee or maybe do another similar video with lighter shirt. I had some trouble following for just a bit when explaining the armpit seams because the seams were a little difficult for me to see. I think I got it though and can’t wait to have a couple of favorite concert tees I can actually wear out of the house finally! Thank you!!!🤗

So helpful. I’ve got so many souvenir t-shirts that are all boxy-some I wasn’t allowed to try on first. Good to know I can make them nice. I worked on a practice one and make a few mistakes. Now I know what to be careful of next time!

Thank you so much. I have been watching your video for the past couple of days. Here in sunny sometimes California getting ready for Christmas. We have all been under the weather so watching you sew has been so comforting. I have remodeled my tsp for years but your instruction is so much better with all the details that make it perfect. I wish I had your lessons years ago. I wonder if I can go back and fix one that doesn’t fit so well? I think I will give it a try. I love the shirt but not the fit for all the same reasons you described. Happy holidays. ❤️❤️

Thank you!!! I can't wait to try refitting my boxy tshirts.

So glad this video came into my feed. I’ve been want to resize a few tees that have gotten so out of shape. I look forward to watching more of your instructional sewing videos. Very helpful!

Thanks Katherine, always wanted how to do it, your way of explaining made it very clear for me, I appreciate it ❤️