Easy Sew Alterations For A Beginner
A reader asked me to share some of the easy sew alterations I use. Even though my mother was a professional seamstress, I consider myself a beginner as I’ve never sewed a clothing item from scratch as an adult.
Quote of the day: “There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.” Denia Waitley
My mother will say that many times alterations are harder than hand sewing an item from scratch, but as a fix-it girl, I think it’s a fun challenge.
Especially when I can get an item for a steal while thrifting.
It’s all about practice as well as knowing what you can do and what is over your head.
Most items that I included for this easy sew alteration article were secondhand but not all of them. My biggest consideration when I start altering something is if I screw it up, will I be heartbroken?
I’ll share some super easy sew alterations as well as some medium easy ones below. Heck, I even included a no-sew option.
Insider tip: The best way to practice is to start on clothing items you plan to purge. Maybe they don’t fit or are wearing out.
Either that or go to the thrift store and find deals.
I have shared an article where my mother weighed in on the sew alterations that can be done and which ones are better left to the professionals.
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Equipment
Of course, having a sewing machine is ideal, but many of these easy sew alterations can be done by hand sewing and/or combinations with adhesive.
Insider tip: There are iron on adhesives available or glue adhesives that work on fabrics so you don’t have to sew the material.
My advice if you are just starting to explore the idea of easy sew alterations is to start with a used sewing machine. You can search Facebook Marketplace or check the thrift stores.
If you don’t like secondhand items, then Walmart has a small machine for under $40.
The Walmart machine does have thread and bobbins included but otherwise here are a couple of items I use regularly.
- Needles
- Thread
- Bobbins
- Seam Ripper
- Pins
- Fabric scissors. I also like to have Pinking scissors
No Sew Alteration
The easiest alteration is one where you can just cut something to be the length you prefer.
That’s why the raw hems on jeans are so advantageous right now.
Insider tip: Even if the raw hem goes out of style in the upcoming years, you could always sew the hem in the future.
For me, I wanted to showcase this faux leather skirt that seemed a tad too long for my liking.
I used a pair of pinking shears to cut the skirt to make the length better for me.
Insider tip: Many things we do with these easy sew alterations are obvious when they are up close as “in your face.” You notice them as you work on the project.
But make sure you don’t obsess over trivial things because, from a distance, most things aren’t obvious.
For example, the pinking edging on this black skirt looks normal in the photo.
The Easy Sew Alterations
What I would consider easy sew alterations are the ones that only need a straight line of sewing and no ripping is required.
I’m showcasing 2 of these that I’ve done more recently.
1-Took in the Waistband
Not all waistbands would be considered an easy sew alteration. But because this skirt had a band of white elastic on each side of the zipper, I figured I could pleat it in, sew it, and cut off the excess on the inside easily.
One reason this worked is because the elastic won’t unravel when cut.
However, you could do this with many lightweight materials. The secret would be to zigzag the edges after cutting them.
I also didn’t mind the pleating since it would be in the rear of the skirt and it wasn’t a bulky material.
Added a Clasp to an Elastic Band
I found this top and matching skirt set for $1 recently. I couldn’t pass it up since the material is super happy, and I figured I could do something with it.
When I got home and tried on the top, the lower elastic band was too big and hung down instead of being horizontal.
Insider tip: Elastic breaks down over time especially in the heat, yet many times it can be “fixed” or replaced so you don’t have to throw out the clothing item.
For my flower top above, I couldn’t just cut the elastic and sew it together because it would have been too tight to get on and off. That’s when I remembered that I had bought this daisy buckle years ago. The buckle is meant to tighten a waistband, yet this was the same concept.
I cut the strap in the middle and sewed the edges to each side (that’s the yellow zigzag stitch). Then I hand sewed the daisy buckle on and it works perfectly.
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Medium Easy Sew Alterations
While I’d still call these next 2 examples easy sew alterations, they are a tad more complex. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try doing them.
1-Taking Up the Shoulders
When you have a sleeveless top or tank top, and the armholes are too big, then taking up the shoulders can be an easy fix.
Easy IF there isn’t a trim around the seams. You do have to inspect the straps first.
You can see this t-shirt worn with a Halftee before I took up the sleeves.
This alteration can be easy or at times annoying in my experience. When I finished this easy sew alteration, I didn’t love how it looked which is why I safety pinned a navy bow over the seam.
The reason I safety pinned the bows instead of sewing them on was so I could remove them for washing.
REMEMBER, I am not a professional. I call myself a beginner. But you can also YouTube almost anything and find the correct way to sew things. For free.
2-Create Shape in a Boxy Top
Taking in the side seams is another of the easy sew alterations I do on a regular basis. While it does require a curved sewing seam instead of a straight one, the thing that makes it easy is that it is hidden.
You turn the garment inside out to sew it and thus you don’t see the seam.
Insider tip: I’m sure there is a correct way to do this, but I make the curved seam, cut off the excess, and then zigzag the cut seam so it doesn’t unravel.
This is basically like making a dart in your item, but since it’s on the side of the garment, it’s hidden well.
When Garments Don’t Fit Correctly
I use my limited knowledge of easy sew alterations to change up many of the garments that I get for a steal or thrift.
1-This Cabi Brand Trend Dress
One of my friends was selling this dress on Poshmark and I always liked the Cabi brand. But when this dress arrived, it fit wonky which is hard to see in the photos. I talked about it the first time I wore it with leggings.
The changes I made to the dress aren’t ones you would probably notice at first glance but fall under the topic of easy sew alterations.
- Removed belt which was sewn in.
- Took in the back seam to make it smaller–straight seam and then cut excess material with pinking shears.
- Took off the trim on the inside which covered the hem. It was too heavy for the material and caused it to hang strange-used pinking shears.
- Shortened the overall length with my pinking shears.
Since the material was woven cotton, and it’s not something I would be washing much (since I was sure I would layer it over other clothing), I felt comfortable using my pinking shears for the edges.
Insider tip: I wasn’t sure if any of these changes would ruin the dress or help at all, but I felt I had nothing to lose. I wasn’t going to wear it as is, and worst case, I could try to use the material for something else.
2- DIY Maxi Dress Into Cami & Maxi Skirt
This dress was one I chose after winning an Instagram giveaway. I should have realized that a maxi dress would be way too long for my 5’2″ frame. But I loved the colors and figured I could fix it.
What I did was cut it in the middle to create a top and skirt from the dress.
To create a waistband for the skirt, I sewed a piece of wide, white elastic to the cutoff portion.
Both pieces have been worn on the blog since. The cami was layered under an oversized white shirt. And the maxi skirt was worn when we visited our local monastery.
3-Cut Off Pants to Make Shorter
One tip I talk about often is having long pants cut off to make them the length you prefer. You can create ankle pants, cropped pants, or any length of shorts with this method.
The suede shorts were an easy sew alteration because the only sewing I did was to shorten the lining. I used glue for the suede part.
Wanna see this done step by step? I wrote an entire blog post for those who enjoy DIY.
4-DIY a Dress Into a Skirt
I bought this dress one year when on my birthday shopping trip because I didn’t have anything like it.
And while I loved how it looked, the smocking at the top wasn’t tight enough and wouldn’t stay up. Even wearing the sleeves up on my shoulders didn’t help which was frustrating.
If it’s one thing I hate, it’s futzing around with my clothing throughout the day.
So I decided to remove the sleeves and use that smocking as a waistband. I tucked the smocking in half and sewed it down.
Then it became a knee-length skirt which I wore on our recent road trip as my Travel outfit for 4 out of the 9 days.
Why do I think it’s important to know a couple of easy sew alterations?
Mainly because it makes you the boss of your clothes.
I think it’s very freeing to be able to purchase something and know you can make it fit or feel better.
And it’s very budget-oriented even if you purchase a new sewing machine. Have you seen the prices of alterations out there?
With all of the free YouTube videos available, you can learn many sewing alterations. Do they always turn out perfect? No. But that’s life.
Thank You
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Welcome to Jodie’s Touch of Style. I’m here to prove that it’s never too late to look great. Clothing and style are meant to showcase your inner personality. So let’s have fun and try new things.
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