Simple DIY alterations and fixes to store-bought clothes

Have you gotten some clothes that looked cute in the store, but then end up not wearing them for one reason or another?  I have a few items that I put into a storage bin because I wasn't wearing them.  Recently, due to the nice warm weather we've been having, I switched out my cold-weather clothes for warm-weather clothes, and rediscovered these items in my storage bin.

As I looked these items over, I realized that I stopped wearing them for very simple reasons.  Not only that, all of the problems that I had with these clothes were problems that could be fixed with sewing!

For example, the top button of the teal dress below wouldn't stay closed reliably, and I became so self-conscious when wearing it (I would look down and check all the time to make sure I was still buttoned) that I just stopped wearing it.

With my new-found confidence in sewing, I decided that I would fix this particular problem with a hidden sew-on snap button right above the top button.

These are the sew-on snaps I picked up, in size 3/0 (the smallest).

The sew-on snap button completely fixes the problem and it only took a few minutes to do this fix!

Even better, the ruffles on the bust of this dress hide the thread, so it is completely invisible from the outside.

Another item I found in my storage bin was an orange tank top.  I bought this orange tank top in Japan several years ago, but I stopped wearing it because the overlapping edges of the V-neck did not provide sufficient coverage, and my bra was often visible if you looked at the side with the opening.

This was another super-easy fix.  After confirming that I would still be able to get the top on if the overlapping edges were sewn together (I used a safety pin to pin the edges together, and tried putting on and taking off the top), all I had to do was stitch the overlapped part down.  I decided to go with orange topstitching to match the ribbon in the middle.  Another piece revived!

Can you see the orange stitching?

I also dug up an old pajama top.  I wore it so many years that the elastic had lost all of its elasticity.

You can't even tell that it has elastic attached to it!

The elastic was old, yellow, and generally totally gross.

I removed all of the old elastic with a seam ripper, and sewed in new elastic in its place.  (1/8" elastic that you can find at your local sewing/crafts store.)

Voilà!  It looks like it did 7 years ago!

I also found some denim shorts that I wore so much that holes developed below the back pockets!  This fix didn't even require sewing.  All I had to do was iron on some patches on the inside to reinforce the weak area.  The patches are also readily available at Jo-Ann or your local sewing/crafts store.  Iron on high heat (dry iron) for 40 seconds to set it, and it's done!

I positioned the patches to cover the weakest parts (where the denim had worn thin).

You can't see the patches from the outside.  You can only white threads where the two holes used to be.  I don't mind having those threads there.  If you mind, then it might be trickier to fix your shorts.

These shorts will be good for another few years now.

A couple of years ago I bought Martin-fit gray pants at Banana Republic in the petite size/length.  At the time I thought they fit, but soon after getting them I realized they were too short and looked ridiculous.  (They might have shrunk a little in the wash, too, contributing to the problem.)

Looking at these pants again I was inspired to redo the bottom hem.

Pin the hem up while wearing the pants for the best results!

It was even easier than expected.  The Martin fit luckily has an extra rolled up layer at the bottom, so I had enough length/fabric to work with.

The blind hem setting on my sewing machine took care of it.

You can only see the stitching on the inside of them hem-- on the outside it is almost completely invisible.

 Last but not least, after years of use, the strap on my strapless bra had stretched out, rendering the bra pretty much useless.  (Who wants to have to find a private spot every few hours to adjust your bra to keep it from sliding down too far?)

I was getting ready to buy a new one when I suddenly realized that I might as well try to fix the old one.

Step 1 & 2: use a seam ripper to remove the ends gently (you're going to reattach them).  Cut off the right amount from each side, keeping in mind you have to trim both sides.

Step 1 & 2 on the other side.

Step 3:  In most cases, trimming off some fabric will mean that the width is not the same as the hook closure anymore.  You will have to gather the fabric to make it fit.  Baste close to the edge using the longest length stitch you can, and pull to gather the fabric.

Step 4: Use fabric glue if you have some to reattach the ends, then zigzag all around to secure them.

The other side, finished.

 It is very gratifying to have regained all of these items of clothing with a few simple DIY alterations and fixes!

Modestly layer (lace!) and PJ pattern adjustments

As I mentioned in my previous post, the cowlneck top I made dipped a little too low.  I decided to sew in a permanent "modesty layer" so I don't have to wear a camisole under the top.

I went to Jo-Ann's and got 1/2 yd of two types of lace: eyelet lace on a band of some gathered white cloth (mildly ruffled), and heavier lace with a rose design.  When I got home, I undid the gathers, flattened by pressing, and sewed the two together to get a more opaque look.   Then I trimmed the lace to fit inside the cowlneck top and sewed it in.

How it looks from the front.

 Unfortunately I had miscalculated a little and lace was not wide enough to extend as low as I needed it to go, so I zig-zagged two pieces together.  Luckily you can't really tell from the outside, but you can see it from the inside:

I also started working on a flannel PJ set.  Looking over the pattern pieces (Simplicity 2317) I realized I needed to shorten the shoulders quite a bit.  It was harder than I originally thought it was going to be, because I had to adjust all the pieces that would be affected (it ended up being most of the pieces!) while keeping in mind how they are going to fit together.  Due to the shortening the front facing piece (#19) lost the angled part that will become the lapel of the collar, so I had to reconstruct that part.  I tried my best...we'll see if my pattern adjustments will work when I get to the sewing phase!

Cowlneck T-shirt

Today I finished sewing a cowlneck t-shirt in navy blue stretchy knit fabric.  I used Vogue pattern V8634.  I originally cut out the pattern in S size, but thanks to my previous experience with the grey tank top I realized by comparing the pattern pieces that I needed to size down to XS.  I reduced all of the pattern piece sizes to XS, with the exception of the hip measurement, which I kept at S, since my hip measurement is 34 and 1/2 inches.  Once you have a pattern in your size (which you have adjusted as necessary, I would recommend that you always compare new patterns to this trusty pattern-- I saved a lot of time doing this!)

The flash makes this look very bright, but it is a dull navy blue color.

A close-up of the cowlneck.  You can see some of the topstitching.

The project took much less time thanks to some time-saving devices.  I invested in a rotary cutter (OLFA 45mm) and it reduced my prep time by at least half!  Be sure to get the mat if you want to use a rotary cutter.  It's pricey but in my opinion 100% worth it.  The rotary cutter was even more versatile than I thought it would be-- I was able to cut free form (without a guiding straight-edge), and it handled curves without any problems.

I also highly recommend pressing with a tailor's ham and sleeve roll.  These simple rounded objects really helped me achieve a cleaner look and allowed me to get into the hard-to-reach areas (such as seams under the arm and curved seams).

I used the same settings on my sewing machine and serger as I did for my previous stretchy knit fabric project (the grey tank top and shorts set) and didn't have any problems.

3/4 angle view.

The neckline dips quite low so I would recommend a camisole underneath.

One thing that wasn't obvious from the pattern package was that the design results in a low neckline.  I felt uncomfortable so I put on a camisole underneath.  I am considering getting some lace from the store and sewing in a permanent layer for modesty.

Simple, clean lines give this shirt a more dressy look.

I can see myself pairing this shirt with a skirt, or maybe some white pants/jeans.