If, like me, you work in an office environment and wear a tie, you probably don’t fit the shirt that goes with it. This is not just that the male form is naturally awkward and unappealing, but instead because form-fitting shirts are typically much more expensive than your typical outing at the Sally Ann.
The most common problem that I have personally with shirts is that they are too tight in the neck in order to fit properly in the chest and midsection. If I get a shirt that fits in the neck, it’s too large in the chest and midsection.
What I have found works best is to purchase shirts for how they will fit for the neck and arm length, and then modify them. This will also work for any collared shirt that buttons up in the front. (Although I am not too familiar with ‘female’ dress-shirts or bust-lines, I would say that one would theoretically take all of the same steps.)
Step 1: Purchasing Your Shirt
Be sure this shirt fits comfortably at the neck and has decent length in the arms, depending on the design of the shirt it may have stripes or more complex patterns plaid patterns, it may be a bit more difficult to modify your shirt the more complex the pattern is. Choosing a simple design like basic stripes, or no design at all will decrease the chances that your shirt will look messed up.
This suits second-hand clothing the best, personally, modifying a shirt purchased for more than 10$ might not be worth it given the absolute danger that this project can be to the shirt in question. The typical rule of thumb out to be that if you are purchasing a shirt for more than 10$ you should probably be expecting it to fit as well.
Step 2: Fitting Your Shirt
Take the purchased-comfortable-in-the-neck-and-arms shirt and button it up. Turn the shirt inside out and put it on. The idea now is to take in the shirt on each side, pinning the bagginess to fit your chest and midsection. Start with the bagginess in your arm and temporarily pin the areas at the lower part of your shoulder, following the seam to the four-way seam intersection at the armpit, all the way down to the bottom of your shirt.
It is important to start around your shoulder before your armpit so you don’t leave any bagginess in the arms. Also, depending on the kind of pattern the shirt has, you might want to keep it roughly match as you pin. If it is a striped shirt, try to stay along the same stripe. If it is a plaid shirt, try to keep the pattern as consistent as possible.
Step 3: Sew and Check
Take the shirt off and sew a line along the pins, taking them out as you go. Any sewing machine will do, from the ‘mini’ variety you can get for under $20, to the more expensive in-table kind. Once you sew your new line, turn the shirt right-side in and try it on, be sure it fits and the patter looks consistent.
Step 4: Double Up and Cut
If you’re happy with it, turn the shirt inside out again and double up your stitch for strength. Cut the excess fabric and the old stitch line off and you should be able to wear your new shirt comfortably. I have found that the double stitch hold the threading together a bit better, and prevents the nasty un-threading that occasionally occurs.
Hopefully this helps somewhat, or at least gives you an idea of where to begin with shirt alterations. Please do this with shirts that aren’t expensive, and be careful with needles because they’re pointy.
JUST WONDERING…do you think calling people durogatory names at work if they involve themselves in the same type of behaviour is appropriate if it is done in all sarcasm? for instance, if i were to call you a shit eating trash whore, and you were to rebutt with “well your mother is a cross dressing slut and you dad is gay and had sex with her thinking that she was a gay prostitute” would this be wrong… under your definition of what evil is or is not. just wondering.
maggie you’re a gem.