So-So Sewer: How To Re-shape A Cute Summer Top

Hey! Thanks for stopping by to read this. I got that shirt on the left for free. I probably would have paid for it. I tend to buy clothing that looks great on skinny people without thinking it might not look the same on me. However, this time, I lucked into a free shirt. I decided it might look good without that awful elastic faux drawstring waistline. I don't understand why designers don't get this...women with bigger waistlines do not like clothing that cuts into or sticks to their stomachs. Seriously. And please, for the love, nothing that "blouses"! That's not a good look either. Take a look at that before and after pic above...I weigh the same in BOTH pictures. They were taken the same day. I look thinner and more "put together" in that second picture. (Or at least I think so.)

So for this tutorial, I'm gonna show you how to re-shape a top with 4 super easy changes.

To start, I grabbed my handy dandy seam ripper to take out the stitches of the elastic casing.

Once I got all the stitches out, it looked like this:


No worries, those wrinkles will come out with an iron.

I cut the sleeves off next. I like to cut the sleeves right before the armhole seam. (This makes it easier to sew the raw edge up.) With the shirt inside out, I rolled the raw edge over once and pinned.

Then I sewed down the raw edges of the armholes.

With the shirt turned inside out, it was time to 'fit' the top. Starting at the armpit, I pinned the shirt down the sides. I like for my shirts to flare a little towards the bottom so the shirts aren't clingy.