Article: This method only works for shirts that are too tight, and within reason. The shirt still needs to fit you reasonably well at the shoulders. While it is possible to make a small shirt bigger, there is only so much you can do. Flatten the shirt first, then cut the seams off, starting at the bottom hem and finishing at the sleeve. You want to cut the side hems on the sleeves off as well, but leave the sleeves attached to the shirt. You will be using this material to fill in the gaps on the sides of the shirt as well as on the underside of the sleeves. Use a matching jersey material, preferably from a matching shirt; if you can't find any, you can buy some from the fabric store. Having trouble finding the exact color? Consider a contrasting color! If the shirt has a print on it, match the color to that. Use a measuring tape to measure from the edge of the sleeve to the armpit of the shirt, then down to the hem. Cut two rectangles based on that measurement. Plan on making the rectangles 6 inches (15.24 centimeters) on the bottom and 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) at the top. If you cut the material from another shirt, make the bottom hem the 6-inch (15.24-centimeter) wide edge. Add 1-inch (2.54 centimeters) to the overall length for hem allowances. If you cut the material from store-bought fabric, add 2 inches (5.08 centimeters) to the overall length for hem allowances. You can cut the panels wider/narrower to suit your needs. Turn the panels and the shirt so that the wrong sides are facing out. Pin the front and back left side edges of the shirt to the side edges of your first panel. Make sure that you are pinning the cut edges of the sleeve to the panel as well. Repeat this step for the right side and second panel. If you cut the panels from an existing shirt, make sure that the bottom hems match up. If you cut the panels from store-bought fabric, leave an even amount of panel sticking out of the sleeve and bottom hems. Start sewing at the bottom hem and finish sewing at the edge of the sleeve. Use a -inch (1.27-centimeter) seam allowance, a stretch stitch, and a matching thread color. Remove the pins as you sew. Backstitch at the start and end of your sewing. This will make the seams stronger. Fold the edges down on the top and bottom of each panel until they match up with the existing hems on the sleeves and shirt. Pin them in place, then sew them down. You will need to adjust your seam allowances to match those on the existing hems. In most cases, you'll need to sew two rows of stitching. Remove the pins when you are done, then trim off the excess material, as close to the stitching as you can. Backstitch at the start and end of your sewing. If you cut the material from an existing shirt, you'll only need to do the hem on the sleeve. Go over the shirt, and snip off any excess, hanging threads. If you want to, you can cut the collar of the shirt off as well. You can leave the collar raw for a trendy look, of you can hem it. You don't need to finish the inside seams, but you can trim them down to make them narrower.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Choose a shirt to modify. Turn the shirt inside out and cut it apart at the seams. Find a suitable material for the side panels. Cut the material into a tapering rectangle to fill in the gap. Pin the panels to the shirt. Sew the panels to the shirt. Hem the panels. Add the final touches, then turn the shirt right-side-out.